Barracks that housed the Queen’s pallbearers were ridden with mould and dirty water 

Shameful conditions have been exposed at the barracks where the Army pallbearers who carried the Queen’s coffin stayed before her funeral.

A video obtained by The Mail on Sunday shows a mould-ridden ceiling and dirty water streaming down walls and stairs at Wellington Barracks in London.

Hundreds of soldiers who marched in the Queen’s funeral procession in September live at the site, while the eight pallbearers from the Queen’s Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, who were hailed for their extraordinary composure, also stayed there the night before.

The video was recorded last month but Army sources say the 19th Century barracks, set just 300 yards from Buckingham Palace, has been beset with problems for months.

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Shameful conditions have been exposed at the barracks where the Army pallbearers who carried the Queen’s coffin stayed before her funeral. Pictured: Pallbearers carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II on September 19, 2022

A video obtained by The Mail on Sunday shows a mould-ridden ceiling and dirty water streaming down walls and stairs at Wellington Barracks in London

One guardsman, who asked not to be named, told The Mail on Sunday that soldiers enjoyed better quality accommodation when serving in Iraq. 

‘I was honoured to have a role in giving our Queen the send-off she deserved,’ he said. ‘However, the view that the public got of a well-turned-out guardsman is only half the story – we live in conditions not fit for pests.’

The MoS last month revealed the appalling condition of military homes, and how sleeping bags were being handed out to soldiers and their families whose properties had been without heat or hot water for weeks. 

Our investigation prompted Defence Secretary Ben Wallace to intervene to deal with the crisis.

Shocking new figures this weekend reveal that Amey, a Ministry of Defence maintenance contractor, missed 10,535 urgent repair appointments since April 2022, with fellow contractor Vivo missing 4,041 urgent appointments. 

Further data revealed that more than 44,000 Armed Forces personnel were housed in ‘Grade 4’ properties in 2021 – the lowest rating given by the Ministry of Defence.

Shameful conditions have been exposed at the barracks where the Army pallbearers who carried the Queen’s coffin stayed before her funeral. Pictured: Soldiers from 94 Squadron on September 8, 2022

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The information was obtained by Labour Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey. 

‘The Conservatives are breaking fundamental promises we make to our Armed Forces,’ he said. 

‘Ministers have appointed bumbling contractors who are incompetent on an industrial scale and it’s causing misery for service families and wasting taxpayers’ money. This is a slap in the face to those serving our country.’

The squalid conditions at Wellington Barracks are particularly embarrassing because of the pivotal role it played as the nerve centre of Operation London Bridge – the funeral plan for Queen Elizabeth II.

On conditions at Wellington Barracks, the MoD said: ‘While 95 per cent of this type of accommodation meets the Decent Homes Standard, we are spending more than £1.6 billion over the next decade to make improvements and build new living quarters.’ 

The spokesman added: ‘It is completely unacceptable some of our personnel and their families are not receiving the level of accommodation services they deserve.’

Amey apologised to ‘anyone experiencing undue delays’ and said it was working with the MoD and other suppliers ‘to address the challenges’. 

Vivo said: ‘Two-thirds of the appointments during the nine months to December where we arrived outside of the one-hour time slot a family was given were due to an IT issue in June, which has been resolved.’