The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonial occasions.
The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular1regiment in the British Army.2 As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonial occasions. The Regiment has consistently provided formations on deployments around the world and has fought in the majority of the major conflicts in which the British Army has been engaged.3
The Regiment has been in continuous service and has never been amalgamated. It was formed in 1650 as Monck's Regiment of Foot through the amalgamation of five companies each from Colonel George Fenwick's Regiment of Foot (raised in 1648 for Parliament during the Second English Civil War) and Sir Arthur Haselrig's Regiment of Foot (raised in 1643 for Parliament during the First English Civil War), 10 companies in total, and was then renamed the Lord General's Regiment of Foot Guards after the Restoration in 1660.4 With George Monck's death in 1670 it was again renamed the Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards after the location in Scotland from which it marched to help restore the monarchy in 1660.4 Its name was again changed to the Coldstream Guards in 1855 and this is still its present title.5
Today, the Regiment consists of: Regimental Headquarters, a single (1st Battalion), an independent incremental company (Number 7 Company, maintaining the customs and traditions of the 2nd Battalion), a Regimental Band, a (Number 17 Company) and individuals at training establishments and other extra regimental employment.
This page is based on “Coldstream Guards” from English Wikipedia, (r1378280665) CC BY-SA 4.0 used under the license. The original authors are listed in its page history.
After Richard Cromwell's abdication, Monck gave his support to the Stuarts, and on 1 January 1660 he crossed the River Tweed into England at the village of Coldstream, from where he made a five-week march to London. He arrived in London on 2 February and helped in the Restoration of the monarchy. For his help, Monck was given the Order of the Garter and his regiment was assigned to keep order in London. However, the new parliament soon ordered his regiment to be disbanded along with all of the other regiments of the New Model Army.7
Before that could happen, Parliament was forced to rely on the help of the regiment against the rebellion by the Fifth Monarchists led by Thomas Venner on 6 January 1661. The regiment defeated the rebels and on 14 February the men of the regiment symbolically laid down their arms as part of the New Model Army and were immediately ordered to take them up again as a royal regiment named The Lord General's Regiment of Foot Guards, a part of the Household Troops.8
The regiment was placed as the second senior regiment of Household Troops, as it entered the service of the Crown after the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards, but it answered to that by adopting the motto Nulli Secundus (Second to None) as the regiment is older than the senior regiment. The regiment always stands on the left of the line when on parade with the rest of the Foot Guards, so standing "second to none". When Monck died in 1670, the Earl of Craven took command of the regiment and it adopted a new name, the Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards.7
The Coldstream Regiment saw extensive service in the wars against the French Revolution and in the Napoleonic Wars. Under the command of Sir Ralph Abercromby, it defeated French troops in Egypt. In 1807, it took part in the investment of Copenhagen. In January 1809, it sailed to Portugal to join the forces under Sir Arthur Wellesley. In 1814, it took part in the Battle of Bayonne, in France, where a cemetery keeps their memory. The 2nd Battalion joined the Walcheren Expedition. Later, it served as part of the 2nd Guards Brigade in the Chateau Hougoumont where they resisted French assaults all day during the Battle of Waterloo. This defence is considered one of the greatest achievements of the regiment, and an annual ceremony of "Hanging the Brick" is performed each year in the Sergeants' Mess to commemorate the efforts of Cpl James Graham and Lt-Col James Macdonnell, who shut the North Gate after a French attack.9The Duke of Wellington himself declared after the battle that "the success of the battle turned upon closing the gates at Hougoumont".10
The regiment was later part of the British occupation forces of Paris until 1816.7
During the Crimean War, the Coldstream Regiment fought in the battles of Alma, Inkerman and Sevastopol. On its return, four men of the regiment were awarded the newly instituted Victoria Cross.7
The regiment received its current name, the Coldstream Guards, in 1855. In 1882, it was sent to Egypt against the rebels of Ahmed 'Urabi and in 1885 in the Suakin Campaign. In 1897, the Coldstreamers were reinforced with the addition of a 3rd battalion. The 1st and 2nd battalions were dispatched to South Africa at the outbreak of the Second Boer War.7 During the conflict, they would prove instrumental at the Battle of Belmont, and were also present at Graspan, Modder River, Enslin Station, and Magersfontein. The unit suffered heavily during that battle, losing 88 officers and men, including Major the Marquess of Winchester.11 The Coldstream Guards were also involved at the battles of Driefontein, Sand River, Diamond Hill, Belfast, and were also involved in hunting Christiaan de Wet.12
1900–present
At the outbreak of the First World War, the Coldstream Guards was among the first British regiments to arrive in France after Britain declared war on Germany. In the following battles, it suffered heavy losses, in two cases losing all of its officers. At the First Battle of Ypres, the 1st battalion was virtually annihilated: by 1 November down to 150 men and the Lt Quartermaster. The regiment fought at Mons, Loos, the Somme, Ginchy and in the 3rd Battle of Ypres. The regiment also formed the 4th (Pioneer) Battalion, which was disbanded after the war, in 1919. The 5th Reserve battalion never left Britain before it was disbanded.7
Coldstreamers gave up their tanks at the end of the war, the new battalions were disbanded, and the troops distributed to the 1st and 2nd Guard Training Battalions.7
The Regimental Band of the Coldstream Guards was the first act on stage at the Wembley leg of the 1985 Live Aid charity concert. It played for the Prince and Princess of Wales.15
In 1991, the 1st battalion was dispatched to the first Gulf War, where it was involved in prisoner of war handling and other roles. In 1993, due to defence cutbacks, the 2nd battalion was placed in suspended animation.7
For much of the 1990s, the 1st Battalion was stationed in Münster, Germany, in the Armoured Infantry Role with Warrior APCs as part of the 4th Armoured Brigade. In 1993–1994, the battalion served as an armoured infantry battalion in peacekeeping duties in Bosnia as part of UNPROFOR.7
The battalion was posted to Derry, Northern Ireland, on a two-year deployment in 2001. It then deployed to Iraq in April 2005 for a six-month tour with the rest of 12th Mechanised Brigade, based in the south of the country. The battalion lost two of its soldiers, on 2 May, near Al Amarah and on 18 October at Basra.16
Companies that make up the regiment are traditionally numbered. New officers destined for the regiment that are at Sandhurst or at the Infantry Battle School form No. 13 Coy, while Guardsmen under training at ITC Catterick make up No. 14 Coy.37 No. 7 Coy is one of the incremental companies formed to undertake public duties in London and Windsor, and maintains the Colours and traditions of the former 2nd Battalion.38
Role
Currently, the most prominent role of the 1st Battalion and No. 7 Company is the performance of ceremonial duties in London and Windsor as part of the Household Division. The 1st Battalion is based in Windsor at Victoria Barracks as an operational light infantry battalion.38
The Corps of Drums, in addition to their ceremonial role, which has been primarily the musical accompaniment of Changing of the Guard for Windsor Castle, has the role of machine gun platoon. All Guardsmen for public duties wear the 'Home Service' Dress tunic in summer or greatcoat in winter and bearskin with a red plume. The Band of the Coldstream Guards plays at Changing of The Guard, state visits and many other events.38
Unlike the other four regiments of foot guards, which recruit from each of the four home nations, the Coldstream Guards has a specific recruiting area, which encompasses the counties that Monck's Regiment passed through on its march from Coldstream to London. The traditional recruiting area of the Coldstream Guards is the South West and North East of England.38
The grouping of buttons on the tunic is a common way to distinguish between the regiments of Foot Guards. Coldstream buttons are arranged in pairs, and a Star of the Garter is marked on their brassware.41 The Coldstream Guards can also be distinguished from the other Foot Guards by the presence of a red plume (hackle) on the right side of their bearskins.42
The regiment is ranked second in the order of precedence, behind the Grenadier Guards. The regiment have the motto Nulli Secundus (Second to None), which is a play on the fact that the regiment was originally the "Second Regiment of Foot Guards", a position they have never accepted as the regiment is older than the Grenadier Guards.43
The regiment's nickname is Lilywhites. An ordinary soldier of the regiment is called a Guardsman, a designation granted by King George V after the First World War. The regiment is always referred to as the Coldstream, never as the Coldstreams; likewise, a member of the regiment is referred to as a Coldstreamer.41
Training
Recruits to the Guards Division go through an intensive training programme at the British Army's Infantry Training Centre (ITC). Their training is two weeks longer than the programme provided for recruits to the Regular line infantry regiments of the British Army; the extra training, carried out throughout the course, is devoted to drill and ceremonies.44
Colonels-in-Chief
King Edward VII assumed the colonelcy-in-chief of the regiment on his accession,45 and subsequent monarchs have also been colonel-in-chief.46
Ross of Bladensburg, Lt. Col. Sir John Foster George. A History of the Coldstream Guards, from 1815–1895. London: A.D. Innes & Co., 1896. p. 478 ↩↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8
Ross of Bladensburg, Lt. Col. Sir John Foster George. A History of the Coldstream Guards, from 1815–1895. London: A. D. Innes & Co., 1896. p. 479 ↩↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8↩9↩10↩11↩12↩13↩14↩15
"Navy News, Ship of the Month May 1999". Archived from the original on 25 March 2008. Retrieved 14 March 2008. Affiliations: City of Sunderland; Coldstream Guards; 30 Squadron RAF; The Worshipful Company of Farriers; Pangbourne College; Brymon Airways; Old Ocean Association ↩
The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular1regiment in the British Army.2 As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonial occasions. The Regiment has consistently provided formations on deployments around the world and has fought in the majority of the major conflicts in which the British Army has been engaged.3
The Regiment has been in continuous service and has never been amalgamated. It was formed in 1650 as Monck's Regiment of Foot through the amalgamation of five companies each from Colonel George Fenwick's Regiment of Foot (raised in 1648 for Parliament during the Second English Civil War) and Sir Arthur Haselrig's Regiment of Foot (raised in 1643 for Parliament during the First English Civil War), 10 companies in total, and was then renamed the Lord General's Regiment of Foot Guards after the Restoration in 1660.4 With George Monck's death in 1670 it was again renamed the Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards after the location in Scotland from which it marched to help restore the monarchy in 1660.4 Its name was again changed to the Coldstream Guards in 1855 and this is still its present title.5
Today, the Regiment consists of: Regimental Headquarters, a single battalion (1st Battalion), an independent incremental company (Number 7 Company, maintaining the customs and traditions of the 2nd Battalion), a Regimental Band, a reserve company (Number 17 Company) and individuals at training establishments and other extra regimental employment.6
After Richard Cromwell's abdication, Monck gave his support to the Stuarts, and on 1 January 1660 he crossed the River Tweed into England at the village of Coldstream, from where he made a five-week march to London. He arrived in London on 2 February and helped in the Restoration of the monarchy. For his help, Monck was given the Order of the Garter and his regiment was assigned to keep order in London. However, the new parliament soon ordered his regiment to be disbanded along with all of the other regiments of the New Model Army.7
Before that could happen, Parliament was forced to rely on the help of the regiment against the rebellion by the Fifth Monarchists led by Thomas Venner on 6 January 1661. The regiment defeated the rebels and on 14 February the men of the regiment symbolically laid down their arms as part of the New Model Army and were immediately ordered to take them up again as a royal regiment named The Lord General's Regiment of Foot Guards, a part of the Household Troops.8
The regiment was placed as the second senior regiment of Household Troops, as it entered the service of the Crown after the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards, but it answered to that by adopting the motto Nulli Secundus (Second to None) as the regiment is older than the senior regiment. The regiment always stands on the left of the line when on parade with the rest of the Foot Guards, so standing "second to none". When Monck died in 1670, the Earl of Craven took command of the regiment and it adopted a new name, the Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards.7
The Coldstream Regiment saw extensive service in the wars against the French Revolution and in the Napoleonic Wars. Under the command of Sir Ralph Abercromby, it defeated French troops in Egypt. In 1807, it took part in the investment of Copenhagen. In January 1809, it sailed to Portugal to join the forces under Sir Arthur Wellesley. In 1814, it took part in the Battle of Bayonne, in France, where a cemetery keeps their memory. The 2nd Battalion joined the Walcheren Expedition. Later, it served as part of the 2nd Guards Brigade in the Chateau Hougoumont where they resisted French assaults all day during the Battle of Waterloo. This defence is considered one of the greatest achievements of the regiment, and an annual ceremony of "Hanging the Brick" is performed each year in the Sergeants' Mess to commemorate the efforts of Cpl James Graham and Lt-Col James Macdonnell, who shut the North Gate after a French attack.9The Duke of Wellington himself declared after the battle that "the success of the battle turned upon closing the gates at Hougoumont".10
The regiment was later part of the British occupation forces of Paris until 1816.7
During the Crimean War, the Coldstream Regiment fought in the battles of Alma, Inkerman and Sevastopol. On its return, four men of the regiment were awarded the newly instituted Victoria Cross.7
The regiment received its current name, the Coldstream Guards, in 1855. In 1882, it was sent to Egypt against the rebels of Ahmed 'Urabi and in 1885 in the Suakin Campaign. In 1897, the Coldstreamers were reinforced with the addition of a 3rd battalion. The 1st and 2nd battalions were dispatched to South Africa at the outbreak of the Second Boer War.7 During the conflict, they would prove instrumental at the Battle of Belmont, and were also present at Graspan, Modder River, Enslin Station, and Magersfontein. The unit suffered heavily during that battle, losing 88 officers and men, including Major the Marquess of Winchester.11 The Coldstream Guards were also involved at the battles of Driefontein, Sand River, Diamond Hill, Belfast, and were also involved in hunting Christiaan de Wet.12
1900–present
At the outbreak of the First World War, the Coldstream Guards was among the first British regiments to arrive in France after Britain declared war on Germany. In the following battles, it suffered heavy losses, in two cases losing all of its officers. At the First Battle of Ypres, the 1st battalion was virtually annihilated: by 1 November down to 150 men and the Lt Quartermaster. The regiment fought at Mons, Loos, the Somme, Ginchy and in the 3rd Battle of Ypres. The regiment also formed the 4th (Pioneer) Battalion, which was disbanded after the war, in 1919. The 5th Reserve battalion never left Britain before it was disbanded.7
Coldstreamers gave up their tanks at the end of the war, the new battalions were disbanded, and the troops distributed to the 1st and 2nd Guard Training Battalions.7
The Regimental Band of the Coldstream Guards was the first act on stage at the Wembley leg of the 1985 Live Aid charity concert. It played for the Prince and Princess of Wales.15
In 1991, the 1st battalion was dispatched to the first Gulf War, where it was involved in prisoner of war handling and other roles. In 1993, due to defence cutbacks, the 2nd battalion was placed in suspended animation.7
For much of the 1990s, the 1st Battalion was stationed in Münster, Germany, in the Armoured Infantry Role with Warrior APCs as part of the 4th Armoured Brigade. In 1993–1994, the battalion served as an armoured infantry battalion in peacekeeping duties in Bosnia as part of UNPROFOR.7
The battalion was posted to Derry, Northern Ireland, on a two-year deployment in 2001. It then deployed to Iraq in April 2005 for a six-month tour with the rest of 12th Mechanised Brigade, based in the south of the country. The battalion lost two of its soldiers, on 2 May, near Al Amarah and on 18 October at Basra.16
Companies that make up the regiment are traditionally numbered. New officers destined for the regiment that are at Sandhurst or at the Infantry Battle School form No. 13 Coy, while Guardsmen under training at ITC Catterick make up No. 14 Coy.37 No. 7 Coy is one of the incremental companies formed to undertake public duties in London and Windsor, and maintains the Colours and traditions of the former 2nd Battalion.38
Role
Currently, the most prominent role of the 1st Battalion and No. 7 Company is the performance of ceremonial duties in London and Windsor as part of the Household Division. The 1st Battalion is based in Windsor at Victoria Barracks as an operational light infantry battalion.38
The Corps of Drums, in addition to their ceremonial role, which has been primarily the musical accompaniment of Changing of the Guard for Windsor Castle, has the role of machine gun platoon. All Guardsmen for public duties wear the 'Home Service' Dress tunic in summer or greatcoat in winter and bearskin with a red plume. The Band of the Coldstream Guards plays at Changing of The Guard, state visits and many other events.38
Unlike the other four regiments of foot guards, which recruit from each of the four home nations, the Coldstream Guards has a specific recruiting area, which encompasses the counties that Monck's Regiment passed through on its march from Coldstream to London. The traditional recruiting area of the Coldstream Guards is the South West and North East of England.38
The grouping of buttons on the tunic is a common way to distinguish between the regiments of Foot Guards. Coldstream buttons are arranged in pairs, and a Star of the Garter is marked on their brassware.41 The Coldstream Guards can also be distinguished from the other Foot Guards by the presence of a red plume (hackle) on the right side of their bearskins.42
The regiment is ranked second in the order of precedence, behind the Grenadier Guards. The regiment have the motto Nulli Secundus (Second to None), which is a play on the fact that the regiment was originally the "Second Regiment of Foot Guards", a position they have never accepted as the regiment is older than the Grenadier Guards.43
The regiment's nickname is Lilywhites. An ordinary soldier of the regiment is called a Guardsman, a designation granted by King George V after the First World War. The regiment is always referred to as the Coldstream, never as the Coldstreams; likewise, a member of the regiment is referred to as a Coldstreamer.41
Training
Recruits to the Guards Division go through an intensive training programme at the British Army's Infantry Training Centre (ITC). Their training is two weeks longer than the programme provided for recruits to the Regular line infantry regiments of the British Army; the extra training, carried out throughout the course, is devoted to drill and ceremonies.44
Colonels-in-Chief
King Edward VII assumed the colonelcy-in-chief of the regiment on his accession,45 and subsequent monarchs have also been colonel-in-chief.46
Ross of Bladensburg, Lt. Col. Sir John Foster George. A History of the Coldstream Guards, from 1815–1895. London: A.D. Innes & Co., 1896. p. 478 ↩↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8
Ross of Bladensburg, Lt. Col. Sir John Foster George. A History of the Coldstream Guards, from 1815–1895. London: A. D. Innes & Co., 1896. p. 479 ↩↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8↩9↩10↩11↩12↩13↩14↩15
"Navy News, Ship of the Month May 1999". Archived from the original on 25 March 2008. Retrieved 14 March 2008. Affiliations: City of Sunderland; Coldstream Guards; 30 Squadron RAF; The Worshipful Company of Farriers; Pangbourne College; Brymon Airways; Old Ocean Association ↩