thumb|upright|1815 engraving of three grenadiers of the [[British Army's foot guards]]
Foot guards are senior infantry regiments within the British Army and the Canadian Army whose primary role includes military and combat operations, while its secondary role include public duties responsibilities which reflect their senior status. Foot guards regiments were historically infantry soldiers who fought on foot who also performed public duties like mounting a guard.
The British foot guards were established in the 17th century, and served as an infantry unit and royal guards for the monarchy. In the 19th century, the Canadian foot guard were formed, modelled after their British counterparts as a reflection of Canada’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 and ceremonial public duties.
, the British Army maintains five regiments of foot guards, while the Canadian Army Reserve maintains two regiments of foot guards. While most foot guard units continue to serve in light infantry or infantry roles, two of the five British foot guards regiments have transitioned to mechanised infantry roles.
United Kingdom
thumb|The [[Grenadier Guards performing public duties during the 2015 State Opening of Parliament by Queen Elizabeth II, accompanying her procession to the Palace of Westminster.]]
The British Army maintains five regiments of foot guards. The Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, and Irish Guards specialise in infantry and light infantry roles, while the Scots Guards and Welsh Guards specialise in mechanised and light mechanised infantry roles. The reigning British monarch traditionally serves as the colonel-in-chief of the regiments within the Household Division.
The three oldest regiments—the Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, and Scots Guards—were formed during the English Civil War, while the Irish Guards and Welsh Guards were established in the 20th century. The Irish Guards were created in 1900 after Queen Victoria was impressed by the actions of Irish units during the Second Boer War. The Welsh Guards were formed in 1915 by King George V, after it was pointed out that the Household Division lacked representation from Wales. As senior infantry regiments of the Canadian Army Reserve, regiments of foot guards take precedence over other reserve infantry regiments regardless of their date of origin. Beyond public duties, guardsmen train in an infantry role to support Canadian Armed Forces domestic operations and support the Regular Force in international operations.
The Canadian Army Regular Force also established a foot guard regiment in 1953, known as the Canadian Guards. However, the unit was reduced to nil strength in 1970 and reassigned to the army's Supplementary Order of Battle.
The Royal Regiment of Canada is another Army Reserve unit that is uniformed as a regiment of foot guards, although they are formally a line infantry regiment.
Public duties
Along with their infantry role, the two regiments of foot guards are also tasked with ceremonial public duties at Rideau Hall and Parliament Hill in Ottawa as the country's household troops.
Japan
The hatamoto were high-ranking samurai who served as personally served the daimyo in feudal Japan during the Tokugawa shogunate that included a subgroup called the kachi or "Foot Guards", and the umamawari-shū or "Horse Guards". However, only the umamawari-shū were tasked as bodyguards for the daimyo, while the kachi were not assigned ceremonial duties and engaged in combat as part of their training for higher positions.
See also
- Guard of honour
- Imperial guard
- Life guard (military)
- Protective security unit