The Life Guards
Cap Badge of the Life Guards
Active	21 May 1922-Present
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Army
Type	Household Cavalry
Role	Formation Reconnaissance/Ceremonial
Size	Three squadrons
Part of	Household Cavalry
Garrison/HQ	RHQ - London Regiment - Windsor/London
Nickname	Tinned Fruit, Tins, Picadilly Butchers.
Motto	Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense (Shame on him who thinks evil of it)
March	Quick - Millanollo Slow - Life Guards Slow March Trot Past - Keel Row
Commanders
Colonel-in-Chief	HM The Queen
Colonel of the Regiment	Gen. The Rt Hon Charles Ronald Llewellyn Guthrie, Baron Guthrie, GCB, LVO, OBE, ADC
Insignia
Tactical Recognition Flash

Life Guards on parade

The Life Guards is the senior cavalry regiment of the British Army. With the Blues and Royals they make up the Household Cavalry. Image File history File links Life-Guards_badge. ... May 21 is the 141st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (142nd in leap years). ... Year 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ... Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor; born 21 April 1926) is Queen of sixteen sovereign states, holding each crown and title equally. ... General Baron Guthrie of Craigiebank. ... Image File history File links Guards_TRF.PNG Summary TRF of the regiments of Foot Guards of the British Army Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1283x1638, 412 KB) Part of the ceremony of the Changing of the Guard in Whitehall, London, England. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1283x1638, 412 KB) Part of the ceremony of the Changing of the Guard in Whitehall, London, England. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... The Blues and Royals are a British Army armoured regiment and are part of the Household Cavalry. ... Dismounted Blues and Royals (left) and Life Guards (right) preparing to line the route of the Garter procession at Windsor Castle Household Cavalry is used across the Commonwealth to describe the cavalry of the Household Divisions, a country’s most elite or historically senior military groupings or those military groupings...

They originated in the four troops of horse guards raised by Charles II around the time of his restoration, plus two troops of horse grenadier guards which were raised some years later. A troop is a military unit, originally a small force of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron and headed by the troop leader. ... Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was the King of England, King of Scots, and King of Ireland from 30 January 1649 (de jure) or 29 May 1660 (de facto) until his death. ... King Charles II, the first monarch to rule after the English Restoration. ... A troop is a military unit, originally a small force of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron and headed by the troop leader. ... A Grenadier was originally a specialized assault trooper for siege operations, first established as a distinct role in the early 17th century. ...

• The first troop was originally raised in Bruges in 1658 as His Majesty's Own Troop of Horse Guards. They formed part of the contingent raised by the exiled King Charles II as his contribution to the army of King Philip IV of Spain who were fighting the French and their allies the English Commonwealth under the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell in the Franco-Spanish War and the concurrent Anglo-Spanish War.
• The second troop was originally founded in 1659 as Monck's Life Guards.
• The third troop, like the first troop was formed in 1658 from exiled Royalists and was initially known as The Duke of York's Troop of Horse Guards.
• The fourth troop was raised in 1661 in England.

• The first troop of horse grenadier guards was formed in 1693 from the amalgamation of three troops of grenadiers.
• The second troop of horse grenadier guards was raised in Scotland in 1702.

Membership of these was originally restricted to gentlemen, and accordingly they had no non-commissioned officers; their corporals were commissioned, and ranked as lieutenants in the rest of the army. This state of affairs persisted until 1756. Bruges called Brugge by its native Dutch language name which assumedly used to signify landing stage, is the capital of the province of West Flanders in present-day Flanders, the Flemish Region of Belgium. ... Events January 13 - Edward Sexby, who had plotted against Oliver Cromwell, dies in Tower of London February 6 - Swedish troops of Charles X Gustav of Sweden cross The Great Belt (Storebælt) in Denmark over frozen sea May 1 - Publication of Hydriotaphia, Urn Burial and The Garden of Cyrus by... Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was the King of England, King of Scots, and King of Ireland from 30 January 1649 (de jure) or 29 May 1660 (de facto) until his death. ... Philip IV (), (April 8, 1605 – September 17, 1665) was King of Spain from 1621 to 1665 and also King of Portugal until 1640. ... The Commonwealth was the republican government which ruled first England and then the whole of Britain, Ireland, the colonies and other Crown possessions during the periods from 1649 (the monarch Charles I being beheaded on January 30 and An Act declaring England to be a Commonwealth being passed by the... Lord Protector is a particular English title for Heads of State, with two meanings (and full styles) at different periods of history. ... Oliver Cromwell (April 25, 1599–September 3, 1658) was an English military and political leader best known for making England a republic and leading the Commonwealth of England. ... The Fronde (1648–1653) was a civil war in France, followed by the Franco-Spanish War (1653). ... The Anglo-Spanish War, caused by commercial rivalry, was fought between the Spanish between 1654 and 1660. ... // Events May 25 - Richard Cromwell resigns as Lord Protector of England following the restoration of the Long Parliament, beginning a second brief period of the republican government called the Commonwealth. ... George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle by Sir Peter Lely, painted 1665–1666. ... Events January 13 - Edward Sexby, who had plotted against Oliver Cromwell, dies in Tower of London February 6 - Swedish troops of Charles X Gustav of Sweden cross The Great Belt (Storebælt) in Denmark over frozen sea May 1 - Publication of Hydriotaphia, Urn Burial and The Garden of Cyrus by... James II of England/VII of Scotland (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) became King of Scots, King of England, and King of Ireland on 6 February 1685, and Duke of Normandy on 31 December 1660. ... 1661 (MDCLXI) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... Events January 11 - Eruption of Mt. ... A Grenadier was originally a specialized assault trooper for siege operations, first established as a distinct role in the early 17th century. ... Events March 8 - William III died; Princess Anne Stuart becomes Queen Anne of England, Scotland and Ireland. ... The term gentleman (from Latin gentilis, belonging to a race or gens, and man, cognate with the French word gentilhomme, the Spanish gentilhombre and the Italian gentil uomo or gentiluomo), in its original and strict signification, denoted a man of good family, the Latin generosus (its invariable translation in English... A non-commissioned officer (sometimes noncommissioned officer), also known as an NCO or noncom, is a non-commissioned member of an armed force who has been given authority by a commissioned officer. ... Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries, police forces or other uniformed organizations around the world. ... Lieutenant is a military, naval, paramilitary, fire service or police officer rank. ... 1756 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

These units, except for the horse grenadiers, first saw action at the Battle of Sedgemoor during the Monmouth Rebellion in 1685. The Battle of Sedgemoor was fought on 6 July 1685. ... The Monmouth Rebellion of 1685, also known as the Pitchfork Rebellion, was an attempt to overthrow the King of England, James II, who became king when his elder brother, Charles II, died on 6 February 1685. ... Events February 6 - James Stuart, Duke of York becomes King James II of England and Ireland and King James VII of Scotland. ...

In 1788, these troops were reorganised into two regiments, the 1st and 2nd Regiments of Life Guards (from 1877, simply 1st Life Guards and 2nd Life Guards). In 1815 they were part of The Household Brigade at the Battle of Waterloo. 1788 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1877 (MDCCCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... April 5-12: Mount Tambora explodes, changing climate. ... Combatants France Seventh Coalition: United Kingdom Prussia United Netherlands Hanover Nassau Brunswick Commanders Napoleon Bonaparte Michel Ney Duke of Wellington Gebhard von Blücher Strength 73,000 67,000 Coalition 60,000 Prussian (48,000 engaged by about 18:00) Casualties 25,000 dead or wounded; 7,000 Captured; 15...

In late 1918 after much service in the First World War the two regiments gave up their horses and were re-roled as machine gun battalions, becoming the 1st and 2nd Battalions, Guards Machine Gun Regiment. They reverted to their previous names and roles after the end of the war. 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... The Guards Machine Gun Regiment was a regiment of the British Army. ...

In 1922 the two regiments were merged into one regiment, the Life Guards. Year 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ...

In 1992, as part of the Options for Change defence review, the Life Guards were amalgamated for operational purposes with the Blues and Royals, forming the Household Cavalry Regiment (armoured reconnaissance) and the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (ceremonial duties). However they maintain their regimental identity, with distinct uniforms and traditions, and their own colonel. 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... Options for Change was a restructuring of the British military in 1993, aimed at cutting defence spending following the end of the Cold War. ... The Blues and Royals are a British Army armoured regiment and are part of the Household Cavalry. ... The Household Cavalry Regiment has an active operational role in armoured fighting vehicles which has seen them at the forefront of the nations conflicts. ... The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment is a ceremonial regiment of the British Army. ... Colonel (IPA: or ) is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with the corresponding ranks existing in nearly every country in the world. ...

In common with the Blues and Royals, they have a peculiar non-commissioned rank structure: see the Household Cavalry page for details. (In brief, they lack sergeants, replacing them with multiple grades of corporal.) Dismounted Blues and Royals (left) and Life Guards (right) preparing to line the route of the Garter procession at Windsor Castle Household Cavalry is used across the Commonwealth to describe the cavalry of the Household Divisions, a country’s most elite or historically senior military groupings or those military groupings... Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organisations around the world. ...

Battle honours

[combined battle honours of 1st Life Guards and 2nd Life Guards, with the following emblazoned]:¹

• Dettingen, Peninsula, Waterloo, Tel-el-Kebir, Egypt 1882, Relief of Kimberley, Paardeberg, South Africa 1899-1900
• The Great War²: Mons, Le Cateau, Marne 1914, Aisne 1914, Messines 1914, Ypres 1914 '17 '18, Somme 1916 '18, Arras 1917 '18, Hindenburg Line, France and Flanders 1914-18
• The Second World War³: Mont Pincon, Souleuvre, Noireau Crossing, Amiens 1944, Brussels, Neerpelt, Nederrijn, Nijmegen, Lingen, Bentheim, North-West Europe 1944-45, Baghdad 1941, Iraq 1941, Palmyra, Syria 1941, El Alamein, North Africa 1942-43, Arezzo, Advance to Florence, Gothic Line, Italy 1944
• Wadi al Batin, Gulf 1991, Al Basrah, Iraq 2003³

1. the regiment maintained the fiction of separate regiments until 1928, receiving in 1927 two separate sets of Standards with different (but almost identical) battle honours emblazoned.
2. revised combined list issued May 1933, omitting from emblazonment "Passchendaele" and St. Quentin Canal" of the 1st Life Guards.
3. awarded jointly to The Life Guards and Blues and Royals, for services of Household Cavalry Regiment. Combatants Britain, Hanover, Austria France Commanders George II duc de Noailles Strength 50,000 70,000 Casualties 750 8,000 The Battle of Dettingen (German: Schlacht bei Dettingen) took place on June 16 (June 27 according to the Gregorian calendar, which the English had not officially adopted), 1743 at Dettingen... Combatants Spain United Kingdom Portugal French Empire The Peninsular War was a major conflict during the Napoleonic Wars, fought on the Iberian Peninsula by an alliance of Spain, Portugal, and Britain against the Napoleonic French Empire. ... Combatants France Seventh Coalition: United Kingdom Prussia United Netherlands Hanover Nassau Brunswick Commanders Napoleon Bonaparte Michel Ney Duke of Wellington Gebhard von Blücher Strength 73,000 67,000 Coalition 60,000 Prussian (48,000 engaged by about 18:00) Casualties 25,000 dead or wounded; 7,000 Captured; 15... September 13, 1882. ... Combatants The British Empire Boers Commanders Sir John French Colonel Kelly-Kenny Piet Cronje Strength 15,000 men 5,000 men Casualties 258 dead 1,211 wounded 86 captured 100 dead 250 wounded 4,096 captured The Battle of Paardeberg was a major battle during the Second Anglo-Boer War. ...

Alliances

•  Pakistan - The President's Bodyguard

Image File history File links Flag_of_Pakistan_(bordered). ...

Affiliated Yeomanry

• The Inns of Court and City Yeomanry

The Inns of Court and City Yeomanry (ICCY) is a yeomanry regiment of the Territorial Army. ...

Order of Precedence

For the purposes of parading, the regular army of the British Army is listed according to an order of precedence. ... The Blues and Royals are a British Army armoured regiment and are part of the Household Cavalry. ...

External links

• Household Cavalry site
• Regiments.org's page
• G.F. Bacon's history
• Horse Guards
• www.theoldoaktree.net : Unofficial site for serving and ex-Life Guards of all ranks