Coldstream Guards

The origin of the Coldstream Guards lies in the English Civil War when Oliver Cromwell gave Colonel George Monck permission to form his own regiment as part of the New Model Army. Monck took men from the regiments of George Fenwick and Sir Arthur Haselrig, five companies each, and on 13 August 1650 formed Monck's Regiment of Foot.{{cite web|url=http://www.coldstreamguards-boro.org/Regimental%20History.htm|title=History of the Coldstream Guards|access-date=26 April 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130906170010/http://coldstreamguards-boro.org/Regimental%20History.htm|archive-date=6 September 2013}} Less than two weeks later, this force took part in the Battle of Dunbar, at which the Roundheads defeated the forces of Charles Stuart.

After Richard Cromwell's abdication, Monck gave his support to the Stuarts, and on 1 January 1660 he crossed the River Tweed into England at the village of Coldstream, from where he made a five-week march to London. He arrived in London on 2 February and helped in the Restoration of the monarchy. For his help, Monck was given the Order of the Garter and his regiment was assigned to keep order in London. However, the new parliament soon ordered his regiment to be disbanded along with all of the other regiments of the New Model Army.

Before that could happen, Parliament was forced to rely on the help of the regiment against the rebellion by the Fifth Monarchists led by Thomas Venner on 6 January 1661. The regiment defeated the rebels and on 14 February the men of the regiment symbolically laid down their arms as part of the New Model Army and were immediately ordered to take them up again as a royal regiment of The Lord General's Regiment of Foot Guards, a part of the Household Troops.{{sfn|Harwood|2006|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=nfw_z24jG5AC&pg=PA38 38]}}

The regiment was placed as the second senior regiment of Household Troops, as it entered the service of the Crown after the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards, but it answered to that by adopting the motto Nulli Secundus (Second to None) as the regiment is older than the senior regiment. The regiment always stands on the left of the line when on parade with the rest of the Foot Guards, so standing "second to none". When Monck died in 1670, the Earl of Craven took command of the regiment and it adopted a new name, the Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards.

File:David Morier (1705^-70) - Grenadiers, 1st and 3rd Regiments of Foot Guards and Coldstream Guards, 1751 - RCIN 405597 - Royal Collection.jpg|British Foot Guards in 1751 by David Morier

File:Robert Orme, by Joshua Reynolds.jpg|Lt Robert Orme (1756) by Sir Joshua Reynolds

File:Hughes & Mullins after Cundall & Howlett - Heroes of the Crimean War - Joseph Numa, John Potter, and James Deal of the Coldstream Guards.jpg|Crimean War: Joseph Numa, John Potter and James Deal of the Coldstream Guards

The regiment saw active service in Flanders and in the Monmouth Rebellion, including the decisive Battle of Sedgemoor in 1685. It fought in the Battle of Walcourt in 1689, the Battle of Landen and the Siege of Namur.

In 1760, the 2nd Battalion was sent to Germany to campaign under Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick and fought in the Battle of Wilhelmstal and at the Castle of Amöneburg. Three Guards companies of 307 men under Coldstream commander Colonel Edward Mathew fought in the American Revolutionary War.

File:Castle of Hougoumont during the Battle of Waterloo.jpg at the Battle of Waterloo, 1815.]]

The Coldstream Regiment saw extensive service in the wars against the French Revolution and in the Napoleonic Wars. Under the command of Sir Ralph Abercromby, it defeated French troops in Egypt. In 1807, it took part in the investment of Copenhagen. In January 1809, it sailed to Portugal to join the forces under Sir Arthur Wellesley. In 1814, it took part in the Battle of Bayonne, in France, where a cemetery keeps their memory. The 2nd Battalion joined the Walcheren Expedition. Later, it served as part of the 2nd Guards Brigade in the Chateau Hougoumont where they resisted French assaults all day during the Battle of Waterloo. This defence is considered one of the greatest achievements of the regiment, and an annual ceremony of "Hanging the Brick" is performed each year in the Sergeants' Mess to commemorate the efforts of Cpl James Graham and Lt-Col James Macdonnell, who shut the North Gate after a French attack.{{cite web|url=http://www.shinycapstar.com/waterloo.htm|title=Coldstream Guards: Waterloo|publisher=Shinycapstar.com|access-date=3 September 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090709130358/http://www.shinycapstar.com/waterloo.htm|archive-date=9 July 2009}} The Duke of Wellington himself declared after the battle that "the success of the battle turned upon closing the gates at Hougoumont".Roberts, p. 58

The regiment was later part of the British occupation forces of Paris until 1816.

During the Crimean War, the Coldstream Regiment fought in the battles of Alma, Inkerman and Sevastopol. On its return, four men of the regiment were awarded the newly instituted Victoria Cross.

The regiment received its current name, the Coldstream Guards, in 1855. In 1882, it was sent to Egypt against the rebels of Ahmed 'Urabi and in 1885 in the Suakin Campaign. In 1897, the Coldstreamers were reinforced with the addition of a 3rd battalion. The 1st and 2nd battalions were dispatched to South Africa at the outbreak of the Second Boer War. During the conflict, they would prove instrumental at the Battle of Belmont, and were also present at Graspan, Modder River, Magersfontein, Driefontein, Diamond Hill, Belfast, and were also involved in hunting Christiaan de Wet.{{Citation |last=Army |first=The British |title=English: A description of all units, casualties, and battles of the Second Boer War |date=1903-05-05 |url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Appendix_-_Boer_War_Units_and_Casualties.pdf |access-date=2024-08-23}}

File:Coldstreams Guards at Diamond Hill.jpg, 1900]]

At the outbreak of the First World War, the Coldstream Guards was among the first British regiments to arrive in France after Britain declared war on Germany. In the following battles, it suffered heavy losses, in two cases losing all of its officers. At the First Battle of Ypres, the 1st battalion was virtually annihilated: by 1 November down to 150 men and the Lt Quartermaster. The regiment fought at Mons, Loos, the Somme, Ginchy and in the 3rd Battle of Ypres. The regiment also formed the 4th (Pioneer) Battalion, which was disbanded after the war, in 1919. The 5th Reserve battalion never left Britain before it was disbanded.

When the Second World War began, the 1st and 2nd battalions of the Coldstream Guards were part of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France; whilst the 3rd Battalion was on overseas service in the Middle East. Additional 4th and 5th battalions were also formed for the duration of the war. They fought extensively, as part of the Guards Armoured Division, in North Africa and Europe as dismounted infantry. The 4th battalion first became a motorized battalion in 1940 and then an armoured battalion in 1943.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/39/a2773839.shtml|title='Cuckoo' the German Panther in Service with the 4th Battalion Coldstream Guards|publisher=BBC|access-date=26 April 2014}}File:The Battle of Passchendaele, July-november 1917 Q6046.jpg, 1917.]]

Coldstreamers gave up their tanks at the end of the war, the new battalions were disbanded, and the troops distributed to the 1st and 2nd Guard Training Battalions.

After the war, the 1st and 3rd battalions served in Palestine. The 2nd battalion served in the Malayan Emergency. The 3rd battalion was placed in suspended animation in 1959. The remaining battalions served during the Mau Mau rebellion from 1959 to 1962, in Aden in 1964, in Mauritius in 1965, in the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 and several times in Northern Ireland after 1969.

The Regimental Band of the Coldstream Guards was the first act on stage at the Wembley leg of the 1985 Live Aid charity concert. It played for the Prince and Princess of Wales.Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/5xqZxCsremc Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20120831064904/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xqZxCsremc&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xqZxCsremc|title=Live Aid Introduction: Prince & Princess Royal Salute|website=YouTube|access-date=26 April 2014}}{{cbignore}}

In 1991, the 1st battalion was dispatched to the first Gulf War, where it was involved in prisoner of war handling and other roles. In 1993, due to defence cutbacks, the 2nd battalion was placed in suspended animation.

For much of the 1990s, the 1st Battalion was stationed in Münster, Germany, in the Armoured Infantry Role with Warrior APCs as part of the 4th Armoured Brigade. In 1993–1994, the battalion served as an armoured infantry battalion in peacekeeping duties in Bosnia as part of UNPROFOR.

File:The British Army in North-west Europe 1944-45 BU254.jpg – 5th Coldstream Guards enter Arras, 1 September 1944]]The battalion was posted to Derry, Northern Ireland, on a two-year deployment in 2001. It then deployed to Iraq in April 2005 for a six-month tour with the rest of 12th Mechanised Brigade, based in the south of the country. The battalion lost two of its soldiers, on 2 May, near Al Amarah and on 18 October at Basra.{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/fatalities/sergeant-chris-hickey-of-1st-battalion-the-coldstream-guards-killed-in-iraq|title=Sergeant Chris Hickey of 1st Battalion the Coldstream Guards killed in Iraq|publisher=Ministry of Defence|date=20 October 2005|access-date=26 April 2014}}

Des Browne, Secretary of State for Defence, announced on 19 July 2007 that in October 2007 the battalion was to be sent to Afghanistan as part of 52 Infantry Brigade.{{cite web|url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2007-07-19/debates/070719101000002/AfghanistanRoulement|title=Afghanistan: Roulement|publisher=Hansard|date=19 July 2007|access-date=15 June 2023}}

In October 2009, the battalion was deployed on Operation Herrick 11, with units deploying to the Babaji area of central Helmand Province, Afghanistan, playing a major role in Operation Moshtarak in February 2010.{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/fatalities/lieutenant-douglas-dalzell-killed-in-afghanistan|title=Lieutenant Douglas Dalzell killed in Afghanistan|date=18 February 2010|publisher=Ministry of Defence|access-date=26 April 2014}}

Before the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010 the battalion was part of the 12th Mechanised Brigade in a light infantry role. Under Army 2020 it transferred to London District as a public duties battalion, then in 2019 it joined the 11th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters South East.{{Cite web|date=8 April 2019|title=Trooping the Colour 2000 (The Preamble)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_MXpUwgfu0| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190526021136/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_MXpUwgfu0| archive-date=2019-05-26 | url-status=dead|access-date=19 July 2020|website=Youtube}}{{Cite web|date=16 December 2007|title=1st Bn, Coldstream Guards: Service|url=http://www.regiments.org/deploy/uk/guards/f2cg-1.htm|access-date=20 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071216215857/http://www.regiments.org/deploy/uk/guards/f2cg-1.htm|archive-date=16 December 2007}}{{Cite web|date=17 April 2009|title=12 Mechanized Brigade – British Army Website|url=http://www.army.mod.uk/structure/10115.aspx|access-date=20 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090417212013/http://www.army.mod.uk/structure/10115.aspx|archive-date=17 April 2009}} It will move to 4 Light Brigade Combat Team by 2025.{{cite web|url=https://www.army.mod.uk/media/14919/adr010310-futuresoldierguide_25nov.pdf|title=Future Soldier Guide|publisher=Ministry of Defence|access-date=13 December 2021}}

File:Section Second in Command.jpeg

The structure of the regiment and affiliated band includes:

• Regimental Headquarters, at Wellington Barracks, London{{Cite web|date=20 December 2007|title=Coldstream Guards [UK]|url=http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/guards/f-2CG.htm|access-date=20 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071220012010/http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/guards/f-2CG.htm|archive-date=20 December 2007}}{{Cite web|title=Regimental Headquarters|url=https://coldstreamguards.org.uk/pages/rhq|access-date=20 July 2020|website=Coldstream Guards}}{{Cite web|title=Number 7 Company|url=https://coldstreamguards.org.uk/pages/number-7-company|access-date=20 July 2020|website=Coldstream Guards}}
• 1st Battalion, at Victoria Barracks, Windsor (Light Infantry part of 11th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters South East){{Cite web|title=Coldstream Guards|url=https://www.army.mod.uk/who-we-are/corps-regiments-and-units/infantry/coldstream-guards/|access-date=20 July 2020|website=www.army.mod.uk|language=en-GB}}Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/rBXTJadHEmI Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20160620121450/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBXTJadHEmI&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{Cite web|date=17 June 2016|title=Trooping the Colour 2016|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBXTJadHEmI|access-date=19 July 2020|website=Youtube}}{{cbignore}}{{Cite web|title=1st Battalion|url=https://coldstreamguards.org.uk/pages/1st-battalion|access-date=20 July 2020|website=Coldstream Guards}}{{Cite web|title=Regular Army Basing Matrix by Formation and Unit|url=http://www.aff.org.uk/linkedfiles/aff/latest_news_information/cregulararmybasingannouncementgridunclas.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160814181412/http://www.aff.org.uk/linkedfiles/aff/latest_news_information/cregulararmybasingannouncementgridunclas.pdf|archive-date=14 August 2016|access-date=15 July 2020|website=Army Families Federation}}{{Cite web|title=Order of Battle, Manpower, and Basing Locations|url=https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2018-11-22/194616|access-date=15 July 2020|website=parliament.uk}}{{Cite web|title=British Army units from 1945 on – Coldstream Guards|url=http://british-army-units1945on.co.uk/infantry/coldstream-guards.html|access-date=20 July 2020|website=british-army-units1945on.co.uk}}
• Battalion Headquarters
• Headquarters Company
• No. 1 Company (Senior Company)
• No. 2 Company
• No. 3 Company
• Support (No. 4) Company (includes Corps of Drums)
• No. 7 Company, based at Wellington Barracks, London (maintaining the traditions and colours of the old 2nd Battalion placed in suspended animation in 1993){{Cite web|date=10 November 2014|title=Ceremonial duties – British Army Website|url=http://www.army.mod.uk/infantry/regiments/24427.aspx|access-date=20 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141110160221/http://www.army.mod.uk/infantry/regiments/24427.aspx|archive-date=10 November 2014}}{{Cite web|date=7 January 2015|title=Coldstream Guards – British Army Website|url=http://www.army.mod.uk/infantry/regiments/23988.aspx|access-date=20 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150107060024/http://www.army.mod.uk/infantry/regiments/23988.aspx|archive-date=7 January 2015}}
• No. 17 Company, based at Hammersmith (the regiment's reserve unit, administered as part of 1st Battalion, London Guards).{{cite web|url=https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f8ef9d3373bfe707607fcfa/t/62250c3b19ebc628ec12dd84/1646595132676/20220301-LRA_AGM_28Feb22_Minutes-FINAL-v1.0.pdf|title=Minutes of an Annual General Meeting of the London Regiment Association held on Monday 28 February 2022 at 19.00 hours at Battalion Headquarters of the London Regiment, 27 St John's Hill, London SW11 1TT}}
• Band of the Coldstream Guards, based at Wellington Barracks, London, part of the Royal Corps of Army Music.{{Cite web|date=23 January 2015|title=Contact us – British Army Website|url=http://www.army.mod.uk/music/24524.aspx|access-date=20 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150123042347/http://www.army.mod.uk/music/24524.aspx|archive-date=23 January 2015}}{{Cite web|title=Coldstream Guards Band|url=https://coldstreamguards.org.uk/pages/coldstream-guards-band|access-date=20 July 2020|website=Coldstream Guards}}

Companies that make up the regiment are traditionally numbered. New officers destined for the regiment that are at Sandhurst or at the Infantry Battle School form No. 13 Coy, while Guardsmen under training at ITC Catterick make up No. 14 Coy.{{cite web|url=http://www.coldstreamguards-boro.org/page3htm.htm|title=Guards Infantry Training Battalion|access-date=26 April 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426232859/http://www.coldstreamguards-boro.org/page3htm.htm|archive-date=26 April 2014}} No. 7 Coy is one of the incremental companies formed to undertake public duties in London and Windsor, and maintains the Colours and traditions of the former 2nd Battalion.{{cite web|url=http://www.army.mod.uk/infantry/regiments/23988.aspx|title=Coldstream Guards|publisher=Ministry of Defence|access-date=26 April 2014}}

File:Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting MOD 45164094.jpg in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace]]

Currently, the most prominent role of the 1st Battalion and No. 7 Company is the performance of ceremonial duties in London and Windsor as part of the Household Division. The 1st Battalion is based in Windsor at Victoria Barracks as an operational light infantry battalion.

In 2027 the 1st Battalion will take over a security force assistance role from 1st Battalion Irish Guards.{{cite web|url=https://www.grengds.com/uploads/files/IR_Letter_final-RLC.pdf|title=Letter From: Lieutenant General C R V Walker DSO, Regimental Lieutenant Colonel regarding the Integrated Review}}

File:Changing of the Colours.jpg

The Corps of Drums, in addition to their ceremonial role, which has been primarily the musical accompaniment of Changing of the Guard for Windsor Castle, has the role of machine gun platoon. All Guardsmen for public duties wear the 'Home Service' Dress tunic in summer or greatcoat in winter and bearskin with a red plume. The Band of the Coldstream Guards plays at Changing of The Guard, state visits and many other events.

Unlike the other four regiments of foot guards, which recruit from each of the four home nations, the Coldstream Guards has a specific recruiting area, which encompasses the counties that Monck's Regiment passed through on its march from Coldstream to London. The traditional recruiting area of the Coldstream Guards is the South West and North East of England.

The Coldstream Guards and other Guards Regiments have a long-standing connection to The Parachute Regiment. Guardsmen who have completed P Company have the option of being posted to the Guards Parachute Platoon, 3 PARA, still keeping the tradition of the No. 1 (Guards) Independent Parachute Company, which was the original Pathfinder Group of 16th Parachute Brigade, now renamed 16th Air Assault Brigade.{{cite web |url=http://www.paradata.org.uk/units/no-1-guards-independent-parachute-company |title=No 1 (Guards) Independent Parachute Company |publisher=ParaData |access-date=10 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721141401/http://www.paradata.org.uk/units/no-1-guards-independent-parachute-company |archive-date=21 July 2015 |url-status=dead }}

File:Soldier from No7 Company Coldstream Guards With Regimental Colours MOD 45152569.jpg of the Coldstream Guards with the Regimental Colours.]]

The grouping of buttons on the tunic is a common way to distinguish between the regiments of Foot Guards. Coldstream buttons are arranged in pairs, and a Star of the Garter is marked on their brassware.{{cite web|url=http://www.army.mod.uk/infantry/regiments/24427.aspx|title=Ceremonial duties|publisher=Ministry of Defence|access-date=26 April 2014}} The Coldstream Guards can also be distinguished from the other Foot Guards by the presence of a red plume (hackle) on the right side of their bearskins.{{cite book|author1=Weinreb, Ben |author2=Hibbert, Christopher |title=The London Encyclopaedia |edition=reprint |year=1992 |publisher=Macmillan |page=409}}

The regiment is ranked second in the order of precedence, behind the Grenadier Guards. The regiment have the motto Nulli Secundus (Second to None), which is a play on the fact that the regiment was originally the "Second Regiment of Foot Guards", a position they have never accepted as the regiment is older than the Grenadier Guards.{{cite web |url=https://www.householddivision.org.uk/hq-coldmgds|title=Coldstream Guards|publisher=The Household Division|access-date=11 May 2022}}

The regiment's nickname is Lilywhites. An ordinary soldier of the regiment is called a Guardsman, a designation granted by King George V after the First World War. The regiment is always referred to as the Coldstream, never as the Coldstreams; likewise, a member of the regiment is referred to as a Coldstreamer.

Recruits to the Guards Division go through an intensive training programme at the British Army's Infantry Training Centre (ITC). Their training is two weeks longer than the programme provided for recruits to the Regular line infantry regiments of the British Army; the extra training, carried out throughout the course, is devoted to drill and ceremonies.{{cite web|url=http://www.army.mod.uk/training_education/24572.aspx |title=Combat Infantryman's Course – Foot Guards|publisher=Ministry of Defence|access-date=27 April 2014}}

King Edward VII assumed the colonelcy-in-chief of the regiment on his accession,{{London Gazette|issue=27289|page=1417|date=26 February 1901}} and subsequent monarchs have also been colonel-in-chief.{{cite web|url=https://www.abebooks.co.uk/Majesty-Queen-Elizabeth-Colonel-chief-seven/22858546575/bd|title=Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II - Colonel in chief of the seven regiments of the Household Brigade taking the salute outside Buckingham Palace after last year's Trooping the Colour Ceremony|publisher= Gale & Polden|location=London|year= 1957}}

• 1901–1910: King Edward VII
• 1915–1936: King George V
• Jan 1936–Dec 1936: King Edward VIII
• 1936–1952: King George VI
• 1952–2022: Queen Elizabeth II
• 2022–present: King Charles III

Duke of Abermarle's Regiment of Foot (1650)

• 1650–1661: Captain-General George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle

Lord General's Regiment of Foot Guards (1661)

• 1661–1670: Captain-General George Monck, 1st Duke of AlbemarleRoss of Bladensburg, Lt. Col. Sir John Foster George. A History of the Coldstream Guards, from 1815–1895. London: A.D. Innes & Co., 1896. p. 478

Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards (1670)

• 1670–1678: Captain-General George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle
• 1678–1689: Lieutenant General William Craven, 1st Earl of Craven
• 1689–1694: Lieutenant General Thomas Tollemache
• 1694–1702: Lieutenant General John Cutts, 1st Baron Cutts
• 1702–1714: General Charles Churchill
• 1714–1722: Lieutenant General William Cadogan, 1st Earl Cadogan
• 1722–1740: Colonel Richard Lumley, 2nd Earl of ScarbroughRoss of Bladensburg, Lt. Col. Sir John Foster George. A History of the Coldstream Guards, from 1815–1895. London: A. D. Innes & Co., 1896. p. 479
• 1740–1742: Field Marshal Prince William, Duke of Cumberland
• 1742–1744: Colonel Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough
• 1744–1755: Lieutenant General Willem van Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle
• 1755–1773: Lieutenant General James O'Hara, 2nd Baron Tyrawley
• 1773–1784: General John Waldegrave, 3rd Earl Waldegrave
• 1784–1805: Field Marshal Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany
• 1805–1850: Field Marshal Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge
• 1850–1860: Field Marshal John Byng, 1st Earl of Strafford

; Coldstream Guards (1855)

• 1860–1863: Field Marshal Colin Campbell, 1st Baron Clyde
• 1863–1875: Field Marshal Sir William Maynard Gomm
• 1875–1884: General Sir William Codrington
• 1884–1890: General Sir Thomas Montagu Steele
• 1890–1892: General Sir Arthur Edward Hardinge
• 1892–1911: General Sir Frederick Stephenson
• 1911–1915: General William Seymour{{Cite web|url=https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw52464/Lord-William-Frederick-Ernest-Seymour|title=Lord William Frederick Ernest Seymour – National Portrait Gallery|website=www.npg.org.uk}}
• 1915–1918: Major General Evelyn Boscawen, 7th Viscount Falmouth{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/885/885099/885099.html|title=Evelyn Edward Thomas Boscawen|publisher=Cricket Archive|access-date=28 April 2014}}{{subscription required}}
• 1918–1945: Lieutenant General Sir Alfred Codrington"Codrington, Lieut-Gen. Sir Alfred Edward ". (2008). In Who Was Who 1897–2007. [http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whowaswho/U223925 Online edition].
• 1945–1962: General Sir Charles Loyd{{cite book| first=Nick| last=Smart| title=Biographical Dictionary of British Generals of the Second World War| isbn=1844150496| year=2005| location=Barnesley| publisher=Pen & Sword |page=196}}
• 1962–1994: Major General Sir George Burns{{cite web | title=North Mymms on the Home Front | url=https://www.northmymmshistory.uk/2018/08/the-burns-family-of-north-mymms-park.html | access-date=9 October 2007}}
• 1994–1999: Lieutenant General Sir William Rous{{London Gazette|issue=53587|supp=y|page=2316|date=15 February 1994}}
• 1999–2009: General Sir Michael Rose{{London Gazette|issue=55609|page=9833|date=14 September 1999}}
• 2009–present: Lieutenant General Sir James Bucknall{{London Gazette|issue=59223|supp=y|page=18435|date=27 October 2009}}

{{Incomplete list|date=June 2021}}

The Regimental Lieutenant Colonels have included:"Appendix 285: Coldstream Roll" in Daniel Mackinnon, Origin and Services of the Coldstream Guards (1833) [https://books.google.com/books?id=fWO3cJQ2ZlcC vol. ii], pp. 458–519.{{cite web|url=http://www.gulabin.com/armynavy/pdf/REGIMENTAL%20COs.pdf|title=Regiments and Commanding Officers, 1960 - Colin Mackie|page=36|accessdate=22 June 2021}}

{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|

• 1650–1659: William Gough
• 1659–1665: Ethelbert Morgan
• 1665–1681: Sir James Smyth
• 1682–1688: Major General Edward Sackville
• 1688–1691: vacant?
• 1691–1692: James Bridgeman
• 1692–1694: William Seymour
• 1694–1702: William Matthew
• 1702–1704: William Mathew
• 1704–1715: Maj. Gen. Edward Braddock
• 1715–1717: Maj. Gen. Richard Holmes
• 1717–1733: Sir Adolphus Oughton
• 1733–1734: John Robinson{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=7219|page=3|date=4–7 August 1733}}
• 1734–1743: Maj. Gen. John Folliot
• 1743–1745: Maj. Gen. George Churchill{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=8216|page=3|date=19–23 April 1743}}
• 1745–1753: Edward Braddock{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=8489|page=6|date=30 November – 3 December 1745}}
• 1753–1755: Hedworth Lambton
• 1755–1762: The Hon. Bennet Noel{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=9540|pages=1–2|date=23–27 December 1755}}
• 1762–1762: Maj. Gen. Julius Caesar
• 1762–1763: William A'Court
• 1763–1777: John Thomas
• 1777–1785: Henry Lister{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=11825|page=1|date=22–25 November 1777}}
• 1785–1789: Maj. Gen. Harry Trelawny{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=12702|page=537|date=22–26 November 1785}}
• 1789–1795: Maj. Gen. Anthony George Martin{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=13100|page=403|date=26–30 May 1789}}
• 1795–1800: Lt. Gen. Thomas Slaughter Stanwix{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=13840|page=1367|date=5–8 December 1795}}
• 1800–1800: Maj. Gen. Edward Morrison{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=15256|page=462|date=10–13 May 1800}}
• 1800–1814: Maj. Gen. Andrew Cowell{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=15312|page=1306|date=18–22 November 1800}}
• 1814–1821: Col. the Hon. Henry Brand{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=16925|page=1635|date=13 August 1814}}
• 1821–1825: Col. Alexander Woodford{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=17740|page=1740|date=25 August 1821}}
• 1825–1830: Col. James Macdonell{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=18155|page=1243|date=16 July 1825}}
• 1830–1836: Col. Daniel Mackinnon
• 1836–1837: Col. Sir William Maynard Gomm
• 1837–1839: Col. John Fremantle
• 1839–1846: Col. William Lovelace Walton
• 1846–1848: Col. Charles Anthony Ferdinand Bentinck
• 1848–1851: Col. Thomas Chaplin
• 1851–1854: Col. Henry John William Bentinck
• 1854–1855: Col. the Hon. Arthur Upton
• 1855–1858: Col. the Hon. George Upton
• 1858–1860: Col. Lord Frederick Paulet
• 1860–1861: Col. William Samuel Newton
• 1861–1862: Col. Spencer Perceval
• 1862–1863: Col. Thomas Montagu Steele
• 1863–1866: Col. William Mark Wood
• 1866–1868: Col. Dudley William Carleton
• 1868–1871: Col. the Hon. Arthur Edward Hardinge
• 1871–1877: Col. the Hon. Percy Robert Basil Feilding
• 1877–1880: Col. Arthur James Lyon-Fremantle{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=24511|page=5598|date=12 October 1877}}{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=24899|page=5614|date=9 November 1880}}
• 1880–1885: Col. George Robert FitzRoy{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=24908|page=6351|date=30 November 1880}}{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=25529|page=5189|date=13 November 1885}}
• 1885–1890: Col. Godfrey James Wigram{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=25539|page=6066|date=15 December 1885}}
• 1890–1895: Col. John Barton Sterling{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=26020|page=606|date=4 February 1890}}
• 1895–1898: Col. the Viscount Falmouth{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=26595|page=686|date=5 February 1895}}{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=26973|page=3389|date=31 May 1898}}
• 1898–1900: Col. the Hon. H. W. L. Corry{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=26973|page=3388|date=31 May 1898}}{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=27194|page=3250|date=22 May 1900}}
• 1900–1903: Col. Sir Francis Aylmer Graves-Sawle{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=27197|page=3406|date=29 May 1900}}
• 1903–1907: Col. Alfred Edward Codrington{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=27595|page=5598|date=8 September 1903}}
• 1907–1910: Col. Frederick I. Maxse{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=28004|page=1833|date=15 March 1907}}{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=28404|page=5669|date=5 August 1910}}
• 1910–1913: Col. the Hon. William Lambton{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=28404|page=5670|date=5 August 1910}}{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=28679|page=149|date=7 January 1913}}
• 1913–1914: Col. Cecil S. O. Monck{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=28680|page=245|date=10 January 1913}}
• 1914–1917: Col. J. A. G. Richardson-Drummond-Hay{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=28895|supp=y|page=7173|date=9 September 1914}}
• 1917–1919: Col. the Hon. G. A. C. Crichton{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=29939|page=1471|date=13 February 1917}}
• 1919–1919: Col. J. McC. Steele{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=31344|supp=y|page=6187|date=16 May 1919}}{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=31618|supp=2|page=13112|date=25 October 1919}}
• 1919–1923: Col. H. W. Studd{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=31631|supp=3|page=13533|date=6 November 1919}}
• 1923–1927: Col. J. V. Campbell{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=32876|page=7461|date=2 November 1923}}
• 1927–1930: Col. C. P. Heywood{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=33251|page=1255|date=25 February 1927}}{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=33641|page=5491|date=5 September 1930}}
• 1932–1934: Col. H. C. Loyd{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=33882|page=7178|date=11 November 1932}}{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=34116|page=8295|date=21 December 1934}}
• 1934–1938: Col. A. F. Smith{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=34123|page=301|date=11 January 1935}}{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=34570|page=7190|date=15 November 1938}}
• 1938–1939: Brig. J. A. C. Whitaker{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=34570|page=7191|date=15 November 1938}}
• 1939–1941: Col. G. J. Edwards{{cite book |last=Howard |first=Michael |author-link= |date=1951 |title=The Coldstream Guards, 1920-1946 |publisher=London: Oxford University Press |page=442}}
• 1941–1942: Col J. C. W. Finch
• 1942–1945: M. F. Trew
• 1945–1946: A. Campbell, Lord Stratheden
• 1946–1949: E. R. Hill
• 1959–1961: Col. Richard J. V. Crichton
• 1961–1964: Col. Robert C. Windsor-Clive
• 1964: Col. Sir Jeffrey L. Darell, Bt.
• 1964–1965: Col. David A. H. Toler
• 1965–1967: Col. Alan B. Pemberton
• 1967–1969: Col. Sir Ian L. Jardine, Bt.
• 1969–1972: Col. Edward T. Smyth-Osbourne
• 1972–1975: Col. Everard I. Windsor-Clive
• 1975–1978: Col. Michael A. P. Mitchell
• 1978–1981: Col. Peter G. S. Tower
• 1981–1984: Col. Martin W. F. Maxse
• 1984–1986: Col. H. Malcolm C. Havergal
• 1986–1992: Col. Sir Brian W. de S. Barttelot, Bt.
• 1992–2002: Brig. Richard J. Heywood
• 2002–2012: Brig. Jonathan J. S. Bourne-May
• 2012–2015: Brig. Greville K. Bibby
• 2015–2018: Brig. Robin C. N. Sergeant
• 2018–present: Col. Toby P. O. Till

}}

The Coldstream Guards have earned 117 battle honours:{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/queen-presents-new-colours-to-coldstream-guards|title=Queen presents new Colours to Coldstream Guards|date=3 May 2012|publisher=Ministry of Defence|access-date=26 April 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/guards/f-2CG.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060208214920/http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/guards/f-2CG.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 February 2006|title=Coldstream Guards|publisher=Regiments.org|access-date=10 August 2019}}

• Tangier 1680, Namur 1695, Gibraltar 1704–1705, Oudenarde, Malplaquet, Dettingen, Lincelles, Egypt, Talavera, Barrosa, Fuentes d'Onor, Salamanca, Nive, Peninsula, Waterloo, Alma, Inkerman, Sevastopol, Tel-el-Kebir, Egypt 1882, Suakin 1885, Modder River, South Africa 1899–1902
• The Great War (5 battalions): Mons, Retreat from Mons, Marne 1914, Aisne 1914, Ypres 1914 '17, Langemarck 1914, Gheluvelt, Nonne Bosschen, Givenchy 1914, Neuve Chapelle, Aubers, Festubert 1915, Loos, Mount Sorrel, Somme 1916 '18, Flers-Courcelette, Morval, Pilckem, Menin Road, Poelcappelle, Passchendaele, Cambrai 1917 '18, St. Quentin, Bapaume 1918, Arras 1918, Lys, Hazebrouck, Albert 1918, Scarpe 1918, Drocourt-Quéant, Hindenburg Line, Havrincourt, Canal du Nord, Selle, Sambre, France and Flanders 1914–1918
• The Second World War: Dyle, Defence of Escaut, Dunkirk 1940, Cagny, Mont Pincon, Quarry Hill, Estry, Heppen, Nederrijn, Venraij, Meijel, Roer, Rhineland, Reichswald, Cleve, Goch, Moyland, Hochwald, Rhine, Lingen, Uelzen, North-West Europe 1940 '44–45, Egyptian Frontier 1940, Sidi Barrani, Halfaya 1941, Tobruk 1941–42, Msus, Knightsbridge, Defence of Alamein Line, Medenine, Mareth, Longstop Hill 1942, Sbiba, Steamroller Farm, Tunis, Hammam Lif, North Africa 1940–1943, Salerno, Battipaglia, Capezzano, Volturno Crossing, Monte Camino, Calabritto, Garigliano Crossing, Monte Ornito, Monte Piccolo, Capture of Perugia, Arezzo, Advance to Florence, Monte Domini, Catarelto Ridge, Argenta Gap, Italy 1943–1945
• Gulf 1991{{cite news|title=Gulf battle honours|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/gulf-battle-honours-1511977.html|newspaper=The Independent|date=20 October 2003}}

{{S-start}}

{{order of precedence|

before=Grenadier Guards|

title=Infantry Order of Precedence|

after=Scots Guards

}}

{{S-end}}

• {{CAN}} – The Governor General's Foot Guards{{cite web|url=https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/services/military-history/history-heritage/official-military-history-lineages/lineages/infantry-regiments/governor-generals-foot-guards.html|title=Governor General's Foot Guards - Lineage|date=20 November 2018|access-date=30 January 2023|website=www.canada.ca|publisher=Government of Canada}}
• {{AUS}} – 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment
• {{navy|UK}} – HMS Ocean{{cite web|url=http://www.navynews.co.uk/ships/ocean.asp|title=Navy News, Ship of the Month May 1999|quote=Affiliations: City of Sunderland; Coldstream Guards; 30 Squadron RAF; The Worshipful Company of Farriers; Pangbourne College; Brymon Airways; Old Ocean Association|access-date=14 March 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080325071711/http://www.navynews.co.uk/ships/ocean.asp|archive-date=25 March 2008|url-status=dead}}

File:SOLDIERS COMPLETE FINAL REHEARSAL AHEAD OF THE QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY PARADE MOD 45159988.jpg|A Coldstream Guards Sergeant dressing through the ranks during the rehearsal for the Trooping the Colour

File:Batalla del río Almá, por Richard Caton Woodville.jpg|Battle of Alma in the Crimean War

File:StateLibQld 1 127799 Coldstream guards marching during Australian Commonwealth celebrations, Brisbane, 1901.jpg|Coldstream Guards marching in Brisbane, Australia, 1901

File:4thColdstreamGuardsHouthulstForestBattleOfPeolcappelle.jpg|4th Coldstream in the Third Battle of Ypres, 1917

File:Guards Parachute Platoon.JPG|Coldstream Guard members of the Guards Parachute Platoon, 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment

File:Sharpshooter Rifle.JPG|Guardsman using the Sharpshooter Weapon System

File:Section Second in Command.jpeg|Section Second in Command giving Quick Battle Orders during exercise

File:Mortar blast.jpg|81mm Mortar moments after firing.

File:Queen Elizabeth and Donald Trump.jpg|U.S. President Donald Trump and Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by Major Oliver Biggs, reviewing the 1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards at Windsor Castle during Trump's visit to London in July 2018.

France, Bayonne, cimetière des gardes anglais, plaque visite king Edward, bataille 1814 12.JPG|Battle of Bayonne's cemetery, 1814, France, detail

File:Coldstream 2.png|1st Battalion on Exercise in Kenya 2019

File:British Coldstream Guard soldiers at Cincu.jpg|Two Coldstream Guardsmen show the traditional uniform and the capabilities with a Javelin system during a small-arms display in Cincu, Romania

• :Category:Coldstream Guards officers
• :Category:Coldstream Guards soldiers
• Eddie Chapman criminal and World War II British double agent served with the Coldstream Guards.
• Honourable Artillery Company, the oldest surviving regiment in the British Army
• Band of the Coldstream Guards

{{notelist}}

{{Reflist|2}}

• Sir Julian Paget, Bt – Second to none : the Coldstream Guards, 1650–2000 (2000) {{ISBN|0-85052-769-4}}
• {{cite book|last=Harwood|first=Brian|year=2006|title=Chivalry and Command: 500 Years of Horse Guards|edition=illustrated, annotated|publisher=Osprey Publishing|isbn=1-84603-109-5|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=nfw_z24jG5AC&pg=PA38 38]}}
• Roberts, Andrew; Waterloo: Napoleon's Last Gamble, 2005, London: HarperCollins Publishers, {{ISBN|0-00-719075-1}}

• {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Guards, and Household Troops |volume=12 |pages=656–659 |short=1}} See the end of page 657 and the start of 658.

{{Commons category|Coldstream Guards}}

• [https://www.army.mod.uk/who-we-are/corps-regiments-and-units/infantry/coldstream-guards/ Coldstream Guards page on British Army website]
• [https://www.coldstreamguards.org.uk Regimental website]
• [https://theguardsmuseum.com/ The Guards Museum (history of the Foot Guards)]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080920143559/http://www.army.mod.uk/music/corps-band/463.aspx Coldstream Guards Band site]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110616051525/http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/royal/footguard.htm The Queen's Footguards]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20040102030045/http://www.shinycapstar.com/ Shiny Capstar] (unofficial site)
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20040210210721/http://www.maxsolutions.ca/coldstream/ Canadian Coldstream Guards]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110724200141/http://www.coldstreamguards.org.nz/ Coldstream Guards Corps Of Drums]
• {{YouTube|MUli7OkUq3o|"Milanollo – Quick March of the Coldstream Guards"}}
• {{YouTube|tbZL9iBnEOw|Behind the Scenes with The Coldstream Guards Soldiery Portrait Exhibition}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20111004042339/http://www.coldstreamwindsor.org.uk/ The Coldstream Guards Association Windsor Branch No. 18]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20120224154346/http://british-army-units1945on.co.uk/default.aspx British Army Locations from 1945]
• [https://books.google.com/books?id=YeSHInCZGskC&dq=Daniel+Mackinnon+colonel&pg=PA106 Origin and services of the Coldstream guards] by Colonel Daniel Mackinnon

{{British Army Infantry Regiments}}

{{British Infantry Regiments World War I}}

{{British Infantry}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1650 establishments in England

Category:Guards regiments

Category:Military units and formations established in 1650

Category:Military units and formations of the United Kingdom in the Iraq War

Category:Military units and formations of the Second Boer War

Category:Military units and formations of the United Kingdom in the Peninsular War

Category:Military units and formations of the United Kingdom in the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)

Category:Regiments of the British Army in the Crimean War

Category:Regiments of the British Army in World War I

Category:Regiments of the British Army in World War II