A DORSET soldier and musician will be among 1,500 fellow servicemen who will parade in front of a worldwide audience as part of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in London.
Lance Corporal Dominic Buswell’s latest assignment will be to ride his horse as part of the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony outside Buckingham Palace on Thursday, June 2.
250 horses will also take part in the annual tradition, which has marked the official birthday of the British monarch for more than 260 years, and this year will coincide with the Platinum Jubilee.
The event will be a first for Dominic, 26 and of Poole, who has served for more than seven years as a musician in the British Army. Despite having taken part in two of Her Majesty’s birthday parades before, this year will be the first time he has performed the mounted role as a drummer.
Dominic said: “It is the biggest honour for me to take part. This parade will probably stick with me for the whole of my life and remain with me more than any other due to its significance.
“I have had to deal with the pressure that goes with learning to ride a horse of this type and playing whilst mounted. I have to make sure I concentrate on my role on the big day.”
He will be easy to spot, riding one of the mounted Shire drum horses taking part in the parade. Whilst mounted he can play bass drum, snare drum and cymbal.
Dominic will be riding Ed, a curious horse who loves attention and, although standing at 1.73m, is described as a friendly giant.
Dominic’s family will be at their homes in Poole and Verwood glued to the TV proudly watching their loved one take part in the momentous occasion.
Also part of this year’s Trooping the Colour ceremony is Kevin Gannaway, an ex-army trooper and member of the Royal British Legion also from Poole. Kevin was one of the lucky few to be selected to watch the event from a special grandstand seating position.
He said: “I am over the moon with this as it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am taking my 87-year-old nan with me.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel