Scouts help keep up morale for those waiting in line to see Queen Elizabeth II's coffin
LONDON -- When it's all said and done, some 750,000 people will have passed through Westminster Hall to visit Queen Elizabeth II's coffin.
It's an enormous undertaking for organizers and one they couldn't do without volunteers.
Duty and service are on full display in London, virtues the queen would be proud of.
More than 100 guide scouts are volunteering their time to help mourners in the long line waiting hours to see the queen.
"Keeping morale nice and high, and just checking people are sort of warm and well fed and well watered and yeah. Just keeping going, really," scout James Osborne told CBS2's Kristine Johnson.
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By the time people reach scout Ed Cubitt, they have about two hours left in line.
"We've had people all along the queues at the end, just keeping people's spirits up," he said.
"Egging on the crowd at one point, weren't they? Like, cheering us on and stuff. It was really cute," said one woman waiting in line.
"They were singing, as well, for us, so that was nice," another woman said.
Queen Elizabeth was the patron of the Scout Association for years and even served as a scout herself.
"Scouting was always a big thing in her life," scout Eve Baird said.
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"There've been scouts throughout her reign, right from the day of her coronation, so it's been a really strong link, so to be here right at the end as well is kind of really important for us," Cubitt said.
One woman rewarded their service Saturday with small tokens of appreciation.
"There's so many volunteers giving up their time to come and help with the queue. I thought actually it's just a really nice gesture to be able to come and sort of recognize their volunteering," she said.
The kindness of strangers and the sense of duty are a fitting tribute to a queen of service.
The Scouts aren't the only ones volunteering. The British Red Cross and Salvation Army are also among the organizations providing help, as well as a local ambulance service in case anyone in line needs medical attention.
