Military Provost Guard Service
There’s a dedicated group of men and women who spend their days and nights protecting cadets, officers and staff at the Britannia Royal Naval College, but we hear little about them. The Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS) are responsible for looking after nearly 100 military bases around the UK. The guards have spent at least three years in the Armed Forces, are all fully weapons trained and are ready to deal with any threat. Steph Woolvin went up to meet two of the team…
When you drive through the gates and up to the entrance lodge at the Naval College, you’re greeted by armed guards. These men and women are part of a massive organisation in the UK made of up of thousands of Armed Forces personnel who have left the military and re-joined or transferred to opt for a more stable but not quite ‘9 to 5’ lifestyle. The Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS) is part of the Army and their sole purpose is to protect all members of the military, (Army, Navy or Air Force) against any kind of threat.
Here in Dartmouth, MPGS duties include patrolling perimeters fences, escorting visitors and planning security for large events like passing out parades and royal visits. “Most of us work four days on, four days off and each shift is 12 hours long”. Lance Corporal Ben Jinks has been part of the MPGS at the College for three and a half years.
Before that, the 33-year-old was in the Navy serving on HMS Ocean and at HMS Raleigh in Plymouth. “Our shifts go right through the night as there has to be guards on patrol 24/7. There are planned tasks and routines throughout the shifts, you also have to deal with any incident that arises.”
Staff Sergeant Dean Smith is in charge: “It’s my job to know every breath the College takes basically! I have to be aware of every person coming on site and every event that’s planned. I manage control room operations and pick holes in event plans looking for any kind of potential threat.” Formerly a member of the Grenadier Guards, 37-year-old Dean is a new face at the College having only taken over the top job four months ago.
Dean says what the general public may find daunting, they think of as everyday chores, “we each like to think of ourselves as armed guarding specialists. We stand at the front gates with guns watching every person or vehicle that approaches the guardroom. We have to consider every visitor as a threat until we know for sure who they are and what they want. We are the first point of contact and we are trained and ready to deal with any situation and do everything in our power to protect the men and women beyond those gates.” Dean says the guards abide by UK rules of engagement which means they are authorised to take appropriate action if they seriously believe the target is about to take the lives of others.
Dean says the College is different to a lot of military bases because of the high number of events that go on here, each with their own unique set of security risks. “It’s such an important historical building and a high profile place, it is for the Navy what Sandhurst is to the Army – people want to visit – and it’s a VIP magnet. We have a large number of royal visits, whether that’s from the UK or other countries like the United Arab Emirates.” Ben says even something as low risk as a Michael Palin talk requires military precision: “For an event like that the team had to set up security checkpoints at the park and ride, search members of the public, check bags, check ID and escort them onto the bus and into the hall. Then afterwards we had to escort everyone onto the bus and back to their cars.”
The College’s popularity brings an added problem down at the gates as almost every week sightseers try and get onto the grounds, but don’t understand or appreciate that it is a working military unit. Ben says they have to be patient: “We’re always explaining that they can’t just wander in even if their grandad or great uncle Frank attended the College back in the 1940s! We tell them about the organised tours which have to be booked quite a long way in advance. Some people aren’t aware of this and others just try their luck.”
Dean and Ben both admit that the MPGS is seen by some as mundane and unrewarding but the men and women are on active UK military duty. All personnel have to start as (or drop rank to) a Private, even if they have been a Sergeant or Warrant Officer in a previous job.
“There are so many advantages to this job though,” says Dean. “With our unit doing the job we reduce the workload of other serving members of the MOD, leaving them to focus their attention elsewhere. We provide a safe and secure environment for them to work in. Members of the MPGS get the majority of the same perks as the rest of the military - free dental and medical treatment, education allowances, a house (if you are married) a good pension, gym facilities and £20,000 a year starting salary. But the most important thing for most of our team is the fact that you get to go home at night to your family.”
Ben says it was that part that he needed the most. “I have a five year old daughter called Jessie and I want to watch her grow up, not be away for most of the year on tours or training. I’ve always loved the Armed Forces and have wanted to be involved since I was a boy. With this job I get the best of both worlds but I have more stability.”
Members of the MPGS get to go on the same adventure training courses as the regular troops which means they can choose to try all kinds of adrenaline raising activities in countries around the world whether that’s climbing Everest, white-water kayaking in Norway or downhill ski racing in Greenland. Dean went mountain biking and rock climbing in Bavaria earlier this year and says it’s not all fun and games: “The idea is to challenge people mentally as well as physically, so whilst on the courses we all have to research a subject and do a presentation to the rest of the group. I chose military prisoner of war camps and talked about Dachau. Everyone gets to learn some military history and those who aren’t confident speaking publicly gain a bit of confidence.”
Dean is just as active outside of work enjoying cycling, paddle boarding, walking and climbing on his days off. In fact he’ll be spending the first part of 2019 training for a Land’s End to John O’Groats cycle, which he hopes to do in six days. But he does find time to spend a few leisurely hours with his wife and two daughters, Paige who is 14 and Darcey who’s four.
“We like visiting National Trust properties as well as gardens and beaches. It’s the first Christmas we’ve lived so close to the water so we’re planning to spend part of Christmas Day opening our presents on the beach.” It won’t be such merriment for Ben though who is working during the Christmas break: “I don’t mind really as we all bring in goodies to share and the College puts on a Christmas lunch.” The team isn’t short of a treat or two throughout the year as workers and visitors regularly bring doughnuts, cakes and mince pies into the guardroom at the front gates. “We might look after the cadets and officers but the people of Dartmouth also look after us.”
First published in By The Dart magazine December 2018
