Wimbledon: Royal Navy brothers appear on Centre Court at tennis tournament as stewards

Will and James Brooks were seen on Centre Court at Wimbledon after becoming volunteer stewards. The pair are both sailors and Fleet Air Arm engineers – being among the hundreds of Armed Forces personnel who gave up their leave to perform various duties at the tournament.

Will has worked on Centre Court at the prestigious tournament over the part three years. James is a serving acting Chief Petty Officer in Portsmouth-based 1710 Naval Air Squadron.

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He is responsible for specialist repairs, modification, general engineering guidance and accident recovery for military helicopters. The brothers cover “Centre Court Intrusion” at Wimbledon, making sure the well-being of the players and the crowd are protected.

Speaking about his role, Will said: “We are engaging with the public to ensure they have a good time.” Will joined the Royal Naval Reserve in 2017/ He has previously served as a regular in the force for 24 years.

The reservist is currently attached to HMS Pegasus, a reserve unit which supports the Fleet Air Arm in times of crisis and war – acting as an umbrella unit for all its personnel. Will has previously been deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan, Mediterranean, Norway, Sierra Leonne, Australia, America, and Barbados.

He added: “Joining the Royal Naval Reserves gave me the opportunity to pursue both a civilian and military career side-by-side and has proven to be extremely rewarding travelling the globe whilst serving my country.”