For 75 years, active-duty members of the British military have served as stewards at Wimbledon, the annual tennis “Championships” held at the storied All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club. Since 1946, uniformed men and women from the Army, Air Force and Navy have volunteered at the two-week summer event by taking tickets, directing visitors to their seats, and bringing water to overheated fans.
The friendly military presence at Wimbledon is a reminder of much scarier times during World War II. In preparation for Germany’s infamous “Blitz” bombing attacks on London, the grounds of the 150-year-old British tennis club were transformed into a Civil Defence camp and Wimbledon’s historic Centre Court even took a direct hit from a 500-pound German bomb.
