Moira Cameron (born 1964) is a retired Yeoman Warder of the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. She is the first woman to ever hold the position. In 2007, after a 22-year career in the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

, Cameron became one of the 35 resident Warders in the Tower of London, commonly known as the Beefeaters. Originally prison guards, the Yeoman Warder's position dates back to 1485. It is now a largely ceremonial role, with responsibility for conducting guided tours and generally looking after public visitors to the Tower, as well as conducting certain other duties both inside and outside the Tower.

Career

British Army

Cameron joined the

Women's Royal Army Corps The Women's Royal Army Corps (WRAC; sometimes pronounced acronymically as , a term unpopular with its members) was the corps to which all women in the British Army belonged from 1949 to 1992 except medical, dental and veterinary officers and chap ...

(WRAC) in June 1985 at the age of 20. She was trained as a Data Telegraphist with the

Royal Corps of Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communications an ...

before transferring to the

Royal Army Pay Corps The Royal Army Pay Corps (RAPC) was the corps of the British Army responsible for administering all financial matters. It was amalgamated into the Adjutant General's Corps in 1992. History The first "paymasters" existed in the army before the fo ...

(RAPC) in 1988 to train as a Military Accountant, and in 2000 Cameron was awarded her

Long Service and Good Conduct Medal Long Service and Good Conduct Medal is a service medal awarded to personnel in various branches of the armed forces of the United Kingdom and the territories that are or were at some point a part of the British Empire or Commonwealth of Nations. Ex ...

. In 1992, WRAC and RAPC were replaced by the

Adjutant General's Corps The Adjutant General's Corps is a corps in the British Army responsible for many of its general administrative services, named for the Adjutant-General to the Forces (now the Commander Home Command). As of 2002, the AGC had a staff of 7,000 peop ...

, and Cameron worked her way through the ranks in its Staff and Personnel Support Branch, completing 22 years service in the army in June 2007. Having seen service in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

and

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

, Cameron ended her Army career at the rank of

Warrant Officer Class 2 Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned officer ranks, ...

, holding the post of Superintendent Clerk in 145 (Home Counties) Brigade in

Aldershot Aldershot ( ) is a town in the Rushmoor district, Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, south-west of London. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Farnborough/Aldershot built-up are ...

Yeoman Warder

Cameron officially became the first ever female Yeoman Warder in July 2007 but did not get to wear her uniform until 3 September 2007. Cameron was one of 37 Yeoman Warders based in the

, a position which dates back to 1485. Styled as Yeoman Warder Cameron, her full and proper title was Yeoman Warder of Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London, and Members of the Sovereign's Body Guard of the Yeoman Guard in the Extraordinary. Camerons' duties were mostly connected to the Tower, but can involve some outside ceremonies. Within the Tower, Cameron's role was to take care of public visitors to the Tower and perform guided tours, guard the

Crown Jewels Crown jewels are the objects of metalwork and jewellery in the regalia of a current or former monarchy. They are often used for the coronation of a monarch and a few other ceremonial occasions. A monarch may often be shown wearing them in portra ...

, perform the

Ceremony of the Keys Ceremony of the Keys may refer to: *Ceremony of the Keys (Edinburgh), a ceremony at the start of the British monarch's week-long residence there in July *Ceremony of the Keys (Gibraltar) The Ceremony of the Keys event is a re-enactment of the l ...

and look after the Ravens of the Tower. Outside the Tower, Warders duties are to attend the Coronation of the Sovereign,

lying-in-state Lying in state is the tradition in which the body of a deceased official, such as a head of state, is placed in a state building, either outside or inside a coffin, to allow the public to pay their respects. It traditionally takes place in a m ...

, the

Lord Mayor's Show The Lord Mayor's Show is one of the best-known annual events in London as well as one of the longest-established, dating back to the 13th century. A new lord mayor is appointed every year, and the public parade that takes place as their inaugura ...

, and other state and charity functions. As a Yeoman Warder, Cameron had two tailored-to-fit uniforms, the Scarlet ceremonial dress, and the 'undress' blue uniform for day-to-day duties (each in three variants of varying thickness for different seasons). On 25 November 2009, two Yeoman Warders were dismissed after being found guilty of gross misconduct for bullying Cameron due to her gender. Three Warders had been suspended, and one was subsequently re-instated following the month-long investigation, with his role 'unproven'. One of the three also received a

police caution A police caution is a formal alternative to prosecution in minor cases, administered by the police in England and Wales. It is commonly used to resolve cases where full prosecution is not seen as the most appropriate solution. Accepting a caution ...

for defacing Cameron's Wikipedia biography. Cameron retired in Autumn 2022 after having served 15 years as a Yeoman Warder.

First female Yeoman Warder

The post of Yeoman Warder had never specifically been barred to women, although due to the rules governing women in the British Army, it was only in the modern era that women were able to have a career able to meet the entry requirements. To apply for the job, applicants had to be aged between 40 and 55, have completed at least 22 years' service in either the

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...

reaching the rank of

Warrant Officer Warrant officer (WO) is a Military rank, rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ...

or Senior

Non-Commissioned Officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted rank, enlisted leader, petty officer, or in some cases warrant officer, who does not hold a Commission (document), commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority b ...

(NCO), and have been awarded the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal. It was announced on 3 January 2007 that an unnamed female would be replacing a retiring Yeoman Warder in September 2007, with WO2 Cameron, still in the Army at the time, publicly named as this replacement eight days later. Cameron had long been interested in the job of Yeoman Warder, and applied to an advertisement placed in

Soldier Magazine ''SOLDIER Magazine'', the official monthly publication of the British Army, is produced by an in-house team and published by the Ministry of Defence. It is aimed primarily at junior ranks but also to all ranks of the British Army, cadets and th ...

in Summer 2006. Cameron was not the first woman to apply for the job of Yeoman Warder, but she was the first to pass the interview process, beating five male candidates for the vacancy.

Personal life

Born in 1964, Cameron grew up in

Furnace, Argyll Furnace () (formerly Inverleacainn ()) is a village in Argyll and Bute, on the west coast of Scotland, on the north shore of Loch Fyne, the longest sea loch in the United Kingdom. Furnace is around eight miles southwest of Inveraray on the A ...

on the west coast of

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, and joined the Army at the suggestion of her mother, who thought she 'needed to see the world'. As part of her job as a Yeoman Warder, she lived in the

in a subsidised apartment. In February 2011, Cameron was made a patron of The Kit Wilson Trust for Animal Welfare, an animal welfare charity based in East Sussex.

References

External links

Historic Royal Palaces
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cameron, Moira 1964 births Living people 20th-century British Army personnel 21st-century British Army personnel Women's Royal Army Corps soldiers Royal Corps of Signals soldiers Royal Army Pay Corps soldiers Adjutant General's Corps soldiers People from Furnace, Argyll and Bute Military personnel from Argyll and Bute