Who Are the Foot Guards? | The Guards Museum

The history of the five Regiments of Foot Guards runs through the fabric of the Nation, and their roots go back further than the formation of a permanent army by King Charles II in 1661.

Their primary role then, as now, was as fighting troops. They also provided a personal bodyguard and a ceremonial guard in peacetime. Today, they are unique in combining their combat role with a dedication to ceremonial excellence. In fact, in order to pass their training Guardsmen have to pass a rigorous one-to-one inspection of ceremonial skill by their commanding officer.

Today, they are known as:

Grenadier Guards

Formed: 1656

Previous Names: The Royal Regiments of Guards, The King’s Regiment of Foot Guards, The First Regiment of Footguards, First Guards
Coldstream Guards

Formed: 1650

Previous Names: Monck’s Regiment of Foot, Duke of Albemarle’s Regiment, Lord General’s Regiment of Foot Guards
Scots Guards

Formed: 1642

Previous Names: Regiment of Scottish Foot Guards, Lyfe Guard of Foot, Scottish Regiment of Foot Guards, Third Regiment of Foot Guards, Third Guards, Scots Fusilier Guards
Irish Guards

Formed: 1900
Welsh Guards

Formed: 1915

They are usually referred to in this order, which is their place in the formal Army hierarchy, known as Order of Precedence. Date of formation can be one factor in their place, but it is not always so simple.

1642
1. Formation of the Scots Guards
  
  Raised in Scotland under Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll, to be the King's personal guard in Ireland as they rebelled against English rule. Though technically the oldest of the Guards Regiments, Scottish Regiments did not form part of the British Army until 1686.
1650
1. Formation of the Coldstream Guards
  
  Raised under General George Monck, initially as part of the New Model Army. Monck would go on to be instrumental in the Restoration of the Monarchy, so when the King created a standing army in 1661, this once-Parliamentarian Regiment symbolically laid down its arms as a unit in the New Model Army and took them up again as Royal troops.
1656
1. Formation of the Grenadier Guards
  
  Raised in Bruges, Belgium to protect the future King Charles II - Charles Stuart - after the defeat of the Royalists in the English Civil War. After the Restoration of the Monarchy, this Regiment was merged with another based in England.
1900
1. Formation of the Irish Guards
  
  Raised on the order of Queen Victoria in recognition of the gallantry and loyal service of Irish soldiers who served in other Regiments of the British Army - particularly in the Boer War.
1915
1. Formation of the Welsh Guards
  
  Raised by the Royal Warrant of King George V during the First World War. It was felt that the Brigade of Guards should reflect all parts of the Nation, especially as thousands of Welsh soldiers had already joined the war effort.

Read on to uncover more about the formation of the Guards Regiments

Formation of the Regiments
Explore the history of the Guards - from the 1600s to the present day

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