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| The Grenadier Guards | | 1656 - date
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| | | Titles | pre 1877 | post 1877 | 1st (or Grenadier) Regiment of Foot Guards | Grenadier Guards | | | | Earliest recognised formation: | 1656, for the 2nd Battalion when raised in Holland as Lord Wentworth's Regiment, bodyguard of the exiled King Charles II | 1660, for the 1st Battalion when raised in London as John Russell's Regiment of Guards, another guard regiment for the King, established at the restoration. | | Motto: | Honi soit qui mal y pense | | Regimental Journal: | The Household Brigade Magazine 1898-1968, and The Grenadier Magazine, (later "Gazette") from 1968 | | WWI: | Battle Honours; 34 | Victoria Crosses; 7 | Died; 4680 | WWII: | Battle Honours; 18 | Victoria Crosses; 2 | Died; ??? | | |
| | The Regiment increased from 2 to 3 battalions in 1760, and maintained at least 3 regular battalions until 1961. | Peninsula War 1808 - 1814 all 3 battalions present on the Peninsula during this time, distribution of clasps between battalions unknown. | Military General Service Medal. 1793 - 1814 | | | clasp: | | | | | | Total Medals | Max clasps | number: | 348 | 108 | 63 | 241 | 259 | 606 | 4 | | | | Battle Honours: Corunna Barossa Nive Peninsula. |
| | | | Battle of Waterloo 1815 2nd and 3rd Battalions | Waterloo Medal 1815 (names on roll, includes died , missing etc) | | battalion: | 2nd | 3rd | | number: | ? | ? | | | | Casualties 16th, 17th & 18th June 1815 (extracted London Gazette 8/7/1815 & "Medals of the British Army and how they were won" T. Carter 1861*) | 2nd Battalion Officers:1 Captain, 1 Lieutenant, 1 Ensign killed; 1 Major, 2 Captains, 3 Lieutenants and 3 Ensigns wounded. | 3rd Battalion Officers: 2 Captains, 1 Lieutenant, 1 Ensign killed; 1 Major, 4 Captains, 4 Lieutenants and 3 Ensigns wounded. | *Sergeants, Trumpeters, Drummers, Farriers and Rank and File: 2nd/3rd Battalions | | Wounded | Missing | Died of wounds | Suffered amputation | Discharged | Transferred to Veteran or Garrison Battalions | Rejoined the Regiment | Remaining in hospitals in April 1816 | Total | Rejoined the Regiment | Not since heard of, supposed dead. | 61/71 | 29/30 | 6/14 | 44/48 | -/- | 197/368 | 26/33 | 302/486 | 10/3 | 38/32 | | | *Carter's figures are in turn extracted from the return prepared by the Adjutant-Generals office, 13th April 1816. | Battle Honour; Waterloo. |
| | | | Crimean War 1854 - 1856 3rd Battalion | Crimea Medal 1854 -56 | | Clasp: → | ..none... | | | | | Total Medals | | Number: → | ? | 1043 | 676 | 654 | ? (majority) | ? >1545 | | | | Battle Casualties; | Action. | Killed | Died of Wounds | 'Wounded' | Dangerously Wounded | Severely Wounded | Slightly Wounded | Missing | Total | Battle of the Alma | 11 | - | 119 | - | - | - | - | 130 | First bombardment of Sebastopol, first battle of Inkermann and minor actions | 3 | - | 20 | - | - | - | - | 23 | Battle of Inkermann | 76 | 2 | - | 3 | 55 | 90 | - | 226 | Assault on the Quarries | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | First Attack on the Redan | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Final Attack on the Redan | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2nd, 3rd, 4th, & 5th Bombardments of Sebastopol and Minor Actions. | 15 | - | - | 16 | 31 | 42 | - | 104 | Magazine explosion at the French Siege Train | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Grand Total: | 483 | | Men who served in the Crimea also eligible for: | Turkish Crimea Medal 1855 | | VCs: 4; Percy Ablett Palmer Russell | | Battle Honours: Alma; Inkermann; Sevastopol. |
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Revolt of Arabi Pasha and the 1st Sudan War 1882 2nd Battalion | Egypt and Sudan Medal 1882-89 | | clasp: | ....none.... | | total medals | number: | 83 |
660 | 743 | | | Recipients also entitled to a Khedive's Star "1882" | Battle Honours: Tel-el-Kebir, Egypt 1882 |
| | | | The Nile Expedition 1884-5 all three Battalions provided detachments for service with the Guards Camel Regiment and
the 3rd Battalion served at Suakin 1885 | Egypt and Sudan Medal 1882-89 | | | Clasp: | | | | Battalion: | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 3rd | Number: | 44 | 45 | 45 | 40 | 44 | 36 | ? | | | Recipients also entitled to a Khedive's Star dated 1884-6 | Battle Honour: Suakin 1885 |
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| | | | | | | Ashanti War 1895-96 Detachment 2nd Battalion | Ashanti Star 1895-96 | number: | 18 | |
| | | | South African War 1899 - 1902 or "Boer War" 2nd and 3rd Battalions (April 1900 and November 1899 to the end of the war.) | Queen's South Africa Medal 1899-1902, with or without the King's South Africa Medal 1901 - 1902 | Common clasps: Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902; also: | | clasp: | | | | | | | number: | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | | | | | | | | clasp: | | | | | | | number: | ? | | | | | | | | Casualties: | Officers | NCOs and Men | KIA & DOW/ DOD | Wounded | Missing / POW | KIA & DOW | Death from disease | Wounded | Missing / POW | 2nd Battalion, April 1900 - end of war | 2/2 | 7 | - | 40 | 81 | 133 | 8 | 3rd Battalion, November 1899 - end of war | 5/2 | 11 | - | 53 | 86 | 153 | 4 | | Battle Honour: Modder River, South Africa 1899-1902 |
| | | | | | | | WW2 1939 - 1945 | Battalion → | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | campaign ↓ | | | | | | | France and Belgium 1940. (Dunkirk ) | x | x | x | x | | | North Africa & Middle East | | | x | | x | x | Burma | | | | | | | Sicily / Italy | | | x | | x | x | N.W. Europe | x | x | | x | | | | Notes. | | 7th Infantry Brigade for F&B 1940 Motorised Battalion of 5th Guards Brigade (ex "Guards Armoured") 15/9/41-31/8/45 Landed NW Europe 30/6/44 | 7th Infantry Brigade for F&B 1940 Armoured Battalion of
5th Guards Brigade (ex "Guards Armoured") 15/9/41-31/8/45 Landed NW Europe 30/6/44 | 1st Infantry Brigade (Guards) | 30th Infantry Brigade for F&B 1940: Captured Calais 26/5/40. reformed 6th Guards Brigade (ex "Guards Armoured" and "Tank") NW Europe 18/7/44-end | 24th Infantry Brigade (Guards) from 5/6/42-28/3/45 | 201st Guards Motor Brigade. 7/10/42-17/11/44 Egypt, Syria, North Africa, Libya, Italy. (returned to the UK 22/4/44) | | | | WW2 Stars common to the Battalion. (excluding 39-45 star ) Key: A = Africa, P = Pacific, B = Burma, I = Italy, F&G = France and Germany | | F&G | F&G | A, I. | F&G | A, I. | A, I | | VCs: | | | | | | | Most also entitled to the 1939-45 War Medal and many the Defence Medal | | | VCs: 2 : Nicholls & Sidney
| | Battle Honours: Dunkirk 1940; Mont Pincon; Nijmegen; Rhine; Mareth; Medjez Plain; Salerno; Monte Camino; Anzio; Gothic Line. Dyle; Cagny; Reichswald; North-West Europe 1940, 1944-5; North Africa 1942-3; Volturno Crossing; Battaglia; Italy 1943-5. |
| | | | Jewish / Arab Unrest, Palestine 1945 - 48 3rd and 1st Battalions (1945 & 1948) | General Service Medal 1918 -62 | clasp: | | number: | ? | | |
| | | | The Malaya Emergency: Operations against Communist insurgents. 1948-60 3rd Battalion (1948) | General Service Medal 1918 - 62 | clasp: | | number: | ? | | |
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| | | | The Cyprus Emergency 1955 - 1960 2nd and 3rd Battalions (June 1958 - Nov 1958 and Nov 1956 - Aug 1959 respectively) | General Service Medal 1918-62 | clasp: | | number: | ? | |
| | 1961: 3rd Battalion disbanded apart from a company retained for ceremonial duties in London. | | Northern Ireland "Operation Banner" 1969-2007 1st and 2nd Battalions; numerous tours | General Service Medal 1962-2007 | clasp: | | number: | ? | |
| | 1994: 2nd Battalion disbanded apart from a company retained for ceremonial duties in London. | |
Gulf War to liberate Kuwait 1990-1991
1st Battalion: dispersed as detachments | Gulf Medal 1990-91 | clasp: | ....none.... |
16th Jan to 28th Feb 1991 |
| numbers: |
1 | 426 |
Battle Honour: Gulf 1991, Wadi al Batain. |
| | | | Iraq War, or Second Gulf War 2003 and Aftermath. 1st Battalion. 20 Armoured Brigade, Operation Telic 8 (2006) | Iraq Medal 2003- | | | number: | ? | | |
| | | | Afghanistan 2002 - date 1st Battalion; 12 Mechanised Brigade, Operation Herrick 6* ( April - October 2007 ) | Operational Service Medal : Afghanistan 2002- | | | clasp | .....none.... | | number: | ? | ? | | *several members of the regiment have received the medal for earlier operations. |
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Selected Links | The Regimental Museum. (Located in ) | | | | Selected Bibliography; | | The Grenadier Guards | Author | Title | Publisher | Lieut.-Gen. Sir. F. W. Hamilton | The Origin and History of the First or Grenadier Guards. From Documents in the State Paper Office, War Office, Horse Guards, contemporary history, regimental records, etc. 3 vols | London: John Murray, 1874 | Capt. F. Martin | History of the Grenadier Guards, 1656-1949. 66 pp. | Aldershot: Gale & Polden Ltd. 1951 | Lieut.-Col. the Right Hon. Sir Frederick Ponsonby, with an Introduction by Lieut.-Gen. The Earl of Cavan. | The Grenadier Guards in the Great War of 1914-1918. 3 vols. | London : Macmillan & Co. Ltd., 1920. | By Capt. Nigel Nicolson and Patrick Forbes. | The Grenadier Guards in the War of 1939-1945. 2 vols. - Vol. I. The Campaigns in North-West Europe; by Patrick Forbes. Vol. 2, The Mediterranean Campaigns; by Capt. N. Nicolson. | Aldershot : Gale & Polden Ltd., 1949. | ?? | The Grenadier Guards, 1939-1945. 79 pp. | Aldershot: Gale & Polden Ltd. [1946] | By Pte. J. Hart | Incidents of the South African Campaign, being chiefly the Personal Experiences of the Author. 151 pp. | The Telegraph Press, St. John, New Brunswick, 1901. | Brig.-Gen. F. Lloyd. & Brevet-Major Hon. A. Russell | First or Grenadier Guards in South Africa, 1899-1902. Records of the Second Battalion; compiled by Brig.-Gen. F. Lloyd.—Records of the Third Battalion; compiled by Brevet-Major Hon. A. Russell. 114 and 138 pp. | London: J. Keliher & Co. Ltd., 1907. | By Maj.-Gen. R. H. Whitworth. | The Grenadier Guards (The First or Grenadier Regiment of Foot Guards). Famous Regiments Series. 120 pp. | London: Leo Cooper 1974 | | | | General "Foot Guards" Titles: | E. P. Lowry | With the Guards Brigade from Bloemfontein to Koomati Poort and back. | London; Horace Marshall, 1952. | Julian Paget. | The Story of the Guards. 304 pp. | London: Osprey, 1976 | John De St Jorre | The Guards. 255 pp. | London: Aurum Press, 1981 | By Major H. L. Aubrey-Fletcher | A History of the Foot Guards to 1856. 463 pp. | London: Constable & Co. Ltd., 1927 | ?? | The Official Records of the Guards Brigade in South Africa. 344 pp. | London: J. J. Keliher & Co. Ltd., 1904 | Patrick Forbes | 6th Guards Tank Brigade. The Story of the Guardsmen in Churchill Tanks. 244 pp. | London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd. 1946 | Keith Briant. | Fighting with the Guards. 244 pp. | London: Evans Brothers Ltd. 1960 | | Additional Bibliography for this Page. | | Author/Compiler | Title | Publisher | Officers of the Regiment. | Unpublished rolls in the care of the National Archives; WO 100/ etc. | - | | Additional bibliography same as Northumberland Fusiliers page | | | | | | | | |
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