Grantham army officer says it is ‘incredible’ to be awarded Member of the Royal Victorian Order

An army officer has been made a Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO).

Warrant Officer Class 1 David Roper, 41, of the Grenadier Guards joined the army when he was 18, having attended National Junior Primary School and The King’s School in Grantham.

Following the announcement in the round of honours marking the start of 2024, he said it is “incredible” to have been awarded the MVO.

“It was not something I expected, especially after growing up in Grantham, joining the army and serving for years,” he said.

When he was first told he was receiving the honour, his phone was turned off because he was in a meeting at his daughter’s school in Aldershot in Hampshire.

He added: “I had all these missed calls and so told my wife I would have to phone back because something had happened.

“I thought it must have been serious because I never get called out of hours. I phoned and I was told the news.”

David always knew he wanted to be in the British Army, and grew up thinking it looked an “exciting prospect”.

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He joined the army cadets in Grantham aged 12 and stayed with them until he was 18.

David then joined the Grenadier Guards, the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, just before his 19th birthday.

Since then, he has worked in many roles, seen many promotions along the way, and served in different countries including Bosnia and Afghanistan.

He has also been involved in significant royal events, including the Queen Mother’s funeral in 2002, Prince Phillip’s funeral, and Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, birthday parade and funeral.

More recently, he was involved in King Charles III’s coronation and birthday parade.

Throughout his years in the army, David said it has “ticked every box I wanted in terms of variety and excitement”.

He added: “I always said I would stay in the Army until I didn’t enjoy it anymore, and I am still here 23 years later.

“My first tour to Afghanistan, as horrific as it was, proved to be every reason a young soldier joins. We were doing everything we were expecting to do.

“I would much rather have gone to foreign countries, where there are people threatening our way of life, rather than waiting for them to come to us.

“We are there to serve a function.”