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The Foot Guards
(a
little history)
There are five regiments of Foot Guards, which are
infantry regiments of the Household Division of the
British Army, these are the Grenadier, Coldstream,
Scots, Irish and Welsh Guards.
There were 6 Foot Guards regiments at one time when the
Machine Gun Guards were formed during the First World
War, they were then disbanded in 1920. The
Guards Machine Gun Regiment,
was raised for service during the
First World War.
Initially, each brigade of the Guards Division had a
machine gun company attached. In 1917, these companies
were regimented to form a battalion. Further battalions
were formed by conversion of the
Household Cavalry
regiments, and King George V
ordered that the regiment be classified as the Sixth
Regiment of Foot Guards, or Machine Gun Guards.
The Difference
(in the uniform)
So, with all
of the Guards wearing the same uniform – how exactly can
you tell them apart?
There are a number of ways of distinguishing each
regiment, but the most simple method of identification
is the spacing of buttons on our Tunics, which also
indicates the order in which regiments were formed.
Although, the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards, an ancestor
of the Grenadier Guards, is younger than the regiment
that now takes the name of the
Coldstream Guards; the oldest continuously
serving regiment in the regular
British Army (there are older regiments in the
Territorial Army).
There are various other methods of distinguishing
between the regiments - the colour of the plume, and
which side it is worn on the
bearskin (except the Scots Guards, where no plume
is worn), the collar badge and the shoulder badge.
Regiment:
Grenadier Guards
Formed: June 1656
Plume:
Left
Plume Colour: White
Button Spacing: Singly
Collar Badge: Grenade
Shoulder Badge:
Royal
Cypher
Other info:
Quick March: The British Grenadiers
Slow March: Scipio
Anniversaries:
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Regiment:
Coldstream
Guards
Formed: August 1650
Plume: Right
Plume Colour: Red
Button Spacing: Pairs
Collar Badge:
Garter
Star
Shoulder Badge: Rose
Other info:
Quick March: Milanollo
Slow March: Figaro
Anniversaries: St George's
Day, Apr 23
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Regiment:
Scots Guards
Formed: March 1642 - September 1651, reformed October
1660
Plume: NONE
Plume Colour: No Plume Worn
Button Spacing: Threes
Collar Badge:
Thistle
Shoulder Badge:
Thistle Star
Other info:
Quick March: Hielan' Laddie
Slow March:
The Garb of Old Gaul
Anniversaries: St Andrew's Day, Nov 30
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Regiment:
Irish Guards
Formed: April 1900
Plume: Right
Plume Colour: Blue
Button Spacing: Fours
Collar Badge: Shamrock
Shoulder Badge:
St
Patrick Star
Other info:
Quick March: St Patrick's Day
Slow March: Let Erin Remember
Anniversaries:
St
Patrick's Day, 17 March
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Regiment:
Welsh Guards
Formed: February 1915
Plume: Left
Plume Colour: White-Green-White
Button Spacing: Fives
Collar Badge:
Leek
Shoulder Badge:
Leek
Other info:
Quick March: Rising of the Lark
Slow March:
Men of Harlech
Anniversaries: St David's Day, 1 March
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The
Regiments on Parade
When all five regiments parade together, they are in the
order Grenadier Guards on the right flank, then
Scots
Guards, Welsh Guards, Irish Guards and
Coldstream Guards
on the left flank. This is because, although the
Coldstream are ranked second in seniority, their motto
is 'Nulli Secundus' ('Second to None').
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