Household Cavalry

The term Household Cavalry is used across the Commonwealth to describe the cavalry of the Household Divisions, a country’s most elite or historically senior military groupings or those military groupings that provide functions associated directly with the Head of state.

Canada's Governor General's Horse Guards, India's President's Bodyguard and Pakistan's President's Bodyguard are typical Household Cavalry regiments, employing armoured vehicles for combat duties and equestrian units for ceremonial functions. When used without national qualification, however, the term generally refers to the Household Cavalry of the British Army.

The British Household Cavalry is made up of two regiments of the British armed forces, the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons). These regiments are divided between the Armoured Regiment stationed at Combermere Barracks in Windsor and the ceremonial mounted unit stationed at Knightsbridge Barracks, London at the HCMR (Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment).

The two regiments are also stationed at Combermere barracks, Windsor where a lot of training, especially equine, takes place.

[edit] Life Guards and Blues and Royals

The British 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 Queen's personal bodyguard. The regiments are Guards regiments and form Britain's Household Division with the five Foot Guards regiments.

[edit] Army Farriers

There is a farrier on call "round the clock, twenty-four hours a day, at Hyde Park Barracks."^[1]

[edit] Historical role

Farriers traditionally combined veterinarian 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,"^[2] 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.^[2]

[edit] Ceremonial dress

Although the axes are not used any more, army farriers still carry these axes, with their characteristic blade and spike, at ceremonial events such as Trooping the Colour.^[2]

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. Every cavalry regiment in the Army, other than the Blues, and the Royal Horse Guards, 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".^[3]

When participating in parades, the Farriers bring up the rear of the Household Cavalry, carrying their glinting ceremonial axes.

[edit] Care of horses on parade

Following every parade is a duty horse-box, known as the Veterinary Aid Post, with a specialist emergency team in attendance.^[1]

[edit] Organisation

The Household Cavalry as a whole is split into two different units which fulfil two 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 Lieutenant-Colonel Commanding 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. The current Commander is Colonel S H Cowan RHG/D The first unit is the Household Cavalry Regiment (HCR). It has an active operational role as a Formation Reconnaissance Regiment, serving in armoured fighting vehicles, which has seen them at the forefront of the nation's conflicts. The regiment serves as part of the Royal Armoured Corps, and 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 combat vehicle reconnaissance (tracked) or CVR(T) range of vehicles (Scimitar, Spartan, Sultan, Samson and Samaritan) and the fourth is referred to as Command and Support Squadron and includes specialists such as Forward Air Controllers. One of HCR's squadrons is assigned to the airborne role with 16 Air Assault Brigade. The Regiment is based at Combermere Barracks, Windsor, one mile from Windsor Castle. The men 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 'Great Fire'.

The second unit is the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (HCMR), which 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 Queen's Birthday Parade (Trooping the Colour) in June each year. Other occasions include State Visits by visiting Heads of State, or whenever required by the British monarch. The regiment also mounts the guard at Horse Guards. HCMR consists of one squadron from The Life Guards and one from The Blues and Royals and a squadron called Headquarters Squadron which is responsible for all administrative matters and includes 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. This is three-quarters of a mile from Buckingham Palace.

[edit] Rank structure

The rank names and insignia of non-commissioned officers in the Household Cavalry are unique in the British Army:

Staff Corporal/Squadron Quartermaster Corporal = Staff Sergeant/Squadron Quartermaster Sergeant: Four chevrons, point up, with metal crown above, worn on lower sleeve

Corporal of Horse = Sergeant: Three chevrons, point down, with metal crown above

Lance Corporal of Horse = Corporal: Three chevrons with cloth crown above

Lance Corporal: Two chevrons with metal crown above

Privates in the Household Cavalry, as in several of the regiments in the Royal Armoured Corps, are called "Troopers"

Technically, Lance Corporal of Horse is an appointment rather than a rank: a new Household Cavalry corporal is automatically and immediately appointed lance corporal of horse (LCoH), and is referred to as such thereafter.

The Warrant Officer ranks are the same as the rest of the army, but appointments include Regimental Quartermaster Corporal and Squadron Corporal Major (WO2) and Farrier Corporal Major and Regimental Corporal Major (WO1), again excluding the word sergeant.

Formerly, sergeant was exclusively an infantry rank: no cavalry regiment had sergeants. Only the Household Cavalry now maintains this tradition, possibly because sergeant derives from the Latin serviens (meaning servant) and members of the Household Cavalry, once drawn exclusively from the gentry and aristocracy, could not abide such a title. However this origin may be apocryphal, since serjeant was a title used by some offices of comparative seniority, such as Serjeants at Arms, and Serjeants at Law.

Uniquely, non-commissioned officers and warrant officers of the Household Cavalry do not wear rank insignia on their full dress uniforms (although officers do). Rank is indicated by a system of aiguillettes.

Second Lieutenants in The Blues and Royals are known as Cornets.

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.^[4]

[edit] Musical Ride

Many of the recruits have not even been on a horse before joining the Household Cavalry. Some of them only train for 18 weeks before performing their historic display, the Musical Ride, whose discipline and teamwork prepares them for operational duties.

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 relaying officers' commands to the troops. The troops weave around the trumpeters and the celebrated drumhorse, Spartacus.^[5]

The Ride is now performed annually at the Windsor Castle Royal Tattoo as part of the Windsor Royal Horse Show each May.

[edit] Order of precedence

In the British Army Order of Precedence, the Household Cavalry is always listed first and always parades at the extreme right of the line, unless the Royal Horse Artillery is on parade with its guns.

[edit] Notable members

[edit] Britain

• Tommy Cooper 1938-1945 Magician/Comedian
• Jack Charlton 1954-1956 World class Footballer
• James Blunt (Life Guards) Singer Songwriter
• Michael Flynn (Blues and Royals)
• Craig Harrison^[6][7] (Life Guards)
• James Hewitt (Life Guards)
• Ray Milland (Royal Horse Guards The Blues) 1927
• Andrew Parker Bowles (Blues and Royals)
• Harry Wales (Blues and Royals)
• William Wales (Blues and Royals)^[8]
• Jack Higgins (Blues and Royals) Author
• Victor McGlaglan (Life Guards) 1901 Film Actor

[edit] Canada

• Thomas Holmes, (Canadian Expeditionary Force)
• Henry Jackman (Governor General's Horse Guards)
• Akaash Maharaj (Governor General's Horse Guards)

[edit] India

• William Birdwood (Viceroy's Bodyguard)
• Charles Digby Dawkins (Governor's Troop of Moghuls)

[edit] Affiliated Yeomanry

• A (Ayrshire (Earl of Carrick's Own) Yeomanry) Squadron, The Queen's Own Yeomanry

[edit] See also

• Household Cavalry Coach Troop
• Household Division
• Queen's Guard
• Structure of the British Army
• Trooping the Colour

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] Further reading

• Watson, J.N.P. Through Fifteen Reigns: A Complete History of the Household Cavalry. Staplehurst: Spellmount Limited, 1997. ISBN 1-873376-70-7

[edit] External links

• Household Cavalry on Facebook