| Coldstream Guards | |
|---|---|
 Regimental badge of the Coldstream Guards[a] | |
| Active | 1650–present |
| Country |  Commonwealth of England (1650–1660) England(1660–1707)  Great Britain (1707–1800) United Kingdom(1801–present) |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | 1st Battalion and No 17 Company – Light Role Infantry No 7 Company –Public Duties |
| Size | One battalion – 559 personnel[1] One independent incremental company Onereserve company |
| Part of | Guards and Parachute Division |
| Garrison/HQ | RHQ –London 1st Battalion—Windsor No 7 Company—London No 17 CompanyHammersmith |
| Nickname | The Lilywhites |
| Mottos | Nulli Secundus (Latin for 'Second to None') |
| March | Quick: "Milanollo" Slow: "Figaro" ("Non più andrai" fromThe Marriage of Figaro) |
| Anniversaries | St George's Day (23 April) |
| Engagements |
|
| Commanders | |
| Colonel-in-Chief | King Charles III |
| Colonel of the Regiment | Lt Gen SirJames Bucknall |
| Regimental Lieutenant Colonel | Col. Toby P. O. Till |
| Insignia | |
| Tactical Recognition Flash |  |
| Plume | Red Right side ofBearskin cap |
| Abbreviation | COLDM GDS |
TheColdstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular[b]regiment in theBritish Army.[2] As part of theHousehold Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of themonarchy; 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 asMonck's Regiment of Foot through the amalgamation of five companies each from ColonelGeorge Fenwick's Regiment of Foot (raised in 1648 for Parliament during theSecond English Civil War) andSir Arthur Haselrig's Regiment of Foot (raised in 1643 for Parliament during theFirst English Civil War), 10 companies in total, and was then renamed theLord General's Regiment of Foot Guards after theRestoration in 1660.[4] WithGeorge Monck's death in 1670 it was again renamed theColdstream Regiment of Foot Guards afterthe 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 singlebattalion (1st Battalion), an independent incremental company (Number 7 Company, maintaining the customs and traditions, as well as carrying the Colours of 2nd Battalion), a Regimental Band, areserve company (Number 17 Company) and individuals at training establishments and other extra regimental employment.[6]
The origin of the Coldstream Guards lies in theEnglish Civil War whenOliver Cromwell gave ColonelGeorge Monck permission to form his own regiment as part of theNew Model Army. Monck took men from ColonelGeorge Fenwick's Regiment of Foot (raised in 1648 for Parliament during theSecond English Civil War) andSir Arthur Haselrig's Regiment of Foot (raised in August 1643 for Parliament during theFirst English Civil War), five companies from each, and on 13 August 1650 formed Monck's Regiment of Foot.[7] Less than two weeks later, this force took part in theBattle of Dunbar, at which theRoundheads defeated the forces ofCharles Stuart, the future King Charles II.[7]
AfterRichard Cromwell's abdication, Monck gave his support to the Stuarts, and on 1 January 1660 he crossed theRiver Tweed intoEngland at the village ofColdstream, from where he made a five-week march toLondon. He arrived in London on 2 February and helped inthe Restoration of the monarchy. For his help, Monck was given theOrder 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 theFifth Monarchists led byThomas 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 theHousehold Troops.[8]
The regiment was placed as the second senior regiment of Household Troops, as it entered the service of the Crown after the1st Regiment of Foot Guards, but it answered to that by adopting the mottoNulli 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, theEarl of Craven took command of the regiment and it adopted a new name, the Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards.[7]
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The regiment saw active service inFlanders and in theMonmouth Rebellion, including the decisiveBattle of Sedgemoor in 1685. It fought in theBattle of Walcourt in 1689, theBattle of Landen and theSiege of Namur.[7]
In 1760, the 2nd Battalion was sent to Germany to campaign under PrinceFerdinand of Brunswick and fought in theBattle of Wilhelmstal and at the Castle of Amöneburg. Three Guards companies of 307 men under Coldstream commander ColonelEdward Mathew fought in theAmerican Revolutionary War.[7]
The Coldstream Regiment saw extensive service in the wars against theFrench Revolution and in theNapoleonic Wars. Under the command of SirRalph Abercromby, it defeated French troops inEgypt. In 1807, it took part in theinvestment of Copenhagen. In January 1809, it sailed toPortugal to join the forces underSir Arthur Wellesley. In 1814, it took part in theBattle of Bayonne, in France, where acemetery keeps their memory. The 2nd Battalion joined theWalcheren Expedition. Later, it served as part of the 2nd Guards Brigade in the ChateauHougoumont where they resisted French assaults all day during theBattle 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 ofCpl James Graham andLt-Col James Macdonnell, who shut the North Gate after a French attack.[9]The 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 ofParis until 1816.[7]
During theCrimean War, the Coldstream Regiment fought in the battles ofAlma,Inkerman andSevastopol. On its return, four men of the regiment were awarded the newly institutedVictoria Cross.[7]
The regiment received its current name, the Coldstream Guards, in 1855. In 1882, it was sent to Egypt against the rebels ofAhmed '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 toSouth Africa at the outbreak of theSecond Boer War.[7] During the conflict, they would prove instrumental at theBattle of Belmont, and were also present atGraspan,Modder River,Enslin,Magersfontein,Driefontein,Sand River,Diamond Hill,Belfast, and were also involved in huntingChristiaan de Wet.[11]
At the outbreak of theFirst 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 theFirst Battle of Ypres, the 1st battalion was virtually annihilated: by 1 November down to 150 men and the Lt Quartermaster. The regiment fought atMons,Loos,the Somme,Ginchy and in the3rd 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]
When theSecond World War began, the 1st and 2nd battalions of the Coldstream Guards were part of theBritish Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France;[7] whilst the 3rd Battalion was on overseas service in the Middle East. Additional 4th and 5th battalions were also formed for the duration of the war. They fought extensively, as part of theGuards Armoured Division, inNorth Africa and Europe as dismounted infantry. The 4th battalion first became a motorized battalion in 1940 and then an armoured battalion in 1943.[12] The First and Second battalions were part of the5th Guards Armoured Brigade, and landed in Normandy on July 1st, 1944; they subsequently were involved in theBattle of Caen, theLiberation of Brussels,Operation Market Garden, theBattle of the Bulge,Operation Veritable,Operation Plunder, and theBattle of Hamburg.[13]
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]
After the war, the 1st and 3rd battalions served inPalestine. The 2nd battalion served in theMalayan Emergency. The 3rd battalion was placed in suspended animation in 1959. The remaining battalions served during theMau Mau rebellion from 1959 to 1962, inAden in 1964, inMauritius in 1965, in theTurkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 and several times inNorthern Ireland after 1969.[7]
The Regimental Band of the Coldstream Guards was the first act on stage at theWembley leg of the 1985Live Aid charity concert. It played for thePrince andPrincess of Wales.[14]
In 1991, the 1st battalion was dispatched to the firstGulf War, where it was involved in prisoner of war handling and other roles. In 1993, due todefence cutbacks, the 2nd battalion was placed in suspended animation.[7]
For much of the 1990s, the 1st Battalion was stationed inMünster, Germany, in the Armoured Infantry Role with Warrior APCs as part of the4th Armoured Brigade. In 1993–1994, the battalion served as an armoured infantry battalion in peacekeeping duties inBosnia as part ofUNPROFOR.[7]
The battalion was posted toDerry, 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, nearAl Amarah and on 18 October atBasra.[15]
Des Browne,Secretary of State for Defence, announced on 19 July 2007 that in October 2007 the battalion was to be sent toAfghanistan as part of52 Infantry Brigade.[16]
In October 2009, the battalion was deployed onOperation Herrick 11, with units deploying to the Babaji area of centralHelmand Province, Afghanistan, playing a major role inOperation Moshtarak in February 2010.[17]
Before theStrategic Defence and Security Review 2010 the battalion was part of the12th Mechanised Brigade in a light infantry role. UnderArmy 2020 it transferred toLondon District as a public duties battalion, then in 2019 it joined the11th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters South East.[18][19][20] It will move to 4 Light Brigade Combat Team by 2025.[21]
The structure of the regiment and affiliated band includes:
Companies that make up the regiment are traditionally numbered. New officers destined for the regiment that are atSandhurst or at theInfantry Battle School form No. 13 Coy, while Guardsmen under training atITC Catterick make up No. 14 Coy.[36] No. 7 Coy is one of theincremental companies formed to undertakepublic duties in London and Windsor, and maintains the Colours and traditions of the former 2nd Battalion.[37]
Currently, the most prominent role of the 1st Battalion and No. 7 Company is the performance of ceremonial duties in London andWindsor as part of theHousehold Division. The 1st Battalion is based in Windsor atVictoria Barracks as an operational light infantry battalion.[37]
In 2027 the 1st Battalion will take over asecurity force assistance role from 1st BattalionIrish Guards.[38]
TheCorps of Drums, in addition to their ceremonial role, which has been primarily the musical accompaniment of Changing of the Guard forWindsor Castle, has the role ofmachine 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.[37]
Unlike the other four regiments of foot guards, which recruit from each of the fourhome nations, the Coldstream Guards has a specific recruiting area, which encompasses the counties that Monck's Regiment passed through on its march fromColdstream toLondon. The traditional recruiting area of the Coldstream Guards is the South West and North East of England.[37]
The Coldstream Guards and other Guards Regiments have a long-standing connection toThe Parachute Regiment. Guardsmen who have completedP Company have the option of being posted to theGuards Parachute Platoon,3 PARA, still keeping the tradition of the No. 1 (Guards) Independent Parachute Company, which was the originalPathfinder Group of16th Parachute Brigade, now renamed16th Air Assault Brigade.[39]
The grouping of buttons on the tunic is a common way to distinguish between the regiments ofFoot Guards. Coldstream buttons are arranged in pairs, and a Star of theGarter is marked on their brassware.[40] 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.[41]
The regiment is ranked second in the order of precedence, behind theGrenadier Guards. The regiment have the mottoNulli 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.[42]
The regiment's nickname is Lilywhites. An ordinary soldier of the regiment is called a Guardsman, a designation granted by KingGeorge 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.[40]
Recruits to theGuards Division go through an intensive training programme at the British Army'sInfantry Training Centre (ITC). Their training is two weeks longer than the programme provided for recruits to the Regularline infantry regiments of the British Army; the extra training, carried out throughout the course, is devoted to drill and ceremonies.[43]
King Edward VII assumed the colonelcy-in-chief of the regiment on his accession,[44] and subsequent monarchs have also been colonel-in-chief.[45]
Duke of Abermarle's Regiment of Foot (1650)
Lord General's Regiment of Foot Guards (1661)
Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards (1670)
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The Regimental Lieutenant Colonels have included:[56][57]
The Coldstream Guards have earned 117 battle honours:[102][103]
| Preceded by | Infantry Order of Precedence | Succeeded by |
Canada –The Governor General's Foot Guards[105]
Australia –2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment
Royal Navy –HMSOcean[106]
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{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)Affiliations: City of Sunderland; Coldstream Guards; 30 Squadron RAF; The Worshipful Company of Farriers; Pangbourne College; Brymon Airways; Old Ocean Association
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