MBE

Simon is an avid collector of air-miles, or indeed if the military offered such bonuses for travel he’d have accumulated enough by now to claim somewhat more than his dream vacuum cleaner. In his work with 33 Engineer Regiment (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) he spent 9 months shuttling back and fore between Iraq and Afghanistan winding down his Regiment’s operations in the former and building them up in the latter. With no direct transportation route between those two countries Simon would manage the briefest of stops each time, en route, back in England. As though the demands of the job at both ends weren’t sufficient to take up all of his time and energy, during his brief home visits he served as Casualty Visiting Officer for the family of an injured soldier.

Having met Simon, finding immediate enjoyment in his notably easy going, calm, good natured demanour, his personality presented the perfect prologue and epilogue to what I can only imagine to be an immensely complex story.

For his conduct and performance throughout that story he was summoned to the Palace and was awarded a MBE.

Simon’s wife, Hayley, runs a wedding photography business and serves as the de facto organiser for a network of photographers I belong to. From the outset I’d wondered how she managed to organise network activities with such military precision. The circle was squared quickly enough as I learnt more of her story too.

With their families they’d decided to make a big day out of the whole event, as you would really, and if ever somebody wanted a photographic record of such a day it was Hayley. She did also want to experience the day to the full herself without viewing much of it through the viewfinder of a camera and therein came my enlistment.

One might say I was to be their embedded photographer for the day (at least I might say) though I’ve no doubt my experience was a great deal more luxurious than that of any of my counterparts in the journalistic field.

I met Simon and Hayley, as well as a small contingent of their families, outside the Palace gates after the ceremony. I’d have gladly made my way inside to photograph the ceremony itself but the perimeter and courtyard was too heavily guarded, even for me.

I’m not sure that’s part of regulation uniform but Simon’s unphased, as ever…

Our taxis to the next location for the day were delayed by something or other so Simon cheerily filled the time providing his services as a cultural model to a variety of passing tourists…

If Hayley was running the taxi company, I have every confidence that not a single car would ever be late…

The fuller party assembled at Browns Hotel for afternoon tea. With nine people in total to photograph, over a period of several hours, it might have proved somewhat tricky to not affect the natural social dynamic of the occasion through the act of documenting it but I felt immediately accepted as one of the party; unsurprisingly a friendly bunch indeed. I’d like to think that my own demeanour helped make the process an easy one for all concerned but I was told that they were all accustomed to Hayley papping them left, right and centre whenever there was a family occasion so there was nothing new to them in having a photographer in tow. All the same, I was a newcomer to the group and the acceptance I was shown certainly stemmed from a common thread of thoroughly human decency that bound the family together.

I’ve never eaten sandwiches before. I was under the illusion that I had, on numerous occasions, throughout my life. I was wrong though. I still labour under the unshakeable notion that Browns employ a specialist sandwich chef for each of the varieties of sandwiches they serve up mixed on a platter, one whom has devoted a lifetime to perfecting the cucumber sandwich, another with unsurpassed knowledge and skill in creating the perfect egg and cress.

I went to Buckingham Palace and all I got was…

That special speed bump moment…

Onwards for pre-dinner cocktails at the Andaz Hotel where the party were given the VIP… disco booth? I suspected her discipline might not hold out for the entire day; Hayley had smuggled a camera in. The purple physiognomies are more down to the neon lighting than the potency of the cocktails. I think.

Thence next-door into 1901, a particularly fine restaurant with a reassuringly easy-going ambience.

I’ve never had soup before. I was under the illusion that I had, on numerous occasions, throughout my life. Etc…

A friendly passer-by asks for a piece of cheese…

And a splendid meal rounded off with a birthday cake for Jen, one of Simon’s daughters …

A fantastic day, thoroughly so. Congratulations Simon on your achievement and congratulations all who were there, for being such thoroughly splendid people basically. And thanks for the wealth of exquisite food along the way!