CHANGING THE QUEEN'S GUARD 7 JULY 2013 The Band of the Grenadier Guards accompanies the Old Guard from Changing the Queen's Guard at Buckingham Palace to nearby Wellington Barracks on 7 July 2013. Following behind the Band, you will see the return to barracks of the Old Guard, found on this day by 1st Battalion Welsh Guards. The first half of these Guards is the St James's Palace Detachment (St James's Palace is officially the senior Royal Residence) which includes the Captain of the Guard (usually, and on this day, a Major by rank) with sword drawn, followed by the Regimental Colour carried by the Ensign (rank of 2nd Lieutenant) escorted by two Corporals and then the Guards ending with the Company Sergeant Major who gives the order "Out, the Escort". Then comes the Buckingham Palace Detachment comprising the Officer (rank of Lieutenant) with sword drawn, Guards and Corporals. The Queen's Guard is changed daily from April to July, and every second day for the rest of the year, at 11:30am at Buckingham Palace and is known as Changing The Queen's Guard, or more commonly as Changing the Guard. For the Guard change, each Detachment is accompanied by a band or corps of drums, drawn from the same regiment or more usually another of the seven Household Division regiments, which includes either of the two Cavalry bands dismounted. When availability of these bands is stretched, other regiments are invited to participate. Any guards or bands of the Commonwealth can be invited. Changing the Guard is the change of the Old Guard (the last 24 or 48 hours Guard Mount) with the New Guard (the next 24 or 48 hours Guard Mount). DRUM MAJOR The band on this day was lead by the Senior Drum Major, Household Division, Warrant Officer Matthew Betts, Grenadier Guards, who also lead the massed bands for the Trooping of the Colour (Queen's Birthday Parade) two weeks prior. To distinguish his RANK as Warrant Officer, he wears a dark red sash over his right shoulder. To distinguish his APPOINTMENT as Drum Major, he wears a Drum Major's shoulder belt (which is not a "sash") over his left shoulder. He carries a staff (a "mace" is the civilian version, parliament, etc) and his regulation staff drill in the clip is "the carry" until 0:58, then six paces at "the trail" until "the Ceremonial Walk" from 1:05, sometimes called "the State Walk". Foot Guards Drum Majors never deviate from the regulation staff drill, which excludes throwing or flourishing (twirling) the staff, preferring to attempt to strike a balance between the spectacle of the Drum Major without distracting undue attention from the skill of forty Musicians in their performance of the selected music. GRENADIER GUARDS 1656: Charles II, in exile in Bruges (Spanish Netherlands, now Belgium) due to Oliver Cromwell's Commonwealth in England, raised a 400-strong regiment under the Colonelcy of Thomas Lord Wentworth. The title Charles gave this regiment was "His Majesty's Royal Regiment of Guards", often abbreviated to the "King's Royal Regiment of Guards", or just the "Royal Regiment of Guards". 1660: Charles returns to England as the monarch however the above regiment remained in Dunkirk until 1662. In England, Charles commissioned Colonel John Russell to create a new 1200-strong regiment titled "His Majesty's Own Regiment of Foot", also often abbreviated to the "Royal Regiment of Guards". 1661: Royal Order sets the Royal Regiment of Guards as the senior regiment. 1665: Colonel Wentworth dies and these two regiments amalgamate under the title of the "King's Regiment of Guards" under Colonel John Russell. 1685: Without any official change, the regiment is referred to as the "First Regiment of Foot Guards" for the next 130 years. 1815: By royal proclamation of 24 July by the Prince Regent, the First Regiment of Foot Guards become known as the "First or Grenadier Regiment of Foot Guards", in recognition of their defeat of the Grenadiers of the French Imperial Guard at the Battle of Waterloo five weeks previously. Within months the name "Grenadier Guards" is adopted as remains today. GRENADIER A "grenadier" was a soldier trained in grenade warfare, and attached to infantry regiments throughout most European armies. Grenade warfare in those times was highly dangerous and was made obsolete through better firepower in the 1700's, though the term "grenadier" was still used for elite soldiers. Whilst having companies of grenadiers attached for a period, the Grenadier Guards were never actually a regiment of "grenadiers". Nor were they the subject of the highly popular tune "The British Grenadiers". Nor were they the subject of the tune played during the actual Troop of the Colour during The Queen's Birthday Parade, "The Grenadier's March". The music and lyrics for both these pieces of music were written about grenadiers of the early 1700's, not about the Grenadier Guards which had yet to assume that name (see above) when the music was composed.

• published: 26 Jul 2013
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