Two Beefeaters have been suspended and a third is under investigation over allegations that the first woman to become a Yeoman Warder in the 1000-year history of the Tower of London has been harassed.
Moira Cameron, 44 and from Argyll, in Scotland, served her country for a total of 22 years, some sources stating that she joined the army at 16, others that she joined at 20.
After first serving as a data telegraphist with the Royal Signals she went on, in 1987, to become a military accountant with the Royal Army Pay Corps. As the
London Evening Standard reports, during her time in the army Ms Cameron, who served in various parts of England, in Cyprus and in Northern Ireland, attained the rank of Warrant Officer Class 2, the second-highest NCO rank in the British Army.
In 2007, and with her 22 years of military service and the rank she attained qualifying her for the position, Ms Cameron beat off competition from five men to become the first female Yeoman Warder, or Beefeater as those who wear the distinctive uniform are commonly known, since the Warders began guarding the Tower of London in 1485.
However Ms Cameron revealed at the time of her appointment, which the
Guardian says she described as "magical", that some of her 34 male colleagues were less than enamored with a female joining their ranks. She explained:
I've had some comments. I had one chap at the gate one day who said he was completely and utterly against me doing the job. I said to him, 'I would like to thank you for dismissing my 22 years' service in Her Majesty's armed forces
Chief Yeoman Warder John Keohane said of the arrival of the first female warder:
If you went back into the 1800s, life for ladies was very different. All that's happened is that life has moved on
And now it has emerged that two Warders, the Beefeater nickname is said to have originated from the daily meat ration that went with the job, have been suspended over allegations that they harassed Ms Cameron, with a third Warder also under investigation.
During the time that Ms Cameron lived at the Tower of London with her male colleagues her uniform was allegedly defaced and "harassing" notes left in her locker. The entry on Wikipedia for Ms Cameron was also defaced, an act which has earned one person a police caution.
According to
Sky News, as well as confirming the investigation in to the three warders and the suspension from duty of two of those Warders, a statement issued by
Historic Royal Palaces, the independent charity which manages the Tower of London, added:
We take such allegations very seriously and our formal harassment policy makes it clear that this is totally unacceptable. We believe everyone is entitled to work in an environment free from any form of harassment, a principle that we expect all our staff to value and uphold. As soon as these allegations were brought to our attention, we immediately instigated procedures under our harassment policy. An internal investigation is already underway to establish whether these allegations have any foundation and should conclude within two to three weeks. Meanwhile, the Tower of London is a close-knit community and, understandably, this is a difficult time for us all
Meanwhile Ms Cameron has indicated that she intends to carry on in her role guarding the Tower, which houses the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom, and greeting tourists. She is apparently very upset but at the same time aware that it is only a small minority involved in the alleged harassment.
