Global InformationGrenadier Guards information
| Grenadier Guards | |
|---|---|
 Regimental badge of the Grenadier Guards[Note 1] | |
| Active | 1656–present |
| Country |  England(1660–1707)  Great Britain(1707–1800)  United Kingdom(1801–present) |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | 1st Battalion – Light Infantry/Public Duties Nijmegen Company – Public Duties |
| Size | One battalion – 558 personnel[1] One independent company One reserve company |
| Part of | Guards and Parachute Division |
| Garrison/HQ | RHQ – London 1st Battalion – Aldershot Nijmegen Company – London Ypres Company – Kingston upon Thames |
| Nickname(s) | The Tow-Rows[2] The Coalers[2] |
| Motto(s) | French: Honi soit qui mal y pense "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." |
| March | Quick: "The British Grenadiers" Slow: "Scipio" |
| Engagements | Oudenarde Waterloo Alma Inkerman Sevastopol Omdurman Ypres Battle of the Bulge Cyprus Emergency |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel-in-Chief | The King |
| Colonel of the Regiment | The Queen |
| Insignia | |
| Tactical recognition flash |  |
| Plume | White Left side of bearskin cap |
| Collar badge | Grenade |
| Shoulder badge | Royal Cypher |
| Abbreviation | GREN GDS |
The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect the exiled Charles II.[3] In 1665, this regiment was combined with John Russell's Regiment of Guards to form the current regiment, known as the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards. Since then, the regiment has filled both a ceremonial and protective role as well as an operational one. In 1900, the regiment provided a cadre of personnel to form the Irish Guards; while later, in 1915 it also provided the basis of the Welsh Guards upon their formation.
The regiment's early history saw it take part in numerous conflicts including the War of the Spanish Succession, the War of the Austrian Succession, the Seven Years' War, and the Napoleonic Wars; at the end of this period the regiment was granted the "Grenadier" designation by a Royal Proclamation. During the Victorian era, the regiment took part in the Crimean War, the Anglo-Egyptian War, the Mahdist War, and the Second Boer War.
During the First World War, the Grenadier Guards was expanded from three battalions to five, of which four served on the Western Front, while later during the Second World War, six battalions were raised, and several were converted to an armoured role as part of the Guards Armoured Division. These units fought in France, North-West Europe, North Africa and Italy.
After the Second World War the regiment was reduced first to three battalions, then to two, and finally to one battalion in the mid-1990s. Major deployments during this time have included operations in Palestine, Malaya, Cyprus, Northern Ireland, the Gulf War, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Cite error: There are <ref group=Note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=Note}} template (see the help page).
- ^ "Army – Question for Ministry of Defence". p. 1. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
- ^ a b Burnham, Robert; McGuigan, Ron (2010). The British Army against Napoleon. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Frontline Books. p. 123. ISBN 978-1-84832-562-3.
- ^ "The King's Own Regiment of Guards". BCW Project. Retrieved 30 May 2023.