COLDSTREAM GUARDS

A SERVICEMAN chosen to be the most senior soldier in the historic Coldstream Guards of the British Army has been charged with “conspiracy to sell ammunition”.

Kirtland Gill, 40, and a fellow serving soldier from the regiment – which is among the elite units tasked with guarding the royal palaces – are accused of firearm offences.

Jamaican-born Gill was recently selected to be its next regimental sergeant major – a key post in the regiment which is involved in the discipline and welfare of the enlisted men.

Gill, considered a poster boy for recruitment, has met the Queen twice and has previously been described as an “ideal role model for all soldiers”.

The prosecution of such a prominent figure has sent shockwaves through the Army. The son of a fisherman born into a poor family, Gill flew to Britain to visit relatives aged 20 and ended up enlisting with the Army.

A Warrant Officer Class 2, he served in Iraq and Afghanistan with the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards. He had been due to take up the regimental sergeant major post later this year in the longest continually serving Army regiment. It would have put him in charge of orchestrating events like the Queen’s Birthday Parade.

Last year, Lieutenant Colonel David Marsham, Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion, congratulated him on the promotion, saying: “Alongside being the first black sergeant major of the battalion, he is a tried and tested soldier with an immaculate service record and great vision for the job. He is an ideal role model for all soldiers.” It is understood that the promotion is now on hold pending the outcome of the prosecution.

Gill was charged with conspiracy to sell or transfer ammunition and possession of a prohibited weapon, namely an imitation firearm capable of discharging a “noxious liquid”.

It came after a six-month operation by Scotland Yard’s Flying Squad and follows raids on addresses in Berkshire in January, when a quantity of 9mm calibre pistol ammunition was recovered.

Lance Sergeant Rajon Graham, 32, was also charged to conspiracy to sell or transfer ammunition and four counts of selling or transferring ammunition.

Both men have been bailed to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on July 1.

The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regiment in the British Army, having been active since 1650. Like other foot guards’ regiments, its soldiers wear scarlet jackets and black bearskin hats when on ceremonial duty as protectors of royal palaces, including Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace.

The regiment acquired its name because it spent three months staying in Coldstream in Berwickshire in 1659.

Dubbed the “Lilywhites”, the regiment’s motto is ‘Nulli Secundus’ – second to none.