A STOCKTON man has become the latest 'Beefeater' at the Tower of London.

Daniel Benson has taken up the role after 28 years with the Yorkshire Regiment (formerly a Green Howard) and will live and work at the Tower alongside 36 other Yeoman Warders and their families.

The Yeoman Warders, nicknamed Beefeaters, are descended from the band of warders who guarded the gates and royal prisoners from the Tower of London’s early beginnings. Today they combine their passion and knowledge to bring the Tower’s history alive alongside their traditional ceremonial role.

Mr Benson, who has served in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Germany, said: "Being a Yeoman Warder is unbelievable. I feel very proud to be part of the history and traditions of the Tower. It seems like a fantastic job and I can’t believe I managed to get here. My son is serving in the army and he is very proud that his dad is a Yeoman Warder. The rest of the family are over the moon!"

To qualify for the role, applicants must have served at least 22 years in the armed forces, hold the Long Service and Good conduct medal and have reached the level of warrant officer, before being selected for interview and a rigorous selection process.

One of YW Benson’s first challenges will be to learn word-for-word the ‘Story’ – the script of the famous Yeoman Warder Tour of the Tower. Once he has perfected the Story, he will be allowed to lead a tour himself, delighting visitors from across the world with almost a thousand years of Tower history. He will take part in his first Ceremony of the Keys on 26 March 2017, a closing ceremony that has taken place every night without fail for at least 700 years.