41-gun salute to honour the Duke of Edinburgh

Former service personnel manned the seven replica cannon on the saluting battery at Castle Cornet.

The guns started at noon and were fired a minute apart.

Battery commander Rob Grant was in charge of making sure everything went smoothly.

He said he had been inundated with people wanting to get involved in the event. Salutes were also taking place at other notable locations, such as London, Edinburgh and Portsmouth.

‘We are all proud to be part of that,’ he said.

Bailiff Richard McMahon, Lt-Governor Vice Admiral Sir Ian Corder and Chief Minister Deputy Peter Ferbrache watched from the battlements.

Nearly 30 people were involved with loading and firing the guns.

Among them was Iain Davidson, 58, who served in the Royal Logistics Corps for 24 years, before moving to Guernsey 20 years ago. He had met the Duke on quite a few occasions.

‘He was very easy to talk to,’ he said.

‘He was always very interested in what you had to say. This is a small thing we can do to show our respect.’

Pete Saunders, 34, spent five years in the Army and now works as a firefighter.

He was called up at 6pm on Friday and asked to get involved.

‘I wanted to help out and this is a nice event,’ he said.

While most the gunners were men, there were several women, including Polly Muir. She served in the Royal Air Force, but now works in the island as a doctor.

‘The Duke was an extraordinary man,’ she said. ‘He did give so much.’

Head of Heritage Services Helen Glencross said preparations for the salute had been made earlier this year, when the Duke first fell ill. After Friday’s news, the 25g ground maroon shot was collected from a magazine in the island and taken to the castle.

Mrs Glencross said it was relatively rare to do such a big salute, although the cannon were used each year to give a 21-gun salute for the Queen’s birthday.

It is traditional to have 21 guns for a salute. An extra 20 can be added in specific circumstances.

The noon-day gun was not used during the event. However it is due to start firing again from 30 April.

Nearby at the Town Church, a quarter peal was rung out at 11am. Then from noon, the bell was tolled 99 times. Some parish churches have provided candles for people to light in memory of the Duke.

Around the island, flags on official buildings, businesses and at homes were flown at half-mast.