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The Grenadier Guards is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division of the British Army, and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards. The Coldstream Guards were organized before the Grenadier Guards, but their regiment is reckoned after the Grenadiers in seniority. The grouping of buttons on the tunic is a common way to distinguish between the regiments of Foot Guards. Grenadier Guards' buttons are equally spaced and embossed with the Royal Cypher. Modern Grenadier Guardsmen wear a cap badge of a "grenade fired proper".
History
In 1656, Lord Wentworth's Regiment was formed in the Spanish Netherlands, forming a portion of exiled King Charles II's bodyguard. A few years later, a similar regiment known as John Russell's Regiment of Guards was formed. In 1665, these two regiments were combined to form the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards. As a result of their heroic actions in fighting off the French grenadiers at Waterloo, the 1st Guards were renamed by Royal Proclamation as the 1st or Grenadier Regiment of Foot Guards, thus becoming the only regiment in the British Army to be named for one of its battle honours. RoleThe Grenadier Guards serves as a light infantry battalion - following the reforms of 2004, this will be fixed. The regiment will alternate with the Welsh Guards in the public duties role. The 1st Battalion is currently deployed as part of Operation TELIC in Iraq, and will deploy to Afghanistan in 2007. Battle honoursImage:Grenadier Guards.jpg Illustration, 1889 The 1st Foot Guards have received 79 battle honours, including:
TrainingRecruits to the Grenadier Guards go through a 26-week training course at the Infantry Training Centre. This is 2 weeks more than the training for regular line regiments of the British Army; the extra training, carried out throughout the course, is devoted to drill and ceremonies. Following graduation from the ITC, guardsmen are assigned to Nijmegen Company for additional training and orientation before being posted to a rifle company. Colonels-in-ChiefImage:Stjamessentry.jpg Sentry of the Grenadier Guards outside St James's Palace The Grenadier Guards' various colonels-in-chief have generally been the British monarchs, including Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII, George VI, and Elizabeth II. Many prestigious military officers have been colonels of this regiment, including:
The Colonel-in-Chief is always the reigning Sovereign. This applies to all Regiments of the Household Division. MarchesThe Regimental Slow March is the march Scipio, from the opera of the same name by George Frideric Handel, inspired by the exploits of the Roman General Scipio Africanus. The first performance of Scipio was in 1726. Handel actually composed the eponymous slow march for the First Guards, presenting it to the regiment before he added it to the score of the opera.[1] The Quick March is The British Grenadiers. Order of Precedence
Alliances
Footnotes
References
See alsoImage:ScotsGuard.jpg Grenadier Guardsman at the Tower of London
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