They mainly use CVR(T) Scimitars than using armoured cars, Jackal and Cayote do get used as well but that' more a Dragoon used vehicle, they used tracked more than wheeled vehicles.
The black horses were introduced into the household cavalry by Charles the Second, as he found that black horses frightened the enemy more during a charge than any other colour of horse.
The boots are amazing! They are polished to want looks like patent leather. The shine is Beautiful! Of course, I can only see them on RU-vid, but what I watch is astonishing! Thank you!🇨🇦❤️🇬🇧🙏🏼
The ceremonial tunics are made by Firimin a company in london the family run firm was founded by a man called Kasket who was taylor to the last tsar of Russia. they also make the uniforms for the royal family.There is also firm in Birmingham which is part of the firmin group which makes all the buttons badges ect and also the helmets which are hand made using rollers and are shaped by eye. there are only two men in the world that can do this work it takes about 5 hours to shape each one, also the part of the helmet which protects the neck is shaped on a blacksmiths helm and is the origonal one from when the firm was founded in 1655 which makes it the oldest manufacting company in the world.Birmingham is known has the city of a throusand trades and the whistles used on the Titanic were made in its well known Jewellery quarter.
"Some of these horses are complete tyrants." That really made me chuckle. Don't mess with the British warhorse. This was a really enjoyable and informative video.
fun fact about the drum horses. as the musicians need both hands to play they steer the horses by attaching reins to their feet. for reasons Ive since forgotten the drum horses are also listed officially as commissioned officers, both holding the rank of major. on the subject of those drums the ceremonial ones are made from silver looted supposedly from waterloo and are amazingly too expensive to insure
absolutely. I was a guest of the mounted regiment a couple of years ago, Their barracks was full of various bits of silver and other interesting things each with a good story behind it. though I think as with most army regiments the historical and sentimental value is worth far more in the regiments eyes
This reminds me of another thing I saw where a bear was drafted into the army and started recieving paychecks. Of course they only held the rank of private. But they did as a matter of fact help load artillery into guns.
What an amazingly well researched video this is. Well done to whoever made it. Unlike most things these days this is incredibly accurate. Well done Sir.
The peaked caps worn are not called forage caps. Forage caps were a rough equivalent to the US garrison cap and were replaced in British Army service during WW2 by the General Service cap which was in turn replaced by the beret.
Good video. Just a couple of ad ons. The "pantaloons" are called busckskin breaches. cartouche box, The Life Guards wear red backing to the Royal coat of arms, this is called a "light". In cloak order The Life Guards fasten the cloak collar with hooks and eyes, with the top button pushed through. RHG/D leave the collar open. Bye the way HCR carry a sword not a "sabre". :)
A breach is a point of breakthrough. Surely, you must mean "breeches", which is the proper British spelling. In American spelling, "britches" woud also be correct.
Answer from The Household Cavalry museum about ranks at the time of Waterloo The prefix of sergeant in the rank title of WO'S and NCO'S is not used in the Household Cavalry. Originally the rank sergeant was used in the infantry and the rank of Corporal for the Cavalry. When the junior rank of Corporal was introduced into the infantry the Corporal of the Cavalry became designated Corporal of Horse, which indicated a more exalted rank than that of Corporal in the infantry. Up to 1788 the men of the troops of Life Guards were styled 'Private Gentlemen ' and they purchased their own place in the Horse Guards and provided their own horse. Originally the senior 'Private Gentlemen ' in each troop were known as Right Hand Men, within each troop the senior right hand man was styled as Troop Quartermaster and the junior Right Hand Man in each troop was known as Corporal. Their rank badges consisted of different types of aiguillettes and this continued until 1804 when chevrons were adopted for NCO'S in the army. The Regiments of the Household Cavalry only wore chevrons on their field tunics and aiguillettes were retained for wear with full dress. NCO'S and men of the horse (i.e. 1st and 2nd Life Guards and Royal Horse Guards ) always received higher pay than the equivalent ranks in the army and this practice continued until 1914. In December 1830 the rank of Troop Quartermaster was discontinued and substituted by a new rank of Troop Corporal Major. At the same time the establishment of each regiment of the Household Cavalry was increased to include a Commissioned Officer as Quartermaster up to 1892 the regiments always worked in troops and only when in the field were 2 troops combined to make a squadron. Later in 1892 regiments became organised at all times into squadrons and the senior of the Troop Corporal Majors became Squadron Corporal Major. The junior Troop Corporal Majors were designated as Squadron quartermaster Corporal. The rank of Regimental Corporal Major was introduced into the Household Cavalry in 1805; in December 1856 a new appointment was created of Regimental Quartermaster Corporal Major and ranked as Warrent Officer class 2 The current ranks are : Trooper Lance Corporal 2 chevrons + crown above Lance-corporal of Horse 3 cheveron + cloth crown above Corporal of Horse 3 chevrons + crown above Squadron Quartermaster Corporal 4 inverted chevrons + crown above Squadron Corporal Major (SCM crown (WO2)) Regimental Quartermaster Corporal, crown with laurel wreath surround (WO2) Regimental Corporal Major (RCM WO1) royal coat of arms (lion + unicorn ) The Life Guards wear brass crowns and The Blues and Royals wear silver crowns with black backing.
I believe when the drum horse's are on parade, they hold the rank of Major, they are the only animals in the British armed force's that hold an officers rank.
Though there certainly are plenty of animals of rank in the army. If you've not read about it before, look up the Royal Welsh's Regimental Goat. There are some delightful stories surrounding that tradition!
We actually have to salute the drum horse whenever he is in state kit. It's a very weird feeling at first and the other regiments we share quarters with get quite the surprise
@@BrandonF there seems to be a bit of a tradition the Goat to be busted for bad behaviour. The late 1980’s documentary series “In the Highest Tradition” did a very amusing section on regimental mascots in the British Army.
I think, for the sake of any colonials watching, that you should mention at the start of the video that the soldiers in the Household Cavalry are fully professional soldiers that are used in combat conditions and not just for ceremonial duties. This should be stated on the Guard's Regiment videos that you have made and also the Kings Troop RHA.
Do you really think us colonial s are that thick, have some faith in us. We have stood by the UK through thick and thin, to the detriment of us so called colonials, what a twat you are.
The last cavalry charge in history was when 700 Italian horsemen charged at a numerically superior force of ~2,500 Soviets in the hamlet of Izbushensky in the year 1942. It was surprisingly successful.
“In the presence of the royal family, the cross belts and slings become gold.” As in they simply become gold. The soldier does not change them, the mere sight of a royal causes the uniform to change on its own
With so many British Army regiments being disbanded, or amalgamated, I never quite understood why these two regiments were never merged. Although, I'm glad that they weren't.
The Lifeguards and the Blues & Royals were several years ago they are now 1st & 2nd Battalion Horse Guards respectively (although they still keep their distinct uniforms and names)
The Household cavalry armoured regiment are leaving Combermere barracks in Windsor to go to Salisbury plain, They have been at the present barracks since 1881 and in previous barracks since 1796. They are holding there last open day in September and it will be the final time they will march from their barracks to St. George's chapel for the remembrance day parade. It will be a sad day when they leave.
As it was when King's Troop RHA were similarly booted out of St John's Wood to Napier Barracks, Woolwich. Very convenient for trooping the Colour, Royal Funerals etc
Have a friend who was in the Royal Blues and has the most amazing collection of uniforms and accoutrements from the Household cavalry you have ever seen
Did you know that for a long time (not sure when it finished - 1930's?) that the academic levels for getting into Sandhurst were lower for the Cav officers than any other Corp? Can't have jolly good fellows not getting their pips because they were a bit dim. Good Old Whinny Churchill couldn't get into the Infantry so he had a swing at the Hay Burners - Thank God for Alan Brooke.
I will be doing videos on the Uniforms of the Foot Guards and the History of the Coldstream Guards in the future. It may take some time as I finish up some school work this semester, but they will be here!
Excellent and enjoyable video, very informative. Thank you. Did have a giggle at your pronunciation of the word khaki though. In English we say khaaaky (aaaahh as in opening your mouth for the dentist). Kaky sounds like "kak" which is a term we use for something being a bit crap. lol. Keep your pecker up and I am very much looking forward to the foot guards video. Smashing stuff.
I once heard someone from the Boston area say khaki and it took me the longest time to understand what he was saying since it sounded like he was saying car keys and the conversation had nothing to do with cars or keys.
I believe khaki comes from the Hindi word for dust or dirt and the story goes that British troops in India used dirt to dirty their white linen working dress for an improvised camouflage. This I believe was in the 1870s time. Please feel free to correct me with any further information ! Great video again!
Brandon2495 I am curious as to weather you will cover some of the peculiar traditions that are kept in the house hold regiments in some videos or will the be in the respective history based videos?
They will likely be split between history and modern practice videos, depending on what the quirk is. If you have any specific thing you'd like me to discuss, even if it belongs in a distant video, let me know!
Kettle drum is a timpano. Multiple timpano are timpani. Those are herald bugles. Trumpets without keys, or rather valves, are bugles. Herald trumpets and bugles are what carry the standard or flag of a group. Timpanists steer the horse with their feet and knees. Thanks for the great video!
Timpani is Italian word for that instrument and is used universally the accepted name. Kettle drum is a colloquial term for those instrument as they look like the large copper pots, or kettles, from the kitchen. Originally all timpani were fixed pitch being tuned by the tuning lugs at the top. This was improved on over time first with a crank and later with a pedal. At least, that’s what my percussion instructor told me in college. Bugle, whatever it’s shape or wrapping, is a valveless trumpet. The notes it plays are based on the overtones series and are not limited except for the skill of the player. I can play 8 notes on my bugle. Not bad for a tuba player.
I grew up in Westminster in the '40s and '50s and many of my school friends were children of guardsmen. Quite often in the early morning when delivering papers I would cycle past troops of cavalry horses being exercised in the otherwise deserted streets around Victoria. My older brother went out for a time with the daughter of the royal coachman. It was all very horsey then but good times.
Must've been an artist or a sadist who came up with the idea of having that chin strap under the lower lip. "Il faut souffrir pour être belle" is a saying use(d) for/by women , I guess this goes for military men aswell.
I have always wondered why the mounted "LifeGuards" do not have any BLUE plumage. I realised blue is used on some Busbys but that is not my question. Hoping you can enlighten me.
The Life Guards have a white plum denoting cowardice. This is also shown on their overall trousers with a split line. Life Guard trumpeters wear a red (bloodied) plume as they stayed on the field of battle.
Really great information. Timing is good as I'm doing ancestry research and uncovered a GGF who was in 1st Life Guards from 1895 to 20's. Went to Belgium with BEF in October 1914. Question about a photo I found -- on left sleeve, at top of glove is an inverted V and above that looks like two guns in a cross-formation. On right sleeve near cuff is a V which looks like a double chevron. Do you have info on the insignia? The photo was dated 1903.
At first I thought it may have had something to do with the 1st Life Guards being organized into the Guards Machine Gun Regiment for the time it existed, but that was well after 1903. I can't think of anything otherwise off the top of my head, but will be sure to look into it in more detail as I do my research for the second half of the "History of the Life Guards" videos. Would you happen to be able to forward me the image in a private message? It sounds interesting.
The two rifles crossed is usually a personal qualification as a marksman. The inverted V can be a cuff decoration, , even a rank (single usually means lance-corporal or chosen man).
@@stevetheduck1425 Thanks for response about marksman, which I'm sure you're correct. In 1921 he was still rank of Trooper. I now believe the left sleeve top of glove insignia is LSGC (Long Service Good Conduct). Historically relevant (marksmanship), because I found my GGF in in the 1901 Census (Hyde Park Barracks). By cross-referencing, I found many soldiers there that had also served in the Boer war. My understanding is that they came back after that war with a new approach to cavalry, which included marksmanship with the Lee Enfield. In further research, during the Battle of Ypres, I'm figuring he was in D Squadron, and one of the lucky and few survivors - an "Old Contemptible". Fascinating that uniforms capture the true meaning of what was actually happening at the time.
Just to settle a point about trumpets and bugles. The instruments that the Household Cavalry use are trumpets. They have two coils of tubing, are tuned to E flat or D and can play a total of 8 different notes. Bugles are usually used by the infantry. They are much shorter and are tuned to B flat. They can only play 5 different notes. Royal Marine drummers carry bugles and use then when playing such as "Sunset" when the flags are lowered. The two instruments have very different sounds. Just to complicate things, there are B flat trumpets which are the same length as the cavalry trumpet but only have one coil of tubing. Like the bugle they can only play 5 notes. The presence or otherwise of valves is irrelevant. Hope this helps
The King's Troop RHA carry both, also. As was said, correctly, bugles were used in the field, and trumpets, otherwise. For an illustration, watch the 1968 version of "Charge of the Light Brigade"
With no valves, the number of notes that they can play is limited purely by the players' lips. Bugles are tuned to whatever key the manufacturer chooses; of course, finding non-B Flat trumpets or bugles is somewhat hard, anymore, as they are not used except in historical displays or the Beatles' Penny Lane.
Besides which, you can also have a one valve and a two valve bugle, as in an American drum and bugle corps. Cornets and flugel horns are yet other members of the valved brass family in the range.
I will be discussing the ranks, customs, etc. in a future video. I am currently working on my "History of the Life Guards" video, and it may make it in to that, or a separate one if it ends up being too long.
R.I.P Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the II. 70 Years Regin on The Throne of The UK and The Commonwealth 1952-2022. Elizabeth 1926-2022. Final resting place at Windsor Castle, down in the Valut of St George's Chapel.
How were the Household Cavalry deployed during the First World War? Were they mounted in the early days and then deployed unmounted on the Western Front, or was their utility better served on the Middle Eastern theatre?
They, along with all other cavalry regiments, behaved mounted in the early years of the war and acted as Mounted Infantry aswell as their traditional Cavalry role. As the war progressed and the stalemate of the western front continued, they dismounted and fought in the trenches. A few regiments were even converted to the newly created 'Guards Machine Gun Regiment'.
Rather impressed that a non-Brit is interested in British military history. Nicely done and I'm grateful for the natural conversational tone, something of a rarity in channels from the Colonies. Point of note. 'Cuirasse' is French, pronounced 'kwee-RAHSS'. HTH.
another great vid would be the uniforms of musicians through out the army, how they carry more ornate traditional aspects compered to the regiments they support
I will be talking about the uniforms of the Guards bands when I make the "Uniforms of the Foot Guards" video...though that may be a good while away! As far as other regiments go, I might continue on to them after the Household Division series is finished.
thanks for putting horses (noble animals indeed) before musicians. This is same regard to professional people as in movies credits, they name everyone, even pizza delivery guy, but not musicians who provide music along ....
Thought I'd add in the black horses that are typically used are the Irish Blacks, Charles the 2nd Insisted that the Horses where to be black, he believed black mounts more than any other struck fear into the enemy. No less than 16 hands high.
