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Welcome to the Regimental History Section
Coldstream Present
Did you know that we have a dedicated section (including
images) for our Regimental History HERE
TODAY - THE
REGIMENT
A Coldstream
Guardsman is first and foremost an Infantry Soldier,
trained to the highest standards in the use of modern
weapons and equipment available to the Army. A
Guardsman is required
to help keep the peace by acting in support of a police
force, or working for the Untied Nations, patrol in the
jungle & desert and fight conventional wars on today's
modern battlefield. It is likely that he will be
involved in the fight against terrorism in the more
notorious parts of the world. A Guardsman receives
special training as part of
a
close-knit 4 man team before deploying on operations
with the Battalion. Guardsmen are personal bodyguards of
HM The Queen and have the privilege of guarding the
Royal Palaces in London and Windsor, taking part in
major State Ceremonial Duties such as Trooping the
Colour, The State Opening of Parliament and State
Visits.
The Coldstream Guards are an ‘Elite Fighting Unit’ and
are trained to deploy in as over 80 countries around the
world, some of these are mentioned below;
Afghanistan
Belize
Bosnia
Brunei
Falkland Islands
Canada
Germany
Gibraltar
Iraq
Great Britain
Kenya
Kosovo
Northern Ireland
Sierra Leone
The Middle East
DEPLOYMENTS
Deployments vary in strength from single military
advisors to full Battalion Battlegroup deployments and
recent conflicts have seen active service of one or more
Coldstreamers.
Op Granby saw the Battalion
deploy to the Gulf 1991.
The Balkans Conflicts saw
the Battalion deploy to Bosnia in 1993.
Op Telic saw the troubles
in Iraq resulting in the deployment of the Battalion in
2005 (Coldstreamers were also attached to the Irish
Guards on a previous tour).
The Battalion deployed to
Afghanistan in Sep/Oct 07 to fight the Taliban
forces (hoping top bring security to Helmand province
under NATO control), read more
here.
Northern Ireland played a
regular part in many a Coldstreamers career before the
cease of Op Banner in 2007. The Battalion (both 1st and
2nd) deployed to many areas of Northern Ireland from
County Tyrone to Cookstown.
These are only a few of the deployments that
Coldstreamers have been involved in.
Today, at the time of writing this article, Coldstreamers are
deployed in Afghanistan (read
you can read more in our Op Herrick Section), and due back to UK soil in April 08.
Time will move very swiftly as the Battalion will be
heavily involved in one of best (if not the best) and
most impressive displays of pageantry ever seen.
Following this will see the Battalion involved in
various training exercises whilst still donning on a
tunic for ceremonial duties and state visits. All this,
then an Armsplot move to Aldershot where a different
role is undertaken attached to a different Brigade – all
this in 10 months after the Battalion returns from a six
month operational tour of Afghanistan.
Retention continues to become a problem in the British
Army in general, and at the time of this article it was
announced by the MOD of a new pilot scheme that would
see a bonus of as much as £15,000 for a soldier to
commit to contract until the 22 year point (full article
is below).
------------ PRESS INSERT ----------------------
 New
measures to reward and retain Forces personnel
A Defence Policy and Business news article dated 19 Mar
08 reads:
Two new measures aimed at rewarding those who stay in
the Armed Forces have been announced by Defence
Secretary Des Browne today, Wednesday 19 March 2008.
The new incentives include a significant increase to
retention bonuses for personnel below officer level, of
up to £15,000, and a new £20m pilot scheme which will
offer more affordable home ownership for Service
personnel and their families.
Mr Browne said:
"I am determined to recruit and retain the right people
for our Armed Forces and I am announcing two measures
which I believe will significantly enhance the
attractiveness to Service personnel of continuing their
Service career.
"I recognise and understand the aspiration of many
Service personnel to own their own home and that is why
I have announced the creation of a new pilot scheme to
boost home ownership within the Armed Forces.
"In addition, the Commitment Bonus will help our people
to fulfil their aspirations and to give them and their
families additional financial security. Our service men
and women deserve recognition and these measures
recognise their commitment and their invaluable
contribution to the UK."
The Commitment Bonus, which encourages people to extend
their service in the Armed Forces, will almost treble
for personnel staying in the armed forces for an
additional five years.
All those personnel below Officer level passing the four
year service point will have access to the new
Commitment Bonus scheme from next year. The longer they
serve the higher the payment will be. The scheme is
designed to reward past service and to encourage further
retention in the critical four to eight year period,
where we face the greatest retention challenge.
Important steps have already been taken to assist
Service personnel and their families with home
ownership. Existing schemes, such as the Key Worker
Living Programme, have helped to promote affordable
housing for Service personnel. The new measures will
take MOD assistance to those wanting to buy houses still
further.
In the coming months MOD will work with commercial
providers and public bodies to identify the most
suitable approach, which is likely to be based on shared
equity or rent to buy arrangements.
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