Two Beefeaters Fired for Harassing First Female Co-worker
The Tower London had to fire two Beefeaters today after they ran a hate campaign against their only female co-worker. The story broke yesterday that Moira Cameron, the first female employee, was subjected to a manipulative and hateful campaign designed to intimidate her.
Authorities from the Tower of London, a historic monument in London central, investigated the claims put forth by Ms. Cameron and found that some of her male counterparts, Yeoman Waders specifically, had been bullying her at work.
As a result of the investigation, subsequently, two of the Beefeaters were fired after a preliminary suspension. A third man was investigated but his case was not proven and he was, thus, not dismissed.
Ms. Cameron became the first female to work at the tower as a Yeoman Warder, which is the official name for a Beefeater. Ms. Cameron, at 44 years-old, is the only female Beefeater in the tower’s 1,000 years of operation.
Ms Cameron had joined the British Army at the age of 20 and subsequently served in Cyprus and Northern Ireland, where she made the rank of Warrant Officer Class 2. She stated that she first encountered sexism and hostility when she beat out five men for the Warrant Officer Class 2 position. This position requires a 22-year minimum of service with the Armed Forces for eligibility.
Ms. Cameron, raised in Furnace, Argyll, said that one of her co-workers at the tower outright announced that he was against a female doing the job. Last month, the bullying allegations surfaced, and not long after Scotland Yard gave a warning to a 56 year old male Beefeater for updating a Wikipedia entry for Ms. Cameron.
In addition, Ms. Cameron also suffered having her specially made Beefeater uniform vandalized, and was the recipient of several unpleasant notes. The Tower of London made a statement yesterday regarding the abuse, saying that they immediately responded to the situation once the allegations had come out, and that the investigation and subsequent firings had been handled according to the harassment policy.