The Scots guards, although raised first, was ordered to be disbanded after the battle of Worcester in 1651 and was not re-formed until 1662. The Coldstream Guards still regard themselves as 'Second to None' because, although they were officially disbanded in 1661, they never disbanded in reality. The date of their becoming household troops was the same as their disbandment which was 14th February 1661. In the years that followed there must have been much argument about which was the most senior regiment because by 1685 a royal warrant declared that the King's Regiment of Foot Guards was to be the First Foot Guards.

Their first action was in the Battle of the Dunes near Dunkirk on 24th May 1658. They fought bravely but were deserted by their Spanish allies and were forced to lay down their arms to the French. The regiment remained as part of the garrison in Dunkirk when Charles returned to England in 1660 after death of Cromwell and the monarchy was restored by parliament.

On the 23rd November 1660 Charles raised an additional regiment of Guards in England. Colonel John Russell was commissioned to raise The King's Regiment of Guards. This consisted of 12 companies each of 100 men. In 1664 Dunkirk was sold to the French and Wentworth's Royal Regiment of Guards returned to England. When Lord Wentworth died in 1665, the two regiments amalgamated under the title of King's Regiment of Guards. There were now 24 companies.

King William sent a force to Flanders in 1689 under the command of Marlborough. All three Guards regiments saw service on this campaign. Very little happened until the Battle of Steenkirk on 3rd August 1692. The King was in overall command, as Marlborough had been deprived of his post due to political intrigue back home. The 2nd Battalion of the 1st Guards was chosen to lead a dawn attack. They were successful at first but the French were reinforced so that they now had 53 battalions to the British 13. They desperately need help from their Dutch allies but Count Solmes the Dutch General refused, saying "Damn the English. If they are so fond of fighting, let them have a bellyful." They were saved by the cavalry but lost the battle, thus receiving no battle honour.

Landen 1693

It has long been a tradition for the Guards to form their own brigades on active service. The first time this occurred was at the Battle of Landen on 29th July 1693. There were two Guards brigades with a battalion of the 1st Guards in each. They shared a defensive position with a few other battalions but were heavily outnumbered by the French. They suffered enormous casualties and ran out of ammunition. The life Guards and five regiments of dragoons checked the French advance and they eventually retreated across the river at Neerwinden under cover of darkness.

Namur 1695

The second battle honour to be won by the 1st Guards was at the capture of the fortress of Namur on 30th August 1695. They were the assault troops and their grenadiers preceded them across half a mile of flat country under fire from the French defenders. On reaching the palisades, they thrust their flintlocks through the gaps, firing a volley, then flung themselves over the ramparts. A Marshal of France was captured in this battle and victory achieved at last. The Guards brigades returned home in September 1697.

On 20th may 1704 The Duke of Marlborough began his march to the Danube. On 2nd July, after a particularly tiring 16 hour march they reached a fortified hill called the Schellenberg overlooking Donauworth on the north bank. Marlborough realised that the French/Bavarian defenders would be reinforced the next day so there was no option but to attack immediately. The British/Dutch force consisted of 16 battalions. The 1st Battalion of the 1st Guards were the only household troops in Marlborough's army for the first 6 years of the war. It was their grenadier company under Colonel Lord Mordaunt that was chosen to lead the assault. It was a suicide mission, regarded as a 'Forlorn Hope'. Indeed of the 82 grenadiers, only 21 survived, including Lord Mordaunt. They struggled up a steep hill under heavy fire, but holding their own fire until they were within 80 yards. When all seemed lost, however, they pressed on. Their perseverance paid off because they reached the enemy and repelled a counter-attack. The main part of the army attacked the enemy flank. The French were cut off and suffered heavy casualties. It was Marlborough's first victory of the campaign and the first time the French had been defeated for 40 years.

Blenheim 1704

At Blenheim

Blenheim is a town 10 miles west of the Schellenberg where the grenadier company had been decimated 6 weeks earlier. On the 13th August 1704 the army of Marlborough and Prince Eugene confronted Marshal Tallard's French army. The Guards are normally held in reserve in battle but Marlborough attached them to Row's 5 battalions which needed all the men it could find to achieve it's objective. They were required to advance across open ground against elite French troops to force them out of their fortified position in Blenheim. They were unable to penetrate the French defences but they paved the way for the cavalry who inflicted a crushing defeat on the enemy. It was a stunning victory which confirmed The Duke of Marlborough as the most effective military leader of the age.

Gibraltar 1704-5

Meanwhile, in another theatre of war, the Rock of Gibraltar was captured by a detachment of Marines in 1704 and re-inforcements were needed to defend it. A composite battalion of 200 1st Guards and 400 Coldstream Guards was sent out and repelled several attacks by the Spanish, thus gaining a battle honour. They joined a larger contingent in a campaign in Spain starting with the capture of Barcelona in 1705 but ended two years later with a defeat at Almanza. The British were forced to surrender.

Ramillies 1706

Back in northern Europe, the French treated Marlborough with more respect after Blenheim and became less complacent. This made them an even more difficult enemy to fight than before. The Battle of Ramillies (23rd May 1706) fought this time against Villeroi, again involved the 1st Guards as the only household troops. The French were outwitted and suffered another terrible defeat.

Oudenarde 1708

The next two years were not good for the Alliance and not good for Marlborough personally. At Oudenarde (11th July 1708) the 1st Guards battalion were joined by a composite battalion of 1st and Coldstream Guards to form a Guards Brigade. This was a bitter and confused battle, but Marlborough whose health was poor had the advantage because the French, this time were commanded by two leaders, the able Vendome and the less able Duke of Burgandy who failed to agree on a plan. The French were defeated and forced out of Flanders.

Malplaquet 1709

The final battle was Malplaquet (11th Sept 1709) and a victory for the Alliance. This time the French were led by Villars who was wounded in the knee and replaced by the duc de Boufflers. Both were able commanders and the battle was hard fought, resulting in heavy casualties for Marlborough's army. The war petered out and the Guards were required to stay abroad until March 1713.

Dettingen 1743

Dettingen is famous for the fact that it was the last occasion when a British monarch was involved in a battle. The war was between France and an alliance of Britain, Austria and Hanover. This time, the Scots Guards were involved so it was the first time that the Brigade of Guards consisted of the 1st battalions of all three Guards regiments. Because it was a victory, all three units have this as a battle honour. Dettingen is near Frankfurt on the banks of the River Main. On the 27th June 1743 the allied army was under the command of the Earl of Stair but King George II took it upon himself to take over and was responsible for taking the army into a trap set by General Noailles. The trap was sprung prematurely and the Allies managed to turn the situation around, driving the French into the river. It was more of a cavalry battle than infantry so the Guards did not have much to do. British casualties were much higher than those of their allies but it was a victory for the Alliance. King George had exposed himself to great danger; when his staff remonstrated with him he replied, 'Do you think I came here to be a poltroon?'

Fontenoy 1745

At Fontenoy

The king gave overall command to his 25 year-old son, the Duke of Cumberland. His second in command was the 73 year-old Austrian General Graf von Konigseck. The Brigade of Guards had very much more of a fight than they did at Dettingen. The brigade advanced across open country in their usual order, ie 1st Guards on the right of the line, Coldstreamers on the left and Scots in the middle. They were exposed to heavy fire until they reached a ridge which, when they came over the top, revealed massed French infantry waiting for them. They were four battalions of the French Guard. The British Guards had not fired their muskets so the two sides were prepared to open fire on each other. Just then, Lord Charles Hay of the King's Company, 1st Guards, stepped forward and took off his hat. He pulled out a flask and drank a toast to the French, saying: 'Gentlemen of the French Guard, I hope you will wait for us today and not escape by swimming the Scheldt as you swam the Main at Dettingen.' Then he turned to his Company and said: 'Men of the King's Company, these are the French Guards and I hope you are going to beat them today.'

The French opened fire first but must have been distracted by Hay's performance because most of their shots went high. Then it was the turn of the British and their fire was withering. They killed 19 officers and 600 men. They kept up a constant volley by firing in sequence. This would have won the day but they needed reinforcement from their Dutch allies but it never came. The Guards withheld the repeated charges of enemy cavalry and acted as rearguard to the British withdrawl which was covered by their own cavalry. Fontenoy was a defeat for the British and their allies so the brave action of the Guards brought them no battle honour. Lord Charles Hay was wounded but survived to fight another day.

Lincelles 1793

Under the command of General Lake they marched to Lincelles to retake the fortified village which was on a hill. The Prince of Orange's force had been driven from there but were not around to help re-take it. Lake had only 1100 men against 5000 Frenchmen but they attacked uphill under fire from artillery and muskets taking the village with great bravery, earning themselves a battle honour.

The Helder 1799

The Helder 1799

This was a combined British and Russian expedition which failed in it's objective to oust the French from Holland. The country was under the control of the Batavian Republic (1795-1806) which was a puppet of Revolutionary France. The Allies had decided that French occupied Europe should be attacked on two fronts. Austria and Russia were to drive the French from Italy while Britain and Russia would invade Holland. The British force was led by the Duke of York but it was split into two parts. The first was under the command of Lt-General Sir Ralph Abercrombie was made up of two Guards Brigades, one of which was composed of the Grenadier Companies of all the Guards regiments plus the 3rd Battalion of the 1st Guards.

The fleet appeared off Texel on 20th August 1799. The intention was to land the troops on 22nd August but bad weather prevented any landing until dawn on 27th by which time the element of surprise had been lost. The Dutch must have been pleased to see the fleet because they only put up a token resistance before withdrawing. The crews of the Dutch ships refused to fight at all and the Admiral struck his flag and surrendered 6 line-of-battle ships and 6 frigates. Despite all this the expedition ended in failure because of lack of back-up from the Russians.

Corunna 1808

The story of the retreat to Corunna is a harrowing one. It was the middle of winter and they had to cross mountainous terrain with little food and tattered clothing. The trek took nearly three weeks and there were successful rearguard actions by the cavalry. The two battalions of Guards arrived at the port, apparently marching in step behind their corps of drums, setting a fine example to the rest of the army and helping to raise morale. A few days later the battle of Corunna started when the French took advantage of the late arrival of the British fleet, and attacked. Soult's men were strongly resisted and eventually retired but not before Moore was fatally wounded on 17th January 1809.

Walcheren 1809

The 1st Guards only had a few months to recover from their exertions in Spain. By late summer they were packed off on the ill-fated expedition to the Dutch island of Walcheren with the objective of capturing Antwerp. The attack failed and the whole army was struck down with a terrible fever. The expedition was abandoned and they returned home.

Barrosa 1811

The 1st Guards returned to Spain in 1810 where they found themselves besieged in Cadiz. The composite brigade was commanded by Major-General Dilkes of the 3rd Guards. There were 6 companies of the 2nd Battalion and 3 companies each from the other two Guards regiments. On the 5th March 1811 they, with some Spanish troops, were sent up the coast to attack Victor's army. They were separated from the Spanish so had to fight two French Divisions alone. They had just completed a 15 hour march but managed to defeat a force of cavalry and infantry from a strong defensive position. The attack was headed by the 1st Guards and cost them a third of their number after an hour and a half of bitter fighting.

San Sebastian

When the two year siege of Cadiz was lifted the Brigade made their way to join a further influx of Guards who were wintering at Cuidad Rodrigo. They were the 1st Battalion of the 1st Guards. Wellesley, now the Duke of Wellington was in command of the army and formed two Guards Brigades: 1st Brigade under Maj-Gen Howard of the Coldstream Guards to consist of 1st and 3rd Battalion 1st Guards and the composite battalion of Coldstream and 3rd Guards. 2nd Brigade under Maj-Gen the Hon E Stopford of the 3rd Guards, to consist of the 1st Battalions of the Coldstream and 3rd Guards. The army moved north to drive the French from Spain. There was a 3 month delay while they besieged San Sebastian.

Nive 1813

When the French retreated into France the British followed and forced crossings of the River Bidossa on 7th October, the Nivelle on 10th November and finally that year, the Nive. The battle on the Nive lasted 3 days and cost the British 1,500 lives overall but cost Soult's men 3,500 lives. The 1st Guards gained a battle honour from this. The following year saw the crossing of the Aduor on 23rd February 1814 and the end of Napoleon's ambitions. Or was it?

Bayonne 1814

Napoleon abdicated on 5th April 1814 and was banished to Elba. But the news did not reach Wellington, or Soult in Toulouse, until a week later. So the Battle of Toulouse was fought unnecessarily. The Guards were not in that fight but they suffered very badly when the French made a night-time sortie from Bayonne and attacked the British with 6,000 men. The two Guards Brigades fought very hard in a confused battle in the dark and sustained 506 casualties. The irony was that the French commander, Thourenot, had heard of Napoleon's departure but refused to accept it. There is still a Guards cemetery at Bayonne.

Waterloo

The Guards were organised in two brigades in the 1st Division. The 1st Brigade was made up of the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 1st Guards, and the 2nd Brigade consisted of Coldstreamers and Scots Guards. Major-General Peregrine Maitland commanded the 1st Guards Brigade whose strength was: 2/1st Guards, 29 officers and 752 men, and 3/1st Guards, 29 officers and 818 men. Each battalion had about 40 sergeants and 20 drummers.

Quatre Bras, 16th June

It was on the evening of the Duchess of Richmond's ball, 15th June, that Wellington discovered that Napoleon had 'humbugged' him. The army had to be mobilised that night so nobody had much sleep. The Guards were camped at Enghien and received the order at 0130 hrs. They marched out at 0400 and were force-marched all day in hot weather. At 1700hrs, as the 1st Guards arrived at Quatre Bras they were thrown in to the battle and drove the French back out of a thick wood. They suffered heavy casualties. The two 1st Guards battalions lost 3 officers, killed and 43 other ranks. Wounded: 10 officers and 491 other ranks.

17th June

The allies retained control of Quatre Bras but Blucher's Prussians had been hit hard at Ligny and forced to withdraw. The following day was spent withdrawing to Mont St Jean. There was a cavalry battle at Genappe but the Foot Guards were not involved. The heavy rain started at midday and continued through the night. The Light Companies of both Guards Brigades, under Lord Saltoun, were ordered to secure the Chateau of Hougoumont while the rest of the Guards took up positions behind Hougoumont.

Battle of Waterloo 18th June

The actual battle of Waterloo was fought between 72,000 of Napoleon's French troops and 68,000 allied troops under Wellington. Blucher's Prussian army did not arrive until it was almost all over.

Hougoumont

Lord Saltoun commanded the two Light Companies of the 1st Guards who were ordered to hold the garden and orchard of the chateau while the other two Light Companies of the Coldstream and Scots Guards were commanded by Lt-Col James Macdonnell, responsible for the buildings. The night had been spent by all of these men busily fortifying the buildings ready for an attack early on the 18th. But Napoleon delayed his advance on the allies so the first attack did not happen until 1100 hrs. The 1st Guards held the orchard but the brunt of the attack was taken by the Coldstream and Scots Guards who fought with great heroism all afternoon.

The Imperial Guard

The Guards were again in the thick of the battle at the climactic confrontation with the famed Grenadiers of Napoleon's Imperial Guard. Marshal Ney led the assault which began with a French artillery barrage. Wellington ordered his men to lie down on the reverse slope to reduce casualties. Some of the 1st Guards even managed to snatch some sleep as the shot whistled overhead. At 1930hrs the advance began. There were 6,000 Grenadiers, seasoned veterans, moving in two massive columns on a frontage of 70 men shoulder to shoulder.

One column was heading towards the 1st Guards who numbered around 1,000. They lay out of sight but could hear the sound of thousands of marching feet and roars of 'Vive l'Empereur'. When they were 40 paces away, Wellington shouted 'Now Maitland. Now's your time!' When the Guards sprang to their feet they were in four ranks. The front rank opened fire, killing 300 Frenchmen. The other ranks repeated this, combined with a barrage of grapeshot from the artillery, the Imperial Guard wavered and tried to fall back. Then Lord Saltoun led a charge of the 1st Guards which routed their French counterparts. The 'invincible' Imperial Guard was routed. The cry went up throughout the French army that the Guard were retreating. The whole of the British force swept forward and drove the enemy back across the valley and up the opposite slope. Cavalry and infantry, tired as they were pursued them off the field of battle. Even the weary Guards from Hougoumont joined in.

The casualty figures for the 1st Guards Brigade on the 18th June were, 4 officers and 131 other ranks killed, 11 officers and 346 other ranks wounded.

St James's Palace

It was also in 1834 that Wellington Barracks was built, marking the end of billeting out of troops in private homes and inns. The Foot Guards were housed in barracks either in the Tower of London, Wellington Barracks, King's New Barracks (near the National Gallery), Portman Street, Knightsbridge Barracks or Victoria Barracks, Windsor.

The Battle for Alma

Alma

The initial attack was by the Light Division which included the 95th (Derbyshire) Regiment, who crossed the river and drove the enemy back but the Russians counter attacked. The Guards and Highland Brigades were then called upon to offer support. They waded through the river, the Grenadiers and Coldstreamers reaching the other bank before the Scots Guards. While they were forming up in parade ground lines, the Scots Guards came ashore and went straight into the attack. The tremendous efforts of the Guards and Highlanders as well as the French pressure on the enemy's left caused the Russians to withdraw to Sevastopol.

Inkerman

The Guards held positions around Inkerman in early November. On the 5th the Russians took advantage of a thick mist to close in on them. The nature of this battle was determined by the terrain which was an area of ridges and valleys. The fights were fragmented and not under central control.

Inkerman

The Grenadier Guards defended the Sandbag battery and beat off repeated determined attacks. The Colour Party was surrounded and they were reduced to 100 men. The fighting lasted 6 hours but they managed to fight their way back to the British lines. The Battery had changed hands seven times.

The hand-to-hand fighting was very intense and there were many acts of bravery so it is not surprising that The Grenadier Guards 3rd Battalion earned three VCs that day: Colonel The Hon Henry Percy, Major Sir Charles Russell and Private Anthony Palmer. The anniversary of the battle was celebrated in the Sergeant's Mess of the 3rd Battalion up until it's absorption into the other 2 battalions in 1961. From that year the left flank company of the 2nd battalion was given the title of Inkerman Company.

Sevastapol

The siege of Sevastopol was a terrible experience for the troops. They were entrenched around the fortress for another year until the final Russian surrender on 9th September 1855. But the winter of 1854/5 was bitterly cold and the supply of food and clothing was cut off when a storm sunk 21 supply ships off the Crimean coast. Without winter clothing the men suffered frostbite and trench-foot as well as the ever-present Cholera and scurvy. Things improved after this first winter but they still had to endure a stifflingly hot summer and another cold winter before peace was signed in March 1856. One more VC was earned by Private Alfred Ablett of the 3rd Battalion on 2nd Sept 1855.

This stay in Canada left its mark because the Canadian Grenadier Guards still exists today. This unit which started life as the 1st Company of Montreal Militia in 1764 and became the 1st Battalion Prince or Wales Regiment of Fusiliers was also involved with dealing with the Fenians in the 1860s. The regiment was re-organised in 1911 under Lt-Col John Carson who was keen to emulate the Grenadiers. And so at first it was called 1st Regiment The Grenadier Guards of Canada and adopted the uniform and equipment of the British Grenadier Guards. There was some difficulty with the British government because the Canadians failed to consult the Duke of Connaught who was not only the Commander-in-Chief of Canada's forces but also Colonel of the Grenadier Guards.