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Household Division

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Household Division
Badge of the Household Division
CountryUnited Kingdom
BranchBritish Army
TypeRegular
RoleMajor General Commanding The Household Division and General Officer Commanding London District
Part ofLondon District
Motto(s)Template:Lang-la
Websitewww.householddivision.org.uk
Commanders
Colonel-in-Chief of the Regiments of the Household DivisionKing Charles III
Major-General Commanding the Household DivisionMajor General James Bowder OBE
Deputy Commander, Household DivisionColonel Guy Stone LVO
Brigade Major, Household DivisionLieutenant Colonel James Shaw
Garrison Sergeant MajorWarrant Officer Class 1, Andrew 'Vern' Stokes OBE , MVO

The Household Division forms a part of the British Army's London District and is made up of five regiments of foot guards and two Household Cavalry regiments. The division is responsible for performing public duties and state ceremonies in London and Windsor. Such functions include the State Opening of Parliament, Trooping the Colour, and mounting the King's Guard.

Composition

Troopers from the Household Cavalry during the 2018 Trooping the Colour.
Warrant officers of the Welsh Guards and Coldstream Guards during the 2015 State Opening of Parliament.
The Coldstream Guards laying up their old Colours after receiving new Colours from Queen Elizabeth II, their colonel-in-chief, in 2013.

In the United Kingdom, the Household Division consists of seven regiments, giving rise to the division's motto of Septem juncta in uno (Latin for 'seven joined in one'). The Household Division is made up of the Household Cavalry, which includes The Life Guards and The Blues and Royals, as well as five regiments of foot guards – the Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, Scots Guards, Irish Guards and Welsh Guards. The Household Division also includes the following incremental companies: Nijmegan Company – Grenadier Guards, No 7 Company – Coldstream Guards, F Company – Scots Guards, Numbers 9 and 12 Company – Irish Guards.[1] The Household Division is commanded by the Major-General commanding the Household Division who is also General Officer Commanding London District.[2]

History

The Household Division was once responsible for mounting the guard to several institutions in London. In 1819, the Household Division maintained ten separate guard mountings for 89 sentry posts. These include the Armoury Guard, the British Museum Guard, the Kensington Palace Guard, the King's Guard, the Magazine Guard, the Military Asylum Guard, the Savoy Prison Guard, the Tylt Guards, and the York Hospital Guard. In addition, the Household Division also provided night guards for the Bank of England, Covent Garden Opera House, and Drury Lane. However, the Household Division's commitment to most of these postings, besides the King's Guard, ceased at the end of the 19th century.[3] From 1950 to 1968, the Household Division was known as the Household Brigade.[4]

Similar units in the Commonwealth

Several other military units of the Commonwealth of Nations perform a similar function to the British Army's Household Division.

Australia

In 2000, the Australian Defence Force established the Australia's Federation Guard, creating the first ceremonial unit in the force's history for the commemoration of the centenary of Australian federation. The unit performs ceremonial functions on the Australian government's behalf, like forming a guard of honour, and guarding members of the Royal family.[5]

Canada

See also: Monarchy of Canada and the Canadian Armed Forces
Further information: Monarchy of Canada § Federal residences and royal household

In Canada, the two regiments of foot guards, the Governor General's Foot Guards and the Canadian Grenadier Guards, are responsible for mounting the guard at Rideau Hall, the residence of the monarch and governor general in Ottawa, and the Trooping of the Colour at Parliament Hill in Ottawa.[6]

India

The President's Bodyguard is the successor to the Governor General's Bodyguard, which was established in 1773 as the Governor's Troop of Moghuls. Its primary role is to escort and protect the President of India.[7]

Malaysia

The Malaysian Army's Malaysian Royal Armoured Corps Mounted Ceremonial Squadron escorts and protects the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Raja Permasuri Agong (King and Queen of Malaysia) and mounts the guard at Istana Negara, which is the Royal palace in Kuala Lumpur.[8] The Royal Malay Regiment typically mounts guards of honour for the Royal family and visiting dignatories.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ "The Guards Today". The Guards Museum. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  2. ^ "General commanding Army in London reads for Abbey". Westminster Abbey. 28 June 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  3. ^ "The History of the Household Division". The Household Division. Archived from the original on 2 March 2017.
  4. ^ Higgon, Katharine (November 2007). "GASCOIGNE, Maj Gen Sir Julian Alvery". Liddell Hart Military Archives. King's College London. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  5. ^ "Female soldiers guard the palace". BBC News. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  6. ^ "Changing of the Guard on Parliament Hill cancelled due to COVID-19". CTV News. 3 April 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  7. ^ "Only three castes may apply to join the President's Bodyguard, but army still alleges there's no caste bias". Firstpost. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  8. ^ "Consulting Malay Rulers shows king's meticulousness". Borneo Post. 25 October 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  9. ^ "King's installation begins with royal salute". Daily Motion. 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
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