Victoria Cross champion Johnson Beharry has stated that he was placed on high alert for the Queen’s burial on the day she met Liz Truss, two days prior to her passing.
Mr. Beharry, age 43, claimed he felt the email he received was royal procedure.
He said that he did not respond to the email and was contacted 24 hours later to confirm his availability.
The 43-year-old assumed it was the palace ‘updating the protocol’ and that he would do anything required.
Victoria Cross champion Johnson Beharry has stated that he was placed on high alert for the Queen’s burial on the day she met Liz Truss, two days prior to her passing. Pictured: In 2005, the Queen presents him with the Victoria Cross.
Then, on September 8, two days after her final official meeting with Prime Minister Liz Truss, the palace announced the death of the Queen.
Mr. Beharry had earlier consented to be a part of Operation Bridge, the post-Queen’s-death procedure, and was aware of it.
Mr. Beharry, who served in Iraq and was awarded the Victoria Cross, told the Sun on Sunday, “Her Majesty was like my grandmother to me.”
“Without the Queen, I would not have the life that I do now.
As a member of the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association, I was constantly aware of Operation London Bridge.
Then, on September 8, two days after her last official meeting with Prime Minister Liz Truss, pictured, the palace confirmed the Queen’s passing.
Mr. Beharry, depicted, was awarded the Victoria Cross for bravery in Iraq. His heroics allowed him to save around 30 teammates, but he also sustained life-threatening brain injuries.
Queen Elizabeth II sits for a group photograph with recipients of the Victoria and George Cross medals, including Mr. Beharry.
What actions did Johnson Beharry take to earn the Victoria Cross?
On 1 May 2004, Beharry drove his Warrior armored vehicle through the streets of Al Amarah, Iraq, followed by four further Warriors. A rocket-propelled grenade struck his vehicle, igniting it and causing his commanding officer to lose consciousness.
Beharry grabbed control, shoving his vehicle through a barrier blocking the route and driving over a mine that did not detonate before accelerating away. Beharry was shot in the head; the helmet he was wearing at the time may be viewed with his Victoria Cross in the Ashcroft Gallery of the Imperial War Museum (IWM) in London. However, he still managed to lead his own Warrior and four others to safety.
Beharry then exited his truck, which was on fire, to rescue his commanding officer and their critically wounded gunner, before taking two more men to safety.
Beharry, who was still under fire, maneuvered his Warrior to a location where it would do minimal collateral damage if it exploded, disabled the vehicle and its guns, and then took shelter. Once he was secure, he fell from tiredness. Within six weeks, he was back on the job after being taken to the hospital for observation.
During the early hours of 11 June 2004, Beharry was driving a Warrior through the streets of Al Amarah when his company was ambushed and a rocket-propelled grenade struck his vehicle, detonating inches from Beharry’s head.
Extremely injured and barely aware, he retreated to safety at high speed while driving backwards. Despite his injuries, which included a fractured skull that would place him in a coma for weeks, Beharry saved the lives of every man on the Warrior.
On March 18, 2005, Johnson Beharry became the twenty-first century’s first recipient of the Victoria Cross.
The origin: Imperial War Museum
Mr. Beharry was awarded the Victoria Cross for his valorous actions in Iraq. As a result of his heroics, he saved about thirty colleagues while sustaining life-threatening brain injuries.
The 43-year-old explained that he never imagined he would see the Queen when he first met her in 2005.
She referred to him as a “really remarkable person” and discussed his brain injuries.
After that, Mr. Beharry had many encounters with the Queen, during which they discussed his family and his well-being.
She inquired about how he was feeling and coping, he added.
Mr. Beharry added that, after his grandmother passed away in 2003, the monarch, who called him Beharry, served as a surrogate grandmother for him.
The 43-year-old stated that she was kind and communicated with him ‘like no one else’
Mr. Beharry and his wife Mallissa were invited to the Queen’s lying-in-state for a private time days prior to the funeral, and he began to choke up.
The soldier, who serves with the 1st Battalion Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment and first saw the Queen in 2005, was visibly moved when he spoke to her casket.
He paid her thanks and thanked her for what she had done for him, saying that he would not be where he was without the Victoria Cross.
When he learned of her passing, he was overcome with sadness, and he reported experiencing goosebumps.
The 43-year-old stated that he did not realize she had passed away until he heard God Save the King being sung outside the castle.
He attended the funeral and claimed that he was trying to maintain his composure. The individual was pushing Keith Payne’s wheelchair.
When Mr. Beharry arrived at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, he was overcome with tremendous emotions and developed chills.
During a reading for the Royal British Legion, he pondered about the last event he attended, where he saw the Queen at Westminster Abbey.
Mr. Beharry was unaware he was facing Vice President Joe Biden.
After the funeral, he spoke with high-ranking officials concerning security.
Mr. Beharry was informed that Mr. Biden was angry that he had to wait for him to pass before he could proceed.
Mr. Beharry, pictured in 2017, will be at the Cenotaph for Remembrance Sunday next week and will have the Queen in his thoughts.
The soldier expressed his gratitude for being invited to the burial.
Mr. Beharry will be at the Cenotaph the following week on Remembrance Sunday and will have the Queen in mind.
He stated that he will also thank her for everything she has done and vowed to continue serving the country till his death.
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