Army medic made a Tower of London Beefeater

Emily Lewis-Garwood served with the Royal Army Medical Corps for 25 years before being made a Beefeater

An Army medic from Devon has been made a Beefeater at the Tower of London.

Emily Lewis-Garwood, who grew up in Brixham, is the first female combat medical technician and only the fifth woman to be appointed a Yeoman Warder (YW) in the Tower's 500-year history.

She said it was "a real honour" to take up the historic position.

Yeomen, nicknamed Beefeaters, were introduced in 1485 by Henry VII to help guard the tower.

Now performing a ceremonial role, they are the much-photographed public face of the Tower, which attracts nearly three million visitors a year, according to Visit Britain.

YW Lewis-Garwood, who served with the Royal Army Medical Corps for 25 years, said she had enjoyed learning about the history of the Tower for the Beefeater tours.

"It's great interacting with the public every day - a very different career to my life within the military and you just get to make people happy every day," she said.

Asked how she felt when she learnt her application had been successful, she said: "It was incredible - a real privilege and a real honour."

The latest appointees are the first to start their roles wearing the new cypher of King Charles III

Applicants must have served at least 22 years in the armed forces, reaching the rank of Warrant Officer or equivalent, before passing an interview and selection process to be made a Beefeater.

The latest appointees - which also includes Nottinghamshire's Garry McCormick and North Yorkshire's Wayne Glynn - are the first to start their roles wearing the new cypher of King Charles III.

The Tower said the exact reason why they are nicknamed Beefeaters is not clear, but the daily ration of meat Yeoman Warders were given for their duties is the "most likely" explanation.

It said records showed the daily ration for 30 men on duty in 1813 was 24lb (10.8kg) of beef, 18lb of mutton (8.16kg) and 16lb (7.2kg) of veal.