Household Cavalry | |
---|---|
Active | Since 1992 (roots dating back to 1660) |
Country | United Kingdom |
Branch | British Army |
Type | Cavalry |
Role | Household Cavalry Regiment (armoured cavalry regiment) Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (public duties) |
Size | Corps of two regiments: The Life Guards The Blues and Royals |
Part of | Household Division |
Garrison/HQ | RHQ – Horse Guards, London |
Motto(s) | Honi soit qui mal y pense (Middle French for 'Shame on him who thinks evil of it') |
Equipment | Warrior AJAX |
Commanders | |
Colonel-in-Chief | The King |
Colonels of the regiments | The Princess Royal (Blues and Royals) Lieutenant General Sir Edward Smyth-Osbourne (The Life Guards) |
Insignia | |
Tactical Recognition Flash | |
Abbreviation | HCav |
The Household Cavalry (HCAV) is a corps of the Household Division, made up of the two most senior regiments of the British Army; The Life Guards and The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons). They have taken part in every major conflict since 1660. These regiments are divided between the Household Cavalry Regiment stationed at Wing Barracks in Wiltshire, with an armored reconnaissance role, and the ceremonial mounted unit, the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, garrisoned at Hyde Park Barracks in London. Both the HCMR and HCR are made up of elements of the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals. The Household Cavalry is part of the Household Division and is the King's official bodyguard. Although the Household Cavalry Regiment is armoured, it is not part of the Royal Armoured Corps, being assigned to the Household Division. [2]
The Household Cavalry is classed as a corps in its own right, and consists of two regiments: The Life Guards and The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons). They are the senior regular regiments in the British Army, with traditions dating from 1660, and act as the King's personal bodyguard. They are the cavalry element of the guards regiments and, with the five foot guard regiments, constitute the seven guards regiments of the Household Division.
Regiment | Tunic colour | Plume colour | Chinstrap | Collar colour | Quick March | Slow March | Trot |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Life Guards | Red | White | Worn below bottom lip | Blue | Millanollo and Men of Harlech | Life Guards Slow March | Keel Row |
The Blues and Royals | Blue | Red | Worn below chin | Red | Blues and Royals and Grand March from Aida | Blues and Royals Slow March | Keel Row General The Princess Royal |
Below is the structure of the regiment: [3]
The Household Cavalry as a whole is split into two different units that fulfil very distinct roles. These are both joint units, consisting of personnel from both regiments. Like other Cavalry formations, the Household Cavalry is divided into regiments (battalion-sized units) and squadrons (company-sized sub-units). The whole corps is under the command of the Commander Household Cavalry (formerly Colonel Commanding The Household Cavalry), who also holds the Royal Household appointment of Silver Stick in Waiting. He is a Colonel and is assisted by a retired lieutenant colonel as Regimental Adjutant. [4]
The Household Cavalry Regiment (HCR) has an active operational role as a Formation Reconnaissance Regiment, serving in armoured fighting vehicles including the Warrior and Ajax, operating far ahead of the main body of friendly forces. Their role is to locate and report on the movement and disposition of enemy forces, and engage and destroy enemy reconnaissance elements that are seeking to do do the same. The regiment forms one of five formation reconnaissance regiments in the British Army's order of battle. The HCR has four operational squadrons, three of which are traditional medium reconnaissance squadrons equipped with the Warrior and Ajax armoured fighting vehicles, and the fourth is referred to as Command and Support Squadron and includes specialists, such as Forward Air Controllers. One of HCR's squadrons has been assigned to the airborne role, supporting 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team, since 2003. The regiment was formerly based at Combermere Barracks, Windsor, one mile from Windsor Castle, until its move to Bulford Camp, Wiltshire, in May 2019. The members of the Household Division have sometimes been required to undertake special tasks as the Sovereign's personal troops. The Household Cavalry were called to Windsor Castle on 20 November 1992 to assist with salvage operations following the 1992 Windsor Castle fire. [5]
The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (HCMR) is horsed and carries out mounted (and some dismounted) ceremonial duties on State and Royal occasions. These include the provision of a Sovereign's Escort, most commonly seen on The King's Birthday Parade (Trooping the Colour) in June each year. Other occasions include state visits by visiting heads of state, royal weddings, coronations, or whenever required by the British monarch, including ceremonies associated with the Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II. The regiment also mounts the King's Life Guard at Horse Guards. HCMR consists of one squadron from The Life Guards, one from The Blues and Royals and a squadron called Headquarters Squadron, which is responsible for all administrative matters and includes the regimental headquarters (RHQ), the Riding Staff, Farriers, Tailors and Saddlers. The Regiment has been based (in various forms) at Hyde Park Barracks, Knightsbridge, since 1795. [6] New troopers and officers are generally first assigned to London upon completion of horsemanship training, referred to, alongside the rest of HCMR personnel, as Mounted Dutymen, [7] and remain there for up to three years. Like the five Foot Guards regiments they rotate between the operational and ceremonial roles. [8]
The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment provides the King's Life Guard, the mounted guard at the entrance to Horse Guards. Horse Guards is the official main entrance to both St James's Palace and Buckingham Palace. The guard is on horseback from 10 am until 4 pm, with the two sentries changing every hour. From 4 pm until 8 pm a pair of dismounted sentries remain. At 8 pm, the gates of Horse Guards are locked, and a single sentry remains until 7 am. When the King is in London, the Guard consists of one officer, one corporal major (who carries the standard), two non-commissioned officers, one trumpeter and ten troopers. This is known as a "long guard." When the King is not resident in London, the Guard is reduced to two non-commissioned officers and ten troopers. This is known as a "short guard." Responsibility for mounting the guard alternates between The Life Guards and The Blues and Royals. [9] Every summer, the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery takes over the role, while the HCMR conducts important regimental training outside of London. [10]
Second Lieutenants in The Blues and Royals are known as Cornets. [11]
The rank names and insignia of non-commissioned officers in the Household Cavalry are unique in the British Army: [12]
Household Cavalry [13] | Insignia† | Standard British Army rank | Insignia |
---|---|---|---|
Regimental Corporal Major [14] | Royal Coat of Arms worn on right wrist. | Warrant Officer Class 1 | |
Regimental Quartermaster Corporal [14] [15] | Laurel wreath around a crown worn on right wrist | Quartermaster sergeant | |
Squadron Corporal Major [14] | Brass crown worn on right wrist | Warrant Officer Class 2 | |
Staff corporal Squadron Quartermaster Corporal [14] [16] | A brass crown worn above four inverted chevrons | Staff Sergeant Company quartermaster sergeant | |
Corporal of Horse [17] [18] [19] [14] | Three chevrons, point down, with metal crown above | Sergeant | |
Lance Corporal of Horse‡ [14] | Three chevrons with cloth crown above | Corporal | |
Lance Corporal [17] [14] | Two chevrons with metal crown above | Lance Corporal | |
Trooper | None | Private | None |
† The Household Cavalry's NCOs and warrant officers are the only soldiers in the British Army who do not wear rank insignia on their full dress uniforms (although officers do). Rank is indicated by the wearing of aiguillettes. | |||
‡ A Lance Corporal of Horse is technically an appointment rather than a rank. Any new corporal in the Household Cavalry is immediately appointed a Lance Corporal of Horse (LCoH) on attaining the rank of corporal. |
Recruits were required to have a very high moral character. Before the Second World War, recruits were required to be at least 5 feet 10 inches tall, but could not exceed 6 feet 1 inch. They initially enlisted for eight years with the colours and a further four years with the reserve. [20]
There is a farrier on call twenty-four hours a day, at Hyde Park Barracks. [21]
Farriers traditionally combined veterinary knowledge with blacksmiths' skills. They were responsible for hoof trimming and fitting horseshoes to horses. They also dealt with the "humane dispatch of wounded and sick horses", [22] accomplished with the large spike on the end of their axes. Then they used the sharp blade of the axe to chop off the deceased animal's hoof, which was marked with its regimental number. This assisted in keeping track of animals killed in action. [22]
Although the axes are not used any more, army farriers still carry these axes, with their characteristic highly polished blade and spike, at ceremonial events such as Trooping the Colour. [22]
In The Blues and Royals, the farriers dress like their comrades in regimental uniform. The distinctive uniform and equipment of the farriers of The Life Guards—blue tunic, black plume and axe—is a historic reminder of the old British Army of the days of James Wolfe. [23] Every cavalry regiment in the Army, other than the Royal Horse Guards (The Blues), originally wore scarlet for all ranks, except the farriers. Farriers were garbed invariably in sombre blue and bore axes, worn at the side, like the swords of their comrades. When on parade, the troopers drew swords, the Farriers drew axes and carried them at the "Advance". [24]
Following every parade is a duty horse-box, known as the Veterinary Aid Post, with a specialist emergency team in attendance. [21]
The Mounted Band of the Household Cavalry was a merger in 2014 of the 35 piece Band of The Blues and Royals and the 35 piece Band of The Life Guards. They are now one band of 64 musicians but wear the uniform of both The Blues and Royals and The Life Guards. They come under RCAM, the Royal Corps of Army Music. They also provide State Trumpeters for events of state. [25]
The Musical Ride of the Mounted Regiments of the Household Cavalry was first performed at the Royal Tournament in 1882. The two trumpeters sitting on grey horses were historically intended to form a contrast with the darker horses, so that they could be seen on battlefields when relaying officers' commands to the troops. The troops weave around the trumpeters and the celebrated drumhorse, Spartacus. [26]
In the British Army Order of Precedence, the Household Cavalry is always listed first and always parades at the extreme right of the line, save in cases that the guns of the Royal Horse Artillery are to be first in line during parades.
In April 2024, after being spooked by falling concrete during their daily morning exercise, five horses unseated their riders and went on a panicked flight through central London. Colliding with vehicles and pedestrians, two of the horses suffered serious injuries. Three soldiers were among those injured and were taken to hospital. [27] [28] [29] [30] [31]
The Household Cavalry is supported by the Household Cavalry Foundation, the regimental charity, which raises funds in aid of five core themes: casualties, veterans, serving soldiers, horses and heritage. [32]
The Household Cavalry has two museums. The Household Cavalry Museum is located at Horse Guards Parade in central London, where the HCMR mounts the King's Life Guard. The museum is a very popular tourist attraction with digital audio guides in several languages. The museum includes a window into the working stables of the King's Life Guard, allowing visitors to watch ongoing care of the horses throughout the day. Separately, the Household Cavalry Regiment has its own museum at Combermere Barracks in Windsor. A volunteer team organise tours and events and, in particular, administer the regiment's extensive material, documentary and photographic archives. The museum is open to public groups, by appointment. [33]
These have included: [43]
In the center of the village Zandvoorde, Zonnebeke in Belgium, there is a British war memorial, The Household Cavalry Monument , commemorating the role of the Household Cavalry in the battles of the First World War in this area. [47]
The Royal Armoured Corps is the armoured arm of the British Army, that together with the Household Cavalry provides its armour capability, with vehicles such as the Challenger 2 and the Warrior tracked armoured vehicle. It includes most of the Army's armoured regiments, both the Royal Tank Regiment and those converted from old horse cavalry regiments. Today it comprises twelve regiments, eight regular and four Army Reserve. Although the Household Cavalry Regiment provide an armoured regiment, they are not part of the RAC.
Trooping the Colour is a ceremonial event performed every year on Horse Guards Parade in London, United Kingdom, by regiments of Household Division, to celebrate the official birthday of the British sovereign. It is also known as the Sovereign's Birthday Parade. Similar events are held in other countries of the Commonwealth. In the UK, it is, with the State Opening of Parliament, the biggest event of the ceremonial calendar, and watched by millions on TV and on the streets of London.
The Royal Regiment of Horse Guards, also known as the Blues, or abbreviated as RHG, was one of the Cavalry regiments of the British Army, and part of the Household Cavalry. In 1969, it was amalgamated with the 1st The Royal Dragoons to form the Blues and Royals.
Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) (LdSH[RC]) is a regular armoured regiment of the Canadian Army and is Canada’s only tank regiment. Currently based in Edmonton, Alberta, the regiment is part of 3rd Canadian Division's 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group. Members of the regiment are commonly called Strathconas or Strats as a short form. It was one of the last regiments in the British Empire to be created and raised by a private individual, Donald Alexander Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal.
The Blues and Royals (RHG/D) is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. The Colonel of the Regiment is Anne, Princess Royal. It is the second-most senior regiment in the British Army.
The King's Guard are sentry postings at Buckingham Palace and St James's Palace, organised by the British Army's Household Division. The Household Division also mounts sentry postings at Horse Guards, known as the King's Life Guard.
TheLife Guards (LG) is the most senior regiment of the British Army and part of the Household Cavalry, along with The Blues and Royals.
The Queen's Own Hussars (QOH), was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, formed from the amalgamation of the 3rd The King's Own Hussars and the 7th Queen's Own Hussars at Candahar Barracks, Tidworth in 1958. The regiment served in Aden and Northern Ireland and as part of the British Army of the Rhine. The regiment was amalgamated with the Queen's Royal Irish Hussars to form the Queen's Royal Hussars on 1 September 1993.
The Queen's Royal Hussars (The Queen's Own and Royal Irish) (QRH) is a British armoured regiment. It was formed on 1 September 1993 from the amalgamation of the Queen's Own Hussars and the Queen's Royal Irish Hussars. The regiment and its antecedents have been awarded 172 Battle Honours and eight Victoria Crosses. The regiment was based in Sennelager, Germany, until 2019 when it was relocated to Tidworth Camp, England. It is the armoured regiment for 20th Armoured Brigade Combat Team.
The Light Dragoons (LD) is a cavalry regiment in the British Army. The regiment has a light cavalry role and specialises in mounted and dismounted reconnaissance. The Light Dragoons recruit mainly in Northern England, from County Durham, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, South Yorkshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire. For this reason, the regiment is known as "England's Northern Cavalry". It is currently based in Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire.
The Royal Dragoon Guards (RDG) is a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1992 by the amalgamation of two other regiments: The 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards and the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards. Based in Battlesbury Barracks, Wiltshire, the regiment currently serves as the armoured cavalry reconnaissance unit of 20th Armoured Brigade Combat Team. Previously equipped with the Scimitar armoured reconnaissance vehicle, it started converting to the Warrior tracked armoured vehicle in 2022.
Combermere Barracks, Windsor is a British Army installation 0.9 miles (1.4 km) from Windsor Castle.
London District (LONDIST) is the name given by the British Army to the area of operations encompassing the Greater London area. It was established in 1870 as Home District.
The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (HCMR) is a cavalry regiment of the British Army tasked primarily with ceremonial duties. Part of the Household Division, it is classed as a regiment of guards, and carries out mounted ceremonial duties on State and Royal occasions. The HCMR is one of two operational units that form the Household Cavalry (HCav), the other being the Household Cavalry Regiment (HCR), a formation reconnaissance regiment, with front-line combat duties.
The Household Cavalry Regiment (HCR) is an Armoured Cavalry regiment of the British Army based in Bulford Camp in Wiltshire. It is the brother regiment of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (HCMR) based at Hyde Park Barracks in London - both regiments together form the Household Cavalry (HCav). The Household Cavalry Regiment was formed in 1992, under the Options for Change reforms, by the union of The Life Guards and The Blues and Royals in order to preserve the distinct identities of the regiments. A precedent for the Household Cavalry Regiment has previously been set by the Household Cavalry Composite Regiment - active during the Anglo-Egyptian War, the Second Boer War and latterly during both the First and Second World Wars.
The Royal Dragoons was a heavy cavalry regiment of the British Army. The regiment was formed in 1661 as the Tangier Horse. It served for three centuries and was in action during the First and the Second World Wars. It was amalgamated with the Royal Horse Guards to form The Blues and Royals in 1969.
There are 13 cavalry Regiments of the British Army each with its own unique cap badge, regimental traditions, and history. Of the currently nine regular cavalry regiments, two serve as armoured regiments, three as armoured cavalry regiments, three as light cavalry, and one as a mounted ceremonial regiment. There are also four yeomanry regiments of the Army Reserve, of these, three serve as light cavalry and one as an armoured regiment. Each yeomanry light cavalry unit has been paired with a regular unit of the same role, the armoured yeomanry unit is paired with the two regular armoured units. All except the Household Cavalry are part of the British Army's Royal Armoured Corps.
The 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was first raised in 1685 by the Earl of Peterborough as the Earl of Peterborough's Regiment of Horse by merging four existing troops of horse.
The Household Cavalry Composite Regiment was a temporary, wartime-only, cavalry regiment of the British Army consisting of personnel drawn from the 1st Life Guards, 2nd Life Guards and Royal Horse Guards. It was active in 1882 for service in the Anglo-Egyptian War, in 1889–1900 during the Second Boer War, from August to November, 1914 during the opening months of World War I and in World War II.
The Albert helmet is a type of dragoon helmet introduced by the British military in the 19th century. The helmet was developed by Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1842, and was first introduced for service with the Household Cavalry in 1843. The helmet was introduced to other heavy cavalry units in the British Empire in 1847.