THE HOUSEHOLD DIVISION
The Household Division comprises seven British Army Regiments serving His Majesty The King. These are:
- Household Cavalry (composed of the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals)
- Foot Guards (composed of the Grenadier Guards, the Coldstream Guards, the Scots Guards, the Irish Guards, and the Welsh Guards)
The Division’s motto is Septem Juncta in Uno (Seven joined in one).
The seven regiments that form the Household Division are units of the regular British army. In 2004, the Minister of Defence announced that the Foot Guards would gain a reserve (or Territorial Army) battalion, the London Regiment, which has since been retitled as the London Guards.
The Household Division and the King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery are collectively referred to as the Household Troops. They are under the command of the Major-General Commanding the Household Division, who is also General Officer Commanding London District. From 1950-1968, the term Household Brigade was used.
The connection with the Sovereign remains important ceremonially and operationally, and the Household Division provides both ceremonial and operational support for the Crown. One of the five Foot Guards regiments is selected each year to troop their colour before the Sovereign at Trooping the Colour annually in June. This ceremony includes march-pasts in slow and quick time and is attended by the Household Troops. Orders for the Household Division are conveyed through the Royal Household to the Major General via the Field Officer in Brigade Waiting (for the Foot Guards) and the Silver Stick in Waiting (for the Household Cavalry).
The Household Division provides two battalions and incremental companies at any one time tasked for public duties, which include the protection of the Sovereign. In the event of crisis or war, it is believed that one of these would be responsible for protecting the person of the Sovereign and facilitating his or her evacuation if this were necessary. In the Second World War a special unit, known as Coats Mission, was entrusted with this latter task. In the 1960s, war plans apparently envisaged evacuating the Sovereign to the Royal Yacht Britannia. It would appear that, contrary to a persistent rumour, there were no plans for the Sovereign to join the Prime Minister at the Corsham bunker complex known variously as Hawthorn or Turnstile.
Music is an essential component of ceremonial regimental life in the UK. Each of the five Foot Guards regiments has its own band and its own regimental quick and slow marches. These are on show in the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace. Similarly, both the Household Cavalry regiments have their own mounted bands and also their own regimental quick and slow marches.
The Massed Bands and Massed Mounted Bands feature annually at Trooping the Colour. The term “Massed Bands” denotes the amalgamated bands of all five Foot Guards regiments and numbers around 250 musicians. The term “Massed Mounted Bands” denotes the amalgamated bands of the two Household Cavalry regiments.
The mounted bands wear colourful state dress and black peaked equestrian caps. They are led by two musicians on large Shire horses used as drum horses. Since their hands are occupied with the drumsticks, they must work horses’ reins with their feet.
The East Kent Branch honour and respect the dedicated service and sacrifice of all service personnel who have served on Operation HERRICK.
We mourn the deaths of all service personnel who have died while serving in Afghanistan since the start of operations in October 2001. A full Roll of Honour can be found on the Ministry of Defence website.
The Ministry of Defence also published casualty figures for Operation HERRICK. These figures were updated monthly, two weeks in arrears.
Household Division Fatalities
This page records the names of those members of the Household Division who sadly find themselves upon those lists:
Lance Corporal Duane Groom, of The Queen’s Company 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, aged 32, born in Suva City, Fiji, was killed in action on Friday 14 September 2012 when his vehicle struck an Improvised Explosive Device in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand Province.
Guardsman Karl Whittle, of The Queen’s Company 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, aged 22, raised in Bristol, died in Queen Elizabeth Hospital on 7 September 2012 having sustained gunshot wounds when his checkpoint was attacked by insurgents in the Nahr-e Saraj District of Helmand Province on 14 August 2012.
Guardsman Jamie Shadrake, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, aged 20 from Wrexham, Wales, died of gunshot wounds on Friday 17 August 2012 when his checkpoint was attacked by insurgents in the Nahr-e Saraj District of Helmand province.
Guardsman Craig Andrew Roderick, aged 22 from Cardiff, and Guardsman Apete Saunikalou Ratumaiyale Tuisovurua, aged 28 from Fiji, both of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, who along with Warrant Officer Class 2 Leonard Perran Thomas of the Royal Corps of Signals, were killed on Sunday 1 July 2012 in a small arms fire incident at Checkpoint Kamparack Pul in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province.
Lance Corporal James Ashworth VC, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, aged 23 from Kettering, was killed in Afghanistan on Wednesday, 13 June 2012. He was the 14th Grenadier Guardsman to have been awarded the Victoria Cross.
Lance Corporal Lee Thomas Davies, 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, aged 27 from Carmarthen, who along with Corporal Brent John McCarthy, Royal Air Force, was killed by small arms fire while deployed as part of a Police Advisory Team to attend a meeting at the local Afghan Uniform Police headquarters near Patrol Base Attal in the Lashkar Gah district of Helmand province on Saturday, 12 May 2012.
Guardsman Michael Roland, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, aged 22 from Worthing, was fatally wounded during an exchange of small arms fire whilst deployed with his company on a three-day operation to disrupt insurgent activity in a contested area in the north of Nahr-e Saraj district on Friday, 27 April 2012.
Colour Sergeant Alan Cameron, 1st Battalion Scots Guards, aged 42 from Livingston, Scotland, died on 31 March 2011 as a result of wounds he received in Afghanistan on Wednesday, 13 April 2010.
Major Matthew James Collins, aged 38 from Backwell in Somerset, and Lance Sergeant Mark Terence Burgan, aged 28 from Liverpool, both from 1st Battalion Irish Guards were killed by an improvised explosive device after returning from an operation in support of an Afghan National Army Company alongside C Company of the Danish Battle Group to disrupt insurgent activity and search compounds of interest in the Nahr-e Saraj District of Helmand Province in Afghanistan on Wednesday, 23 March 2011.
Guardsman Christopher Davies, 1st Battalion Irish Guards, aged 22 from St Helens, Merseyside, serving with Combined Force Nahr-e Saraj (North), was killed when he was hit by small arms fire while conducting a patrol in Nahr-e Saraj (North), Helmand province, on Wednesday, 17 November 2010.
Lance Sergeant Dale Alanzo McCallum, 1st Battalion Scots Guards, aged 31 from Hanover, Jamaica, serving as part of Combined Force Lashkar Gah, was killed by small-arms fire in the Lashkar Gah district of Helmand province on Sunday, 1 August 2010.
Lance Corporal Stephen Daniel Monkhouse, 1st Battalion Scots Guards, aged 28 from Greenock, who along with Corporal Matthew James Stenton from The Royal Dragoon Guards, was killed by small arms fire, north of Lashkar Gah Afghanistan, on Wednesday, 21 July 2010.
Guardsman Michael Sweeney, 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, aged 19, from Blyth in Northumberland, was killed as a result of an explosion that happened in the Babaji district of central Helmand province on Thursday, 1 April 2010.
Lance Corporal of Horse Jonathan Woodgate, Household Cavalry Regiment, aged 26, from Lavenham in Suffolk, serving as part of the Brigade Reconnaissance Force, was killed by a grenade attack on the afternoon of Friday, 26 March 2010.
Lance Sergeant David ‘Davey’ Walker, 1st Battalion Scots Guards, aged 36 from Glasgow, was killed as a result of enemy fire in northern Nad’ Ali on 18 February 2010.
Lieutenant Douglas Dalzell, 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, from Berkshire, was killed as a result of an explosion during Operation MOSHTARAK in the Babaji area of Nahr-e-Saraj in central Helmand on Thursday, 18 February 2010.
Lance Sergeant Dave Greenhalgh, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, aged 25 from Ilkeston, Derbyshire, was killed when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device, near Lashkar Gah, Helmand province, on Saturday, 13 February 2010.
Lance Corporal Darren Hicks, 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, aged 29 from Mousehole, Cornwall, was killed as a result of an explosion in the Babaji district of central Helmand province, Afghanistan on Thursday, 11 February 2010.
Acting Sergeant John Paxton Amer, 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, from Sunderland, died from wounds sustained as a result of an explosion that happened in the Babaji area of central Helmand province on 30 November 2009.
Warrant Officer Class 1 Darren Chant, aged 40 from Walthamstow, Sergeant Matthew Telford, aged 37 from Grimsby, and Guardsman James Major, aged 18 from Grimsby, all of the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, along with Acting Corporal Steven Boote and Corporal Nicholas Webster-Smith, both of the Royal Military Police were killed as a result of gunshot wounds sustained in an attack at a police checkpoint in the Nad e-Ali district of Helmand province on Tuesday, 3 November 2009.
Lance Corporal James Hill, 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, aged 23 from Redhill in Surrey, was killed as a result of an explosion near Camp Bastion in Helmand Province on Thursday, 8 October 2009.
Guardsman Jamie Janes, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, aged 20 from Brighton, was killed as a result of an explosion that happened whilst on a foot patrol near to Nad e-Ali district centre in central Helmand province on Monday, 5 October 2009.
Guardsman Christopher King, 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, aged 20 from Birkenhead, near Liverpool, was killed following an improvised explosive device explosion in the Nad e-Ali district, Helmand province, on 22 July 2009.
Lance Corporal Dane Elson, 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, aged 22 from Bridgend, was killed in Afghanistan on 5 July 2009.
Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe MBE, Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, who along with Trooper Joshua Hammond of the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, was killed by an explosion whilst on convoy along the Shamalan Canal, near Lashkar Gah, in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on Wednesday, 1 July 2009.
Major Sean Birchall, 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, aged 33, was killed in by an explosion whilst on patrol in Basharan, near Lashkar Gah, in Helmand province, Afghanistan on 19 June 2009.
Lieutenant Mark Evison, 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, aged 26, died of wounds sustained in Afghanistan at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham on 12 May 2009.
Lance Sergeant Tobie Fasfous, 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, aged 29, was killed in Afghanistan on 28 April 2009.
Trooper James Munday, D Squadron, the Household Cavalry Regiment (HCR), aged 21 from the Birmingham area, was killed in southern Afghanistan on 15 October 2008.
Trooper Ratu Sakeasi Babakobau, Household Cavalry Regiment, aged 29 from Fiji, was killed in Helmand, Afghanistan, on 2 May 2008.
Guardsman David Atherton, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, aged 25 from Manchester, was killed in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, 26 July 2007.
Guardsman Daryl Hickey, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, aged 27 from Birmingham, was killed in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, 12 July 2007. Gdsm Hickey was part of a fire team providing covering fire as others in his platoon assaulted a Taliban position.
Guardsman Neil ‘Tony’ Downes, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, aged 20 from Manchester, was killed on Saturday, 9 June 2007 when his vehicle was hit by an explosion on a patrol with the Afghan National Army close to the town of Sangin in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Guardsman Daniel Probyn, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, aged 22 from Tipton, died on Saturday, 26 May 2007 following an overnight operation in Garmsir, southern Afghanistan.
Guardsman Simon Davison, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, aged 22 from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, was killed by small-arms fire in the town of Garmsir on Thursday, 3 May 2007.
Lance Corporal Sean Tansey, The Life Guards, aged 26 from Washington, Tyne and Wear, was killed in an accident at a UK military base in Northern Helmand province on the afternoon of Saturday, 12 August 2006.
Second Lieutenant Ralph Johnson, Household Cavalry Regiment, aged 24 from Windsor, who along with Captain Alex Eida and Lance Corporal Ross Nicholls, was killed following an incident involving insurgent forces in northern Helmand Province on the morning of Tuesday, 1 August 2006.
It is with very deep regret that the Ministry of Defence has confirmed the following fatalities suffered during Operation TELIC.
A total of 179 British Armed Forces personnel or MOD civilians died serving on Operation TELIC since the start of the campaign in March 2003.
Of these, 136 were killed as a result of hostile action. A full Roll of Honour can be found on the Ministry of Defence website.
43 are known to have died either as a result of illness, non-combat injuries or accidents, or have not yet officially been assigned a cause of death pending the outcome of an investigation.
The balance of these figures may change as inquests are concluded.
The East Kent Branch honour and respect the dedicated service and sacrifice of all service personnel who have served on Op Granby. We also mourn the deaths of all service personnel who have died while serving in Iraq since the start of operations.
This page records the names of those members of the Household Division who sadly find themselves upon that list:
Guardsman Stephen Ferguson, 1st Battalion Scots Guards, aged 31, from Lanarkshire, died in Selly Oak Hospital in the UK on Thursday 13 December 2007 from injuries sustained in a non-battle incident near the Contingency Operating Base in Basra on Wednesday 12 December 2007.
Lance Sergeant Chris Casey, aged 27 from London, and Lance Corporal Kirk Redpath, aged 22 from Romford, both of 1st Battalion Irish Guards, died in southern Iraq on Thursday 9 August 2007.
FOOT GUARDS
The calendar of dates for Changing the Guard ceremonies, held at Windsor Castle and at Buckingham Palace, are available via https://www.householddivision.org.uk/changing-the-guard-calendar
Please visit that web page for the schedule, else visit https://www.householddivision.org.uk/changing-the-guard further detail of the ceremony.
HOUSEHOLD CAVALRY
Changing of The King’s Life Guard occurs daily (Monday to Friday) at 1100 on Horse Guards Parade. At 1600 daily, the duty officer will inspect The King’s Life Guard in the courtyard.
At 1100 on Saturday and 1000 on Sunday, the duty officer will inspect The King’s Life Guard on Horse Guards Parade.
For further detail of the Changing of the King’s Life Guard parades, visit https://www.householddivision.org.uk/queen-life-guard
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Guards Memorial, also known as the Guards Division War Memorial, is an outdoor war memorial located on the west side of Horse Guards Road, opposite Horse Guards Parade in London, United Kingdom. It commemorates the war dead from the Guards Division and related units during the First World War, and of the Household Division in the Second World War and other conflicts since 1918.
Design
The cenotaph memorial was designed by H. Chalton Bradshaw. It includes a broad squat white Portland stone obelisk 38 feet (12 m) high standing on a white stone base with three steps. On a raised platform to the east side of the memorial, facing Horse Guards Parade, are five large bronze sculptures by Gilbert Ledward, one representing each of the Foot Guards Regiments, standing easy with their rifles above stone carvings showing the badge of each regiment, each slightly larger than life size, about 7 feet 3 inches (2.21 m) in high.
The statues are modelled on serving guardsmen:
- Sergeant R. Bradshaw MM of the Grenadier Guards
- Lance Corporal J. S. Richardson of the Coldstream Guards
- Guardsman J. McDonald of the Scots Guards
- Guardsman Simon McCarthy of the Irish Guards (with legs modelled by another guardsman, Lance Sergeant W. J. Kidd)
- Guardsman A. Comley of the Welsh Guards.
The other three sides each bear a bronze panel, one to either side depicting military equipment and the one to the rear depicting artillery in action. The statues and panels were cast by the
- William Morris Art Bronze Foundry using bronze taken from German guns melted down after the First World War.
Above the five statues, the cenotaph also bears an inscription written by Rudyard Kipling, whose only son John was killed in action while serving the Irish Guards at the Battle of Loos in September 1915:
“To the Glory of God // And in the memory of the // Officers Warrant Officers // Non Commissioned Officers & // Guardsmen of His Majesty’s // Regiments of Foot Guards // who gave their lives for their // King and Country during the // Great War 1914–1918 and of the // Officers Warrant Officers // Non-Commissioned Officers and // Men of the Household Cavalry // Royal Regiment of Artillery // Corps of Royal Engineers // Royal Army Service Corps Royal // Medical Corps and other // Units who while serving the // Guards Division in France & // Belgium 1915–1918 fell with them in // the fight for the World’s Freedom.”
Above the main inscription is an incised cross between bands of horizontal incised lines, and lower down is a second inscription:
“This monument // was erected by their friends and comrades”.
Further inscriptions on the sides of the cenotaph record the units involved, and the west side, below another cross, records their battle honours.
Construction
The monument was built by the Birmingham Guild at a cost of around £22,000, with the lettering cut by Ernest Gillick. It was unveiled by Field Marshal Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn at a ceremony on 16 October 1926, accompanied by the 100-year-old veteran of the Crimean War General Sir George Higginson, with a dedication by Rev. H. J. Fleming, who became senior chaplain of the Guards Division when it was formed in 1915, and a benediction by the Chaplain-General to the Forces, Rev. Alfred Jarvis, and a march-past by 15,000 serving and former guardsmen. The memorial suffered bomb damage in the Second World War, and some was left unrepaired as “honourable scars”.
Later History
After World War II, an inscription was added below the statues to commemorate those who died between 1939 and 1945:
“This memorial also commemorates all those members // of the Household Division who died in the Second World War // and in the Service of their Country since 1918.”
The memorial received Grade II listing in 1970, and was promoted to Grade I in October 2014.
The Guards Museum is a military museum in Central London, England. It is in Wellington Barracks on Birdcage Walk near Buckingham Palace.
It contains artefacts of the five regiments of Foot Guards (the Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, Scots Guards, Irish Guards, and Welsh Guards).
History
The museum opened in 1988. It tells the story of the regiments it represents, from the 17th century to the present day. The displays include many examples of different Guards uniforms, chronicling the evolving dress over time of the five regiments. There are also paintings, weapons, models, sculptures, and artefacts such as Mess Silver – all of which are aimed at explaining to the visitor the history of the regiments and what being a soldier in the Guards is all about.
Excerpt taken from The Guards Chapel website
The Guards’ Chapel is open to all members of the public Monday to Friday 10am – 4pm. Their weekly Sunday Service is at 11am except on Remembrance Sunday when the service starts at 10:45am.
This is the spiritual home of the Household Division in their Ceremonial and Combat roles. As the only Royal Military Chapel in London, they also serve all troops within London District who are not part of the Household Division.
Services follow the traditional Anglican pattern of worship supported by a professional choir and the finest military musicians. There is a real sense of community and partnership at the Guards’ Chapel with their regular congregation being a loyal mix of serving army personnel, veterans and civilians. The Guards Chael is pleased to welcome families, visitors to London and all who wish to experience the rich tradition of Anglican liturgy and music.
At the Guard’s Chapel, they strive to draw closer to God and each other: memories are honoured, healing is sought and strength is found to carry on. They celebrate happy days with those who have reason to rejoice and be thankful, and mourn and pray with those who suffer darkness and any pain. When the Guards Chapel was bombed in 1944 many were killed or injured yet, amid the carnage and destruction, people noticed that the six silver candles on the main altar had not gone out. They have been lit ever since and serve as a symbol for an important truth from which we can all draw comfort and hope.
“The light shines in the darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not.” (1 John: 5)
THE KING’S BIRTHDAY PARADE 2023
Trooping the Colour & flypast 2023 in full: King Charles III celebrates his first birthday parade. Relive the historic day by watching this video by The Telegraph.
Rewind to the start position to watch the entire coverage, or scroll to parts you wish to view further.
Air date: Saturday 17 June 2023
Video length 3 hours 10 minutes 45 seconds
(All credit to The Telegraph and YouTube)
THE CORONATION OF KING CHARLES III : RELIVE THE MAGIC
King Charles and Queen Camilla were crowned in a ceremony that was watched by millions around the world. Relive the historic day by watching this video by The Royal Channel.
Rewind to the start position to watch the entire coverage, or scroll to parts you wish to view further.
Air date: Saturday 6 May 2023
Video length 6 hours 11 minutes 20 seconds
(All credit to Royal Family Channel and YouTube)
STATE FUNERAL (SEPTEMBER 2022) – THE FUNERAL OF HER LATE MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II
Coverage of the full (then LIVE) State Funeral Procession to Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Original air date: Monday 19 September 2022
The funeral took place on the morning of Monday 19 September alongside processions in London and Windsor, with public viewing areas and big screens in both locations.
Video length 9 hours 58 minutes 25 seconds
(All credit to Royal Family Channel and YouTube)
DETAILS OF THE EVENT
Across the country big screens were erected, including in London’s Hyde Park, Sheffield’s Cathedral Square, Birmingham’s Centenary Square, Carlisle’s Bitts Park, Edinburgh’s Holyrood Park and Coleraine Town Hall in Northern Ireland. Cinemas across the UK also opened their screens to show the funeral – bringing together local communities to commemorate.
The funeral service and processions were shown live on BBC One, ITV and Sky for those who wished to watch at home.
At 10.44am, The Queen’s coffin moved from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey for the state funeral. Two thousand guests were expected to attend the service, which began at 11am and was followed by a national two-minute silence at 11.55am.
A public procession began at 12.15pm as Her Majesty’s coffin travelled from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch in London.
The procession, in seven groups, was supported by a service band, that travelled along Broad Sanctuary, Parliament Square, Whitehall, Horse Guards Parade, Horse Guards Road, The Mall, Constitution Hill and ended up at London’s Wellington Arch.
Space dedicated for those with accessibility requirements was available at the Green Park side of The Mall and the St James’s Park side of The Mall. The Albert Memorial viewing areas had British Sign Language interpreters and a hearing loop.
Her Majesty’s coffin was then carried from Wellington Arch by the State Hearse to Windsor where The Queen was laid to rest.
The hearse arrived in Albert Road and, at 3.10pm, it travelled in procession along Albert Road and the Long Walk before arriving at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle ahead of the committal service, where The Queen was buried next to the Duke of Edinburgh. The events at St. George’s Chapel were a family affair and were not open to the public.
There was a limited number of public viewing areas on The Long Walk, including a number of viewing spaces for those with accessibility needs, and there were big screens for people to watch the services and procession from London.
Those who wished to line the processional route were encouraged to plan ahead and prepare for delays to travel.
A National Moment of Reflection took place at 8pm on Sunday 18 September 2022. Community groups, clubs and other organisations, as well as people at home were encouraged to mark the moment in the form of a one-minute silence.
TROOPING THE COLOUR (2022) – THE QUEEN’S PLATINUM JUBILEE
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the parade returned to its usual place in London and on Horse Guards Parade.
The BBC present extended coverage of Trooping the Colour that was held at the start of the special four day Bank Holiday weekend to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee (70 year reign) of Her Majesty The Queen.
The morning’s events culminated with the annual appearance of the Royal Family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. It was the turn of the 1st Battalion Irish Guards to troop their Colour in this annual display of pageantry and music in June 2022.
Air date: Thursday 2 June 2022
Video length 3 hours 14 minutes 06 seconds
(All credit to the BBC and YouTube)
TROOPING THE COLOUR (2021)
A scaled-back parade is held at Windsor for the second year running due to the Covid pandemic.
Huw Edwards introduces live coverage of this spectacular military parade from Windsor Castle to mark the official birthday of HM the Queen, in this her 69th birthday parade as sovereign. This year, it’s the turn of F Company Scots Guards to troop their colour in this annual display of pageantry and music.
Air date: Saturday 12 June 2021
Video length 1 hours 28 minutes 53 seconds
(All credit to the BBC and YouTube)
