Ready to serve: Why the military attend Wimbledon
Plus: Wimbledon locals struggle to rent out their homes during The Championships
Good morning, Wimblers.
The Championships draw to an end this week. How has everyone found SW19 during the chaos? Enjoyable, vibrant or hell on earth?? Let loose in the comments.
This week, we’ve got an inside look at the military stewards for Wimbledon’s Championships. 2026 marks 80 years since Armed Forces personnel began volunteering at the tennis. The Wimble spoke with Lieutenant Commander Christopher (Chris) Boucher, Officer in Charge for the military stewards, about how the armed forces came to become involved in the tennis tournament and the role they play there today.
Besides all this, we’ve also got the best local spot to watch England v Norway this Saturday, plus a must-see tour of a Wimbledon rooftop urban farm and a stunning three-bedroom property of the week. So even after the tennis wraps up, your calendar should be full.
News snippets 🗞
📉 Wimbledon locals are struggling to rent their homes out for this year’s Championships. It’s been reported that locals can earn up to £20,000 renting out their homes for The Championships fortnight, but according to one report, there has been less demand since the 300 line judges recruited from all over the world to arbitrate the results were axed in 2025 and replaced with cameras. Click here to read the full article (watch out for a few interesting quotes from locals in there).
⚽️ It was incredible to see England’s win against Mexico on Monday morning (huge respect to those who stayed up to watch the game). England will face Norway this Saturday in the quarter finals, but where are the best local spots to watch the game? Love Wimbledon compiled a useful list for all the best spots in the centre of town. Check it out here.
🎨 David Williams-Ellis, stepfather of the property developer and Princess Beatrice’s husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, has been revealed as the sculptor behind the forthcoming bronze statue at the All England Tennis Club. The statue of Andy Murray was announced last year, but plans for its execution have otherwise remained a closely guarded secret. Telegraph Sport met with Williams-Ellis, who confirmed that it was modelled in clay before being cast in bronze. He also said the statue would be a fifth bigger than Andy Murray’s actual 6ft 3in frame. For more details, check out the article here.
🎾 British wildcard and Wimbledon local Arthur Fery stuns Flavio Cobolli to reach The Championships semi-final. Fery will now prepare to face French Open champion Alexander Zverev on Friday. Let’s all wish him good luck!
The Wimble’s sponsor of the week 🫐
This week’s sponsor is Jungle Berry. Head over to Wimbledon Quarter and get 20% off any açaí bowl!
Property of the week 🏡
A rather generous three-bedroom apartment a short walk from Wimbledon Village and Wimbledon Town Centre. I say apartment, but, honestly, this is more of a house than an apartment. It even comes with a roof terrace, which might explain why it’s not apartment-priced (£1.5 million). Check out more photos here.
The week in pictures 📸
The Wimble’s to-do list 🥂
🐎 Wimbledon Village Stables open day: This is your chance to take a peek behind the curtain at Wimbledon Stables. You can learn about membership options, check out the Equicise horse simulator and meet Mr Fudge, the friendliest Shetland pony known to mankind.
Where: Wimbledon Stables, Wimbledon Village
When: Saturday 11 July, 2-3pm
🍹Ten To One Rum sampling at Amathus: On Saturday 11 July, it’s the Wimbledon Ladies’ Singles Final day, but it’s also both World Rum Day and National Mojito Day. Every day is a school day! Amathus will be welcoming Ross McDougal from NXUS Drinks to showcase Ten To One Caribbean rum and mix up a couple of rum-based cocktails. There will be mojitos and strawberry daiquiris aplenty. This event is entirely free. Just walk in, grab a cocktail and enjoy.
Where: Amathus, Wimbledon Village
When: Saturday 11 July, 11am–4pm
🎷 Live music: IndieGo at the Rose & Crown: Local legends IndieGo kicked off The Championships at the Rose & Crown last week. This week, they’re bringing The Championships to a close. Expect all the classic British bangers. No booking is required as the event is free.
Where: Rose & Crown, Wimbledon Village
When: Sunday 12 July, 8-11pm
🎨 Workshop: Drawing Enchantment: Wimbledon Museum’s Artist in Residence Alastair Gordon will share valuable tips and techniques for creating convincing observational drawings using artefacts from the museum as subjects. Tickets are £20 per person.
Where: Wimbledon Museum
When: Thursday 16 July, 10.30am – 12.30pm
🎭 A Midsummer Night’s Dream: For their 15th annual Shakespeare in the Park performance, Mayhem Theatre Company presents Shakespeare’s beloved comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Venture beneath a sun-dappled canopy where the King and Queen of the fairies play mischievous sport. Bring your chair, your picnic, and your family to watch as the summer evening unfolds into a world of love, magic, and mayhem! Book your tickets here. Prices vary.
Where: Italian Gardens, Cannizaro Park
When: Wednesday 22 – Saturday 25 July, 7.30pm
🥕 Rooftop Farm tour: This urban farm on the rooftop of Wimbledon Quarter has transformed an unused space into a thriving, sustainable garden, right in the heart of the town. We’ve featured this farm plenty of times before, but it really is worth shouting about. On this guided tour, you’ll be taken behind the scenes of the farm, exploring how fresh, seasonal produce is grown in an urban environment. Tickets are £15 each.
Where: Wimbledon Quarter
When: Saturday 25 July, 10am & 11.30am
Reporting for duty: What do the military stewards do at Wimbledon?
It’s been 80 years since Armed Forces personnel began volunteering as stewards at The Championships. During the Second World War, The Championships were suspended. However, the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) remained open to contribute to the war effort, acting as a base for the British Home Guard, fire and ambulance services and as a decontamination unit. On 11 October 1940, Centre Court was struck by a German bomb, decimating 1,200 seats. It would take several years before the damaged part of the competitor’s stand was rebuilt.
In 1946, The Championships resumed — the same year that the Armed Forces first offered demobilised personnel as stewards. These stewards were there to guide members of the public around the war-damaged grounds and to help The Championships to get back on its feet.
Fast forward 80 years, and around 500 military personnel continue to steward The Championships. But what does it take to execute such a seamless operation year in, year out?
Lt Cdr Christopher (Chris) Boucher joined the Royal Navy in 1988, working his way through the ranks to Warrant Officer and eventually Lieutenant Commander. In 2015, 27 years after joining the military, Chris volunteered as a steward at Wimbledon. He spent two years working on the gangways helping members of the public before taking on more senior positions. In 2022, he stepped into the role of running the military stewards’ operation at Wimbledon, a position known as the Officer in Charge.
“When I started in 2015, it was heavily reliant on people who had done it before,” Chris tells me. “I really wanted to make the stewarding process more inclusive. Now, our military stewards are split equally between those who have done it before and those who have not. We’ve also increased the number of stewards at The Championships. In 2015, 276 Armed Forces personnel volunteered. Last year, that number was up to 504.”
Armed Forces personnel must use part of their allocated leave if they want to volunteer at Wimbledon. “This year had the highest number of applicants ever, with 1,400 personnel applying,” Chris says. “We’ve also got about 460 people in reserve in case service members drop out before The Championships. We get people dropping out all of the time because of promotions, injuries, deployment and specific operations at a short notice.”
What does a day in the life of a military steward look like, I ask.
“Everyone arrives by 9am, and the earliest finish is 6.30pm. The whole fortnight is quite an arduous process for those who haven’t done it before,” he explains. “I always tell our new stewards to pace themselves throughout The Championships because by the time it’s over, you’ll be too tired to bend down and pick up your water bottle. After all, you’re standing on your feet for up to 10 hours a day in often very warm conditions.”
When not performing their duties, the rest of the stewards spend their time in an area known as The Championships Steward Village: a huge porta-building behind Henman Hill. There, the stewards can use the shower and dining facilities (they are treated to three meals a day provided by the AELTC’s chefs), and locker rooms.
The overarching focus for a military steward is guest experience. While members of the public often think it’s about security, that isn’t really the case, although the role does involve ensuring the public’s safety.
And the military stewards take their role incredibly seriously. “It’s a perfect opportunity to show the British Armed Forces in a great light on the world stage. I treat the tournament with the same ceremonial standards of a state funeral. The hair, shoes and uniform need to be perfect,” he explains.
I ask if there’s a sense of pride in stewarding at Wimbledon. “Absolutely,” says Chris. “Because this year marks our 80th anniversary, I’ve actually asked many of the stewards to bring us any stories they have relating to Wimbledon. So far, the response has been great. There’s one story in particular that has stuck out to me this year. In February, a man and his twin brother were selected as stewards for this year’s tournament. They were both very excited, they even had a light-hearted rivalry: one of them being an Alcaraz fan and the other supporting Sinner. In March, I got an email from him to say that his brother had sadly passed away in a road traffic accident. So this year, he’s coming to honour his brother and keep his memory alive. I just think that’s incredibly powerful.”
For many of our Armed Forces service members, volunteering at The Championships is an honour. If you are lucky enough to be watching the tournament in person this year, do make a point of speaking to them. After all, they’re there to help you. And even if you don’t need help, there’s no harm in asking how their day is going.
Question of the week 🔍
Last week, I asked you how many people come to Wimbledon during The Championships because of the tennis? The answer: 500,000.
Q: Why did Wimbledon players originally wear white?
You’re up to date 👋
It was a pleasure to interview Lt Cdr Christopher Boucher for The Wimble. I hope you enjoyed glimpsing inside the military stewards’ lives at The Championships. Enjoy the rest of your week, stay hydrated and keep a strong head if you’re watching the football this weekend. See you next Thursday!
Love the fact that The Wimble goes behind the scenes at Wimbledon Tennis with articles on the Strawberry Journey and this weeks story covering the 80th anniversary of The Military involvement. The National press could learn a thing or two! Rather than just show fashion and celebs!👏
Enjoyable love the atmosphere and buzz of Wimbledon tennis fortnight and good for local businesses!