4:20pm Wednesday 1st September 2010
By Neil Skinner
Two teenage boys proudly swore an oath of allegiance to The Queen this afternoon as they signed on the dotted line and joined the British Army.
Daniel Stanley, 16, and Michael Sillwood, 17, were watched by proud family and friends during the brief ceremony this afternoon at the Queen’s Road recruitment centre.
The pair, currently too young to fully commit to a military career, will soon travel to the Army’s specialist training college in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.
There they will enjoy a year-long diet of army education, discipline and comradeship before deciding whether or not to continue their careers full-time.
Both young men told the Watford Observer they were fulfilling childhood dreams.
Daniel, of Cheshire Drive, Leavesden, is a former pupil at Francis Combe Academy. He said: “I’ve always wanted to join the Army, ever since I was young. My parents are right behind me as much as they can be and I am really looking forward to it”
When he completes his college education Daniel hopes to join the famous Grenadier Guards infantry regiment, famed throughout the world for its soldiers’ towering bearskin hats.
Former Rickmansworth School pupil Michael, from Croxley Green, was also in no doubt that he had made the right decision. He said: “I am joining the Army for the life it will offer me. I don’t like not having a structure to my life and I know I will learn a lot in the Army. It is something that I wanted to do ever since I was a young boy.
“I was also in the Army cadets in Rickmansworth before joining. My mum was a bit anxious about me joining, as any mum would be, but my dad has been right behind me and is proud of what I am doing, because I have done all this on my own. Most people my age still do not know what they want to do with their lives.”
The proud young men, who stood smartly to attention in front of a picture of The Queen, each held a bible as they “solemnly, sincerely and truly” affirmed to protect her and obey orders.
Major Geoff Woodcock, who gave a short speech before the ceremony began, urged the young recruits to grab with both hands all the opportunities that would come their way.
He said: “Always volunteer and get involved, you will enjoy it and it will make you a better person.”
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