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 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.

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. 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.

Today, the Regiment consists of: Regimental Headquarters, a single battalion (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, a reserve company (Number 17 Company) and individuals at training establishments and other extra regimental employment.

History

English Civil War

The origin of the Coldstream Guards lies in the English Civil War when Oliver Cromwell gave Colonel George Monck permission to form his own regiment as part of the New Model Army. Monck took men 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 August 1643 for Parliament during the First English Civil War), five companies from each, and on 13 August 1650 formed Monck's Regiment of Foot. Less than two weeks later, this force took part in the Battle of Dunbar, at which the Roundheads defeated the forces of Charles Stuart, the future King Charles II. The Duke of Wellington himself declared after the battle that "the success of the battle turned upon closing the gates at Hougoumont".

The regiment was later part of the British occupation forces of Paris until 1816. 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.

left|thumb|1st Coldstream Guards at the [[Battle of Belmont (1899)|Battle of Belmont, 1899]]

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. The First and Second battalions were part of the 5th Guards Armoured Brigade, and landed in Normandy on July 1st, 1944; they subsequently were involved in the Battle of Caen, the Liberation of Brussels, Operation Market Garden, the Battle of the Bulge, Operation Veritable, Operation Plunder, and the Battle of Hamburg.thumb|4th Coldstream Guards during the [[Battle of Passchendaele, 1917.]]

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.

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.

Des Browne, Secretary of State for Defence, announced on 19 July 2007 that in October 2007 the battalion was to be sent to Afghanistan as part of 52 Infantry Brigade.

In October 2009, the battalion was deployed on Operation Herrick 11, with units deploying to the Babaji area of central Helmand Province, Afghanistan, playing a major role in Operation Moshtarak in February 2010.

Before the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010 the battalion was part of the 12th Mechanised Brigade in a light infantry role. Under Army 2020 it transferred to London District as a public duties battalion, then in 2019 it joined the 11th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters South East. It will move to 4 Light Brigade Combat Team by 2025.

Regiment

thumb|right|Coldstream Guards on exercise in 2013.

Structure

The structure of the regiment and affiliated band includes:

  • Regimental Headquarters, at Wellington Barracks, London
  • 1st Battalion, at Victoria Barracks, Windsor (Light Infantry part of 11th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters South East)
  • Battalion Headquarters
  • No. 17 Company, based at Hammersmith (the regiment's reserve unit, administered as part of 1st Battalion, London Guards).
  • Band of the Coldstream Guards, based at Wellington Barracks, London, part of the Royal Corps of Army Music.

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. 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.

Role

thumb|The 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards acting as [[Standard-bearer|Flag Bearers in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace]]

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.

left|thumb|The Coldstream Guards laying up their old Colours and receiving the new Colours from The Queen

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.

Traditions

thumbnail|[[Lieutenant (British Army and Royal Marines)|Lieutenant of the Coldstream Guards with the Regimental Colours.]]

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. 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.

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.

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.

Colonels-in-Chief

King Edward VII assumed the colonelcy-in-chief of the regiment on his accession, and subsequent monarchs have also been colonel-in-chief.

  • 1901–1910: King Edward VII
  • 1915–1936: King George V
  • Jan 1936–Dec 1936: King Edward VIII
  • 1936–1952: King George VI
  • 1952–2022: Queen Elizabeth II
  • 2022–present: King Charles III

Regimental Colonels

Duke of Abermarle's Regiment of Foot (1650)

  • 1650–1661: Captain-General George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle

Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards (1670)

  • 1670–1678: Captain-General George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle
  • 1740–1742: Field Marshal Prince William, Duke of Cumberland
  • 1915–1918: Major General Evelyn Boscawen, 7th Viscount Falmouth
  • 1918–1945: Lieutenant General Sir Alfred Codrington
  • 1945–1962: General Sir Charles Loyd
  • 1962–1994: Major General Sir George Burns
  • 1994–1999: Lieutenant General Sir William Rous
  • 1999–2009: General Sir Michael Rose
  • 2009–present: Lieutenant General Sir James Bucknall

Regimental Lieutenant Colonels

The Regimental Lieutenant Colonels have included: