Firefighter from Corby 'humbled' to take part in the Queen’s funeral procession

A firefighter from Corby says being selected to take part in the Queen’s funeral procession is the pinnacle of his career.

Craig Douglas, 44, was one of just 16 firefighters from across the UK selected to take part in the state funeral yesterday (September 19).

He is a station manager at Rushden and Raunds for Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue and was informed of his role by the Home Office within 24 hours of the death of Her Majesty, travelling down to London last Wednesday to take part in rehearsals before the historic occasion.

He said: “I think this will probably be the pinnacle of my whole career. I joined the Army when I was aged just 17 and now that I am a firefighter, I have served the crown for nearly three decades. It was incredibly humbling to have been selected to take part.”

Craig marched more than three miles during the procession, where he was flanked by members from other services as well as the band of the Royal Marines.

Speaking of the experience, Craig said: “It’s difficult to put into words how emotional it all was – you just know that you’re bursting with pride.

“We trained for a few days before but the only free time we got was on Sunday afternoon, and a few of us decided to go and see the flowers at Hyde Park, and that’s when the reality of what we were doing hit us.

“There was still a moment of surrealness on the morning when we were listening to the bagpipes practising, but once we took those first steps in the procession it really hit home.

“At parts of the procession people were cheering us as we went past, and that was a real lump in the throat moment.

“Nothing can ever prepare you for a moment like that and the emotion you feel marching past those crowds. I don’t think anything in the world will ever match this experience.”

The funeral procession was particularly touching for Craig as he also has fond memories of meeting and speaking to the Queen himself back when he was on active duty in the Army.

He said: “I was inspected by the Queen twice, the first of which was after I returned from duty in Bosnia and on that occasion, I actually managed to speak to her.

“Back then I was quite a young lad and she asked me what I was going to do for my summer holidays, so I told her that me and a few of the lads were going on holiday to Ibiza. She told me that she hoped I would have a ‘jolly good time’ – so it was a great experience to be stood in front of her.”

After his stint in the army Craig opted for a change of career but was still intent on serving the crown and keeping members of the public safe. He joined Essex Fire and Rescue Service in 2003 before coming back to his home county in 2015.

Since then, he has been a watch commander at his home town station in Corby, but recently moved to Rushden to take up the role of station manager. He has the same position at Raunds.