by Priscilla Turner
Freeman of the Drapers’ Company
with Colour Sergeant J J McEvoy
1st Battalion Welsh Guards
Through the affiliation of the Drapers’ Company and 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, I had the pleasure of meeting Colour Sergeant John McEvoy in September 2016. The occasion was the annual Regimental Battlefield tour, which in 2016 commemorated the Normandy landings of 1944. Colour Sergeant McEvoy was leading a team of Guardsmen from the Battalion.
My recognition that Colour Sergeant McEvoy is an inspirational soldier came quickly. This was later reinforced by discovering that he was, at the time, the youngest Colour Sergeant in the British Army. Colour Sergeant McEvoy’s natural curiosity led him to ask about the Drapers’ Company and we discussed my voluntary role in supporting education at Feltham Young Offenders’ Institute. Colour Sergeant McEvoy has a connection with the local area and immediately expressed an interest in talking to the young prisoners about the role of the Army in turning his life around. We agreed that he could be of valuable service to these vulnerable individuals.
The Institute’s Education Department was enthusiastic and further discussion identified that this would best be undertaken over a day; to meet groups in a classroom and workshop setting and the opportunity to meet the young men on a one-to-one basis.
On 15 December 2016 Colour Sergeant McEvoy came to Feltham where he opened with a presentation to over 100. He spoke of his own troubled childhood, his motivation to improve his life chances and the hard work he had put in to achieve his position today. The Army has played a pivotal role for him and he was excellent in illustrating this for the audience. He was able to engage with the young men on an appropriate and productive level.
The young men asked many searching questions which were answered with professionalism and integrity. Colour Sergeant McEvoy has a natural authority and calmness, demonstrated by his reaction to some lively banter during the question phase! Our expectations were exceeded by the numbers of young men requesting more information on joining the Army once their sentences were complete. They were given more information so that they could understand the Army’s recruitment policies.
In summary, the day was a positive experience for the young men, further cementing the relationship between the Welsh Guards and the Drapers’, as well as being rewarding for both of us.
Colour Sergeant McEvoy and Priscilla Turner at Feltham Young Offenders’ Institute.