Yeomen of the Guard

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From the coronation series of the Player's & Son cigarette picture series 1937
Yeomen of the Guard in procession for the annual Order of the Garter Service at Windsor Castle

The Queen's Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard is one of the various ceremonial bodyguards of the British monarch .

history

The Yeomen of the Guard are the British King's oldest surviving bodyguard . Founded in 1485 by Henry VII before the Battle of Bosworth Field , they fought as a bodyguard throughout the centuries that followed. Most recently they took part in the Battle of Dettingen in 1743 , the last battle in which a British king was personally present.

In the following years, the tasks of the Yeomen of the Guard changed more and more from a real bodyguard to a unit with ceremonial tasks.

present

The unit now consists of 73 men, all of whom must be retired NCO ranks in the British Army with a service period of at least 15 years.

The office of captain is always held by the deputy group chairman of the ruling party in the House of Lords . In fact, the Yeomen are commanded by the Senior Messenger Sergeant Major and Wardrobe Keeper, who resides at St James's Palace .

The Yeomen of the Guard are divided into four platoons, each consisting of three officers and 13 men.

Occasions on which the unit appears in public include, in particular, the Royal Maundy Service on Maundy Thursday , investitures and the royal garden parties in summer. At the opening of Parliament , it falls to her to search the basement of the Palace of Westminster . The tradition has its origins in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, when Guy Fawkes, along with other conspirators, tried to blow up Parliament and King James I.

uniform

Badge of the Yeomen of the Guard.svg

The uniform of the Yeomen of the Guard dates from the Tudor period , when the troop was founded. This also applies to the almost identical parade uniform of the Yeomen Warders who serve in the Tower of London . The two units are therefore often confused.

The emblems on the front and back of the tunic worn by the Yeomen feature the Tudor crown, the rose, the shamrock and the thistle as the national symbols of the three parts of the United Kingdom .

Battle Honors

From the time in which the corps was not only performing purely ceremonial tasks, it has earned several battle honors (honorable mentions, some of which are listed on the Corps flag).

Battle Honors (English terms):

Web links

Commons : Yeomen of the Guard  - collection of images, videos and audio files