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The Coldstream Guards - History in the making

  

   

 

    
     
   


 Welcome to the Customs & History of the Queens Birthday Parade
Did you know that we have a dedicated section (including images) for our Regimental History HERE
The custom of Trooping the Colour dates back to the time of Charles II in the 17th Century when the Colours of a regiment were used as a rallying point in battle and were therefore trooped in front of the soldiers every day to make sure that every man could recognise those of Number 7 Company in 2007his own regiment. In London, the Foot Guards used to do this from 1755 onwards as part of their daily Guard Mounting on Horse Guards and the ceremonial of the modern Trooping the Colour parade is along similar lines. In 1805 the parade was for the first time carried out to celebrate the Sovereign's birthday.

This impressive display of pageantry is now held on the occasion of the Queen's Official Birthday. It takes place in June each year to celebrate the official Birthday of the Sovereign and is carried out by her personal troops, the Household Division, on Horse Guards Parade, with the Queen herself attending and taking the salute.
Since 1987, The Queen has attended in a carriage rather than riding, which she did before that on 36 occasions, riding side-saddle and wearing the uniform of the regiment whose Colour was being trooped. The regiments take their turn for this honour in strict rotation.

Only Battalions of Infantry Regiments of the line carry Colours, the Royal Artillery's Colours for example, are their guns. Rifle regiments did not form a line and thus never carried Colours. Their Battle Honours are carried on their drums.

The exception to this is the Honourable Artillery Company who have both a stand of Colours and guns.

On normal occasions, over 1400 troops are on parade, together with two hundred horses; over four hundred musicians from ten bands and corps of drums march and play as one. Some 113 words of command are given by the Officer in Command of the Parade. The parade route extends from Buckingham Palace along The Mall to Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall and back again.

Read more about the Customs and History of the Queens Birthday Parade Below, and scroll down further for a complete list of those that have 'Trooped their Colour'.
 

    

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The Custom:

The custom of Trooping the Colour dates back to the time of Charles II in the 17th Century when the Colours of a regiment were used as a rallying point in battle and were therefore trooped in front of the soldiers every day to make sure that every man could recognise those of his own regiment. In London, the Foot Guards used to do this from 1755 onwards as part of their daily Guard Mounting on Horse Guards and the ceremonial of the modern Trooping the Colour parade is along similar lines. In 1805 the parade was for the first time carried out to celebrate the Sovereign's birthday.

This impressive display of pageantry is now held on the occasion of the Queen's Official Birthday. It takes place in June each year to celebrate the official Birthday of the Sovereign and is carried out by her personal troops, the Household Division, on Horse Guards Parade, with the Queen herself attending and taking the salute.
Since 1987, The Queen has attended in a carriage rather than riding, which she did before that on 36 occasions, riding side-saddle and wearing the uniform of the regiment whose Colour was being trooped. The regiments take their turn for this honour in strict rotation.

Only Battalions of Infantry Regiments of the line carry Colours, the Royal Artillery's Colours for example, are their guns. Rifle regiments did not form a line and thus never carried Colours. Their Battle Honours are carried on their drums.

The exception to this is the Honourable Artillery Company who have both a stand of Colours and guns.

On normal occasions, over 1400 troops are on parade, together with two hundred horses; over four hundred musicians from ten bands and corps of drums march and play as one. Some 113 words of command are given by the Officer in Command of the Parade. The parade route extends from Buckingham Palace along The Mall to Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall and back again.



The History:

The form of this tremendously popular event dates back to around 1700. During these early days of land warfare, 'colours' (the brightly-coloured flags of a battalion) were used as rallying points so they would be visible above the smog and dust of battle. The Roman Eagle was used in a similar way, thrown forward in the fight, in the knowledge that the men would follow to save it. It became customary to carry these colours down the ranks at the end of a day's march and to solemnly accompany them to the 'billet' where they were kept for the night. The billet represented the headquarters of a unit and the battalion's assembly point in an emergency. The aim of the ceremony was to familiarise each man with the coloured flags that identified his unit, and to guarantee all ranks would recognise their assembly point, especially when stationed in an unfamiliar town.

Each morning, the colours were escorted from the billet back to their position in the battalion ranks. Consequently, the colours came to express the spirit of the regiment and were held in the highest regard.

In time the Regimental Colour has taken on a greater significance. Its folds of embroidered cloth are an important object of reverence and a memorial to lost comrades.

The aspects of the parade have changed very little since the age when it was known as 'Lodging the Colours'. The significant difference, however, is that only one colour, the Queen's Colour, is 'Trooped' by the Household Division today, wearing full dress, in honour of her Birthday. Hence it is also known as 'The Queen's Birthday Parade', although 21st April is the actual birth date of the Queen. This custom of honouring the Sovereign's Birthday was introduced in 1805, though, due to the illness of King George III, it was suspended from 1811-1820. The ceremony was restored on the accession of King George IV and has, thankfully, thrived ever since.
Image shows 6 Guards on Parade at Horse Guards.
The earliest records of 'Trooping the Colour' can be found in order books of the Grenadier and Coldstream Guards of 250 years ago.

"The Colours be always trooped at the mounting and dismounting of the guard, except in very bad weather" 18 Feb. 1749

The guards, in the modern ceremony today, are assembled in two ranks, a reminder of Wellington's masterful tactics at Waterloo, a reminder too that these are soldiers that stand to give service for the Sovereign and Nation when called upon to do so.

Colourful and spectacular as this parade is, it used to be on an even grander scale. The very largest Birthday Parade was held on Hyde Park in 1920 when there were 10 complete guards on parade. Going back further still, there was an age when the monarchs of Europe and the noble families from distant lands would gather in London to celebrate an Imperial Birthday.
 

    

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   DETAILS OF THE SOVEREIGN'S BIRTHDAY PARADE FROM 1895 TO DATE
 

Year

Date

Trooping the Colour

Salute taken by

Remarks

1895

Fri 24 May

1st Battalion Scots Guards

HM Queen Victoria

At Windsor Castle

1895

Sat 25 May

2nd Battalion Scots Guards

HRH The Prince of Wales

At Horse Guards Parade

1896

Wed 20 May

2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards

HRH The Prince of Wales

 

1897

Mon 24 May

2nd Battalion Coldstream Guards

HRH The Prince of Wales

 

1898

Sat 21 May

1st Battalion Coldstream Guards

HRH The Prince of Wales

 

1899

Sat 3 June

2nd Battalion Coldstream Guards

HRH The Prince of Wales

 

1900

Wed 23 May

1st Battalion Grenadier Guards

HRH The Prince of Wales

 

1901

Fri 24 May

3rd Battalion Scots Guards

HM King Edward VII

Combined with presentation of the Colours

1902

Fri 30 May

1st Battalion Irish Guards

HM The King

Combined with presentation of the Colours

1903

Fri 26 June

2nd Battalion Coldstream Guards

HM The King

 

1904

Tue 24 June

3rd Battalion Coldstream Guards

HRH The Price of Wales

The King visiting Germany

1905

 

 

 

Parade Cancelled (weather)

1906

 

 

 

Parade cancelled (weather)

1907

Fri 28 June

1st Battalion Irish Guards

HM The King

 

1908

Sat 27 June

1st Battalion Coldstream Guards

HM The King

 

1909

 

 

 

Parade cancelled (weather)

1910

 

 

 

No Parade (Court Mourning)

1911

 

 

 

No Parade (Coronation of George V)

1912

Fri 14 June

1st Battalion Grenadier Guards

HM King George V

 

1913

Tue 3 June

2nd Battalion Scots Guards

HM The King

 

1914

Fri 26 June

1st Battalion Grenadier Guards

HM The King

 

THE FIRST WORLD WAR NO PARADE 1915 to 1918

1919

Tue 3 June

3rd Battalion Coldstream Guards

HM The King

In Hyde Park

1920

Sat 5 June

1st Battalion Grenadier Guards

HM The King

In Hyde Park

1921

Sat 4 June

1st Battalion Grenadier Guards

HM The King

At Horse Guards Parade

1922

Sat 3 June

1st Battalion Coldstream Guards

HM The King

 

1923

Sat 2 June

2nd Battalion Scots Guards

HM The King

 

1924

Tue 3 June

2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards

HM The King

 

1925

Wed 3 June

1st Battalion Irish Guards

HM The King

 

1926

 

 

 

No Parade (General Strike)

1927

Sat 4 June

3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards

HM The King

 

1928

Mon 4 June

1st Battalion Welsh Guards

HM The King

 

1929

Mon 3 June

3rd Battalion Coldstream Guards

HRH The Duke of Connaught

The King was ill

1930

Tue 3 June

2nd Battalion Scots Guards

HRH The Prince of Wales

The King was ill

1931

Sat 6 June

2nd Battalion Coldstream Guards

HM The King

 

1932

Sat 4 June

2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards

HM The King

 

1933

Sat 3 June

3rd Battalion Coldstream Guards

HM The King

 

1934

Mon 4 June

1st Battalion Scots Guards

HM The King

 

1935

Mon 3 June

1st Battalion Irish Guards

HM The King

 

1936

Tue 23 June

1st Battalion Scots Guards

HM King Edward VIII

King Edward VIII's only Parade

1937

Wed 9 June

1st Battalion Coldstream Guards

HM King George VI

 

1938

Thu 9 June

2nd Battalion Scots Guards

HM The King

 

1939

Thu 8 June

2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards

HRH The Duke of Gloucester

The King was in Canada and USA

THE SECOND WORLD WAR NO PARADE 1940 to 1946

1947

Thu 12 June

2nd Battalion Coldstream Guards

HM The King

 

1948

 

 

 

Parade cancelled (weather)

1949

Thu 9 June

1st Battalion Welsh Guards

* Princess Elizabeth

 The King was too ill to take the Parade
* (thanks to Miss Nicola Petrisor for the info)

1950

Thu 8 June

3rd Battalion Coldstream Guards

HM The King

 

1951

Thu 7 June

3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards

HRH The Princess Elizabeth

The King was ill

1952

Thu 05 June

2nd Battalion Scots Guards

HM Queen Elizabeth II

 

1953

Thu 11 June

1st Battalion Grenadier Guards

HM The Queen

Coronation Year

1954

Thu 10 June

1st Battalion Coldstream Guards

HM The Queen

 

1955

 

 

 

Cancelled - National Rail Strike

1956

Thu