It hasn’t been an easy task but they were prepared, with the members jumping on one of the first flights to London after hearing of the Monarch’s death last week.
Australian Army Brigadier Mick Garraway will be among those marching alongside Australian, Canadian and New Zealand defence force members.
“It’s a tremendous opportunity and it’s a great privilege for us to be involved in this historic event,” he told Today.
“Things happened pretty quickly.
“Most of us got the word last Friday and gathered in Sydney and then flew through over here to London. And there’s been a lot of rehearsals.”
The rehearsal started within 24 hours of personnel arriving, including a 2am before-dawn dress rehearsal at Wellington Barracks near Buckingham Palace.
“Essentially we have been rehearsing the parade itself after hours here in London, because of the requirement to close streets,” Garraway said.
“There has also been rehearsals on a nearby army base. The troops have been working hard to prepare themselves for a style of a drill and style of marching which we don’t normally do in Australia.
Grief across the globe as Queen Elizabeth II laid to rest
“The troops have been working really hard.”
Those marching include personnel from the Royal Australian Engineers, the Royal Australian Infantry, the Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps and the Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps.
“They have been looking forward to representing their country in this historic event,” Garraway said.
“Together in this environment, for many of us when we deploy in operations we’re often away with the Brits, the Canadians and the Kiwis, so it’s great to get together in that Commonwealth team and be part of something historic.”
The Queen’s funeral will begin at 8pm (AEST) on Monday at Westminster Abbey in London.
After the funeral, the coffin will travel in procession to Wellington Arch and then on to Windsor where the Queen will be laid to rest next to her husband, Prince Philip.
The Queen’s final journey
