Foot guards are seniorinfantry regiments within theBritish Army and theCanadian Army whose primary role includes military and combat operations, while its secondary role includepublic duties responsibilities which reflect their senior status.[1][2] Foot guards regiments were historically infantry soldiers who fought on foot who also performed public duties likemounting a guard.[3]
The British foot guards were established in the 17th century, and served as an infantry unit androyal guards for the monarchy. In the 19th century, the Canadian foot guard were formed, modelled after their British counterparts as a reflection ofCanada’s relationship with the monarchy and to undertake ceremonial duties in Ottawa. Historically, other countries have also maintained units called "foot guards," though not all of these were the senior infantry regiments of their forces or were units that were tasked with both military combat responsibilities with ceremonial public duties.
As of 2024[update], the British Army maintains five regiments of foot guards, while theCanadian Army Reserve maintains two regiments of foot guards. While most foot guard units continue to serve inlight infantry or infantry roles, two of the five British foot guards regiments have transitioned tomechanised infantry roles.
TheBritish Army maintains five regiments of foot guards. TheGrenadier Guards,Coldstream Guards, andIrish Guards specialise ininfantry andlight infantry roles, while theScots Guards andWelsh Guards specialise in mechanised and lightmechanised infantry roles.[3] The five foot guard regiments form the infantry component of theHousehold Division.[1]
The oldest foot guards regiment dates back to 1642. Foot guards units have historically been front-line troops, with their ceremonial public duties always being a secondary function. Asroyal guards to theBritish monarchy, the foot guards have accumulated unique privileges and traditions over its existence.[4] The reigning British monarch traditionally serves as the colonel-in-chief of the regiments within the Household Division.[5]
The three oldest regiments—the Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, and Scots Guards—were formed during theEnglish Civil War, while the Irish Guards and Welsh Guards were established in the 20th century. The Irish Guards were created in 1900 afterQueen Victoria was impressed by the actions of Irish units during theSecond Boer War. The Welsh Guards were formed in 1915 by KingGeorge V, after it was pointed out that the Household Division lacked representation fromWales.[4] A sixth regiment of foot guards briefly existed after theFirst World War, theGuards Machine Gun Regiment.[5]
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The regiments of the foot guards are responsible for performing public duties, most notably mounting theKing's Guard atSt. James's Palace andBuckingham Palace, as well asmounting theWindsor Castle Guard, and theTower of London Guard, all key locations of significance to the monarchy. Although the regiments of foot guards perform the majority of these public duties, they occasionally are supported by other units in theBritish Armed Forces and theCommonwealth of Nations.[5]
Historically, the foot guards also manned ten other sentry posts aroundLondon, includingHorse Guards,Savoy Prison, andMontagu House.[5]
TheCanadian Army Reserve includes two regiments of foot guards, theGovernor General's Foot Guards and theCanadian Grenadier Guards, both formed in the 19th century.[2][6][7] The two regiments of foot guards are the senior reserve infantry regiments in Canada and train in an infantry role to supportCanadian Armed Forces domestic operations and support theRegular Force in international operations.[2][7] The two units form part of Canada's household troops and serve as a symbol of the armed forces' relationship with theCanadian monarchy and also perform public duties inOttawa as a result.[8]
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TheRoyal Regiment of Canada is another Army Reserve unit that is uniformed as a regiment of foot guards, although they are formally aline infantry regiment.[6] The regiment adopted the uniform of its predecessor, theRoyal Grenadiers, which was uniformed after the British Grenadier Guards.[9]
The Canadian Army Regular Force also established a foot guard regiment in 1953, known as theCanadian Guards. However, the unit was reduced to nil strength in 1970 and reassigned to the army'sSupplementary Order of Battle.[10]
Along with their infantry role, the two regiments of foot guards are also tasked with ceremonial public duties atRideau Hall andParliament Hill in Ottawa as the country's household troops.[2][7][8] While both units perform public duties in the capital, only the Governor General's Foot Guards are based in Ottawa, with the Canadian Grenadier Guards based inMontreal.[2][7]
In addition to supporting ceremonial duties at Rideau Hall and other events for theGovernor General of Canada, the Governor General's Foot Guards' Public Duties Company also oversees theCeremonial Guard. The Ceremonial Guard is a subunit of the Governor General's Foot Guards that operates during the summer and is open to members of theCanadian Armed Forces who want to participate in ceremonial public duties. Service members in the Ceremonial Guard wear the uniforms of the two Canadian foot guard regiments, regardless of their actual regimental or unit affiliation, as they perform public duties traditionally carried out by the foot guard regiments.[8]
ThePrussian Army of theKingdom of Prussia and theImperial German Army of theGerman Empire operated severalGarde-Regiment zu Fuß (lit. 'guard regiment on foot') units, including the1st Foot Guards,3rd Foot Guards,4th Foot Guards, and5th Foot Guards. All Prussian princes received their militarycommission through the 1st Foot Guards.[11]
Thehatamoto were high-rankingsamurai who served as personally served thedaimyo in feudal Japan during theTokugawa shogunate that included a subgroup called thekachi or "Foot Guards", and theumamawari-shū or "Horse Guards". However, only theumamawari-shū were tasked asbodyguards for the daimyo, while thekachi were not assigned ceremonial duties and engaged in combat as part of their training for higher positions.[12]
