It’s Horse Guards Parade, a barracks and parade ground in central London. It’s down the road from Buckingham Palace ….and incidentally where volleyball was played during the 2012 Olympics
@@danielspillett5393 You're quite right, I think I was getting confused with the fact it used to be the HQ of the Army. Like a man in orthopaedic shoes I stand corrected :)
... and it's a notoriously uneven parade ground with the biggest dip in the north west corner (I hope they have right). I watched from St.James Park in 2001, I think it was, when the Trooping took place in one of the most rained on of the Queen's entire reign (forgive pun - couldn't resist). At that dip there was at least a foot of rain water and they were doing the 45 degree turn which involves the soldiers in turn marking time as the rest of the brigade segues in before they move off again. Well, as you can imagine, marking time in a foot of water made a hell of a splash, but on they went, oblivious to it all. The press pictures the next day were quite the sight, especially as they did the eyes front and this fierce lash of rainwater shot out, one by one, from their bearskins.
My Dad was in the Scots Guards during the war and lived in Buckingham Palace for a while They have their buttons in threes They are parading the colours of each regiment so the troopers can recognise it and know where to assemble in a battle The orders are shouted loud so they can be heard in battle conditions The manouvres are arranged so that they can change positions during a battle without leaving themselves vulnerable to attack Enjoy
This years trooping the colour takes place on Thursday 2nd June at 11:00am. It’s well worth watching the entire parade from them leaving Buckingham palace marching down The Mall to Horse Guards. The complete troop includes foot guards, cavalry and infantry. The return to Buckingham Palace and then there is a 41 gun salute and a RAF fly past.
The sword movement made by the Officers that you asked about is the "Sword Salute" In the British army salutes are very traditional, you do NOT salute if you are not wearing headgear (Unlike the US Army), if you are carrying a weapon you salute with that weapon, never with the hand (Rifle, present arms, sword, sword salute) In addition the Army and Navy use different hand positions for the salute, the Army salutes with the palm of the hand facing outwards, the Navy salutes with the edge of the hand out, the Naval salute is supposed to have been changed in Victorian days after Queen Victoria is said to have complained about sailors dirty hands being exposed when they saluted her!
@@peterbrown1012 And all stand to attention regardless. Blues and Royals are a weird bunch as I remember, Staff Sgt's are addressed as corporal of horse I think? I was a Staff Sgt the 7th Hussars and was addressed as Sergeant Major, so fair play.
@@muppeteer almost right, The Household Cavalry have their own ranks and insignia, L/Cpl, 2 cheverons with crown above, L/Cpl of Horse, 3 cheverons with cloth crown above, Corporal of Horse, 3 cheverons with brass crown above, Staff Corporal, 4 cheverons upside down on lower sleeve or wrist with crown above, Corporal Major, Crown on lower sleeve or wrist, Regimental Corporal Major, coat of arms. Cheverons are not worn on ceremonial uniform, rank is by series of augiletts, NCO's from the left shoulder and officers from the right. All ranks call Lt. Colonel and above by their rank.
I'm Canadian of English decent. I'm so glad I visited England (first time) for the Jubilee. I've never been so proud of our traditions & our heritage! Over here in N. America and I suspect in England too, we know so little of how much good the British people did for the world. Our school systems have dismissed entire swaths of British history. Not only did England produce what was completely radical at that time, the Magna Carta, but it was the English who were the first people in human history, who said no more slavery at great expense in life and treasure. Thousands of English sailors were killed on the seas stopping slave ships carrying slaves to the Saharan slave trade as well as those in the Atlantic trade. No one ever discusses anything positive about Colonialism but it certainly had a positive; the fact that because of England's power they were able to outlaw slavery in every colonized country they held at the time, which was 25% of the world.
When the 'Escort to The Colour' steps off in Slow Time for the Trooping: The Massed Bands carry out the 'Spin Wheel' movement. It involves the band spinning on its axis to change direction without changing its formation. You'll notice that some members of the band actually have to march backwards and at various angles whilst playing and reading their music. A feat in itself. The drill movement is NOT written down and has been passed on by word of mouth from Drum Majors and bandsmen for generations. The men in the gold uniforms in front of the band are the Drum Majors of each of the Regimental bands of the Household Division (The Guards: Coldstream, Scots, Welsh, Irish and Grenadier). They are wearing their official 'State Livery'. This uniform is only ever worn in the presence of The Sovereign. (King or Queen)
The movement with the sword is called a “long report”. The officer moved the sword to the “recover” which is up to the mouth - then down to the “salute” position. Then the reverse to the “carry”. They are basically saluting the colour out of respect.
The parade ground is Horse Guards Parade which is the ceremonial parade ground for central London, to the left is Admiralty House, center Horse Guards (building)with the Old War Office building behind that and to the right 10 Downing street and the Cabinet office (where Humphrey works 😉), with St James's park behind.
Several have mentioned already that this place is called Horse Guards. It sits at the edge of St James's Park and the buildings were once the headquarters of the army.
@Hereandthere andnowinyourface the building is Dover House (the location of the Scotland Office). The building to the left (looking at the building from the Horse Guards parade aspect), is the Admiralty building.
@Hereandthere andnowinyourface The Headquarters of the Household Cavalry is in Knightsbridge. They do keep either a short guard or a long guard at Horseguards. Horseguards Parade used to be the jousting square for King Henry VIII, the building were once HQ to the Duke of Wellington, and currently offices of the Major General in charge. It is also the Household Cavalry Museum.
@Hereandthere andnowinyourface The Barracks and Stables for the Household Cavalry are in Knightsbridge. They have to travel to get to Horseguards to perform their guard duty, they have room to stable the horses on guard, it is also a museum. Headquarters Household Division comprises not only Cavalry but all five senior Guards Regiments. The HOUSEHOLD DIVISION comprises 7 Regiments. Two of Cavalry, and 5 Guards Regiments.
What a lot of people miss is the actual significance of trooping the colour… This is not just handing over a flag. One regiment is quite literally handing over The monarch and the protection of the monarchy to another regiment.
I'm guessing you weren't in the Army. The Colour as it is known was carried into Battle. The significance of Trooping The Colour is the Trooping through the rank of Guardsmen and Officer by a young Second Lieutenant or Lieutenant. During Battle the Colour would be Trooped through the ranks of Guards so they knew where their colour was. It was also in the thick of Battle and a prize worth capturing by enemy forces
Also the Colour is present by the Monarch and it not handing over the Colour to another Regiment. This is the Queen's Colour of the 1st Battalion Scot Guards being handed over and with the Four NCO point outward to mark protection of the Colour
My Grandad was in the Guards. Later on he was an MP (Military Police) a dog handler in Egypt and a Fireman during WW2. He could also play all these marching tunes on the piano. His favourite song was "Danny Boy" so every dog he had in his MP days was named Danny. Very proud of him.
The history of the uk is something everyone aspires to have. thats including all her close friends like new zealand the aussies and of course americans and canadians. its a religion!
UK history is nothing for anyone to aspire to. It's a history of the rich and self-entitled taking advantage of the poorest and weakest through blood, bribery and exploitation. It's a history of the entitled convincing people that they are better than everyone else just as a birthright, a history of if you are rich and powerful you can take what you like but if you are poor you must be kept down and kept poor. Don't let glamorous ceremony and pomp distract from the evil and exploitative acts that the Queen's fancy houses and lifestyle are built on.
Its the reason that I am still haven't become a NZ citizen even though I have lived here in NZ for over 40 years. I love NZ and wouldn't live anywhere else but i am still proud to be British and claim my British heritage
There are several buildings located near The Horses Parade that are worth checking out during your visit as well. The Old Admiralty and the Admiralty Citadel buildings are located to the north of the Horse Guards Parade, and William Kent’s Horse Guards (which was the former headquarters of the British Army) is located to the east
I went to Horse Gaurds parade last time I was in London. My Girlfriend's brother lives in Dalston, Hackney, North London. There's always something to do, somewhere to go In London. We went to Greenwich observatory on the same trip and the Victoria Albert museum. Most of the places are free to go. I love our trips down to London, but I also like to get back home, up North in the country after 3 days.
It is always good to see the our Guards on parade in the annual ceremonial honouring their monarch. It helps dispel the ludicrous notion among some overseas visitors that they are not actually soldiers at all, simply because their own armed services do not have such a long history as ours. It is as though we British were to consider the United States Marine Corps as merely civilian actors dressed like those valiant fellows in Hollywood films starring John Wayne, or possibly senior officers in the US Army on formal occasions wearing navy blue tunics and gold rank insignia as re-enactors of the protectors of the nineteenth century Frontier (John Wayne again). Imagine if we were to say ‘Yes, very smart, but would they be any use in a battle?’
@@susanleitch8649 " I ( insert name here) swear by almighty God that I will be faithful, and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles III, his heirs and successors... Or that's how the Army Oath of Allegiance begins. So definately to the Sovereign rather than any other entity.
Trooping the colour is a very old tradition, it was originally carried out so that everyman in the regiment knew what 'their' colour looked like. This was important as in a battle the colour acted as a rallying point during retreats and attacks. A colour or in the cavalry a 'Guidon' (means 'guide-man') also carries the most important battle honours of the regiment sewn onto the cloth. To lose the colour was seen as a disgrace to the regiment and many men were honoured for saving this piece of cloth from enemy hands. The movements and formations seen here are how troops used to manoeuvre on the battlefield during the 18th and 19th centuries.
And why the very small square behind where the Horse Guards are seen is known as the tilt yard… where people got tilted of their horses. I made a film for the Army about Horse Guards for open government where we explored the history of HQ London district, there was a cock fighting room in the basement of the building and we think that is why one of the sentries in Horse Guards is called the chic sentry. There is so much history in this part of London it is difficult to know where to start and where to stop
The Sergeant and then the Ensign are saluting The Colour which is the battle banner of the regiment on which is sew the regimental Battle Honours of The Grenadier Guards in this case and goes back to the battle of Tangier in 1680. Kilts are worn by Scots Guards (tartan) and the Irish Guards (gold/yellow).
Connor, the buildings you asked about are not Buckingham Palace. They are known as Horseguards Parade. Glad you liked the marching!! Don't worry too much about their red jackets... the last time we wore them in anger in the US was a very long time ago!
The action with the sword is a salute. Only officers carry swords, and they salute the Colour. When marching past the Queen or other Royal member, the order will be be for a general salute by all ranks (Eyes Right) - the officers giving a marching salute with their sword. The difference between Escort FOR the Colour and TO the Colour, is simple. Before they receive the Colour, they are Escort FOR; when the receive the Colour, they become Escort TO. Each year, the honour passes from one regiment to the next. There are five such regiments, Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, Scots Guards, Irish Guards and Welsh Guards. There are two Cavalry Regiments in the Household Division - the Blues and Royals (blue tunics), and the Lifeguards (red tunics). The main reason why the Guards constanlt change their rifle positions is because they are on parade for at least two hours, so changing position gives them some relief from the constant dead weight.
@@anglosaxon5874 Quite right ASax, but would the Yank know the difference!!? To be honest, I never know why I give answers to this guy, for I don't think he looks at the replies let alone answer anyone's comments. So I just keep it brief.
Change arms is more often than when we had the SLR because the design of the SA80 is not good for drill and it hurts the inner elbow it pulls on the tendons. I used both and you could hold the bigger heavier SLR for longer than the lighter shorter SA80. I know weird right but true.
A small correction. A regimental sergeant-major also carries a sword, but with the exception of this very ceremony, does not draw it on parade. It is the regimental sergeant-major, with sword drawn who collects the colour then marches it over to the ensign with drawn sword before handing it over the the ensign who will carry it for the rest of the parade.
Each regiment of the Household Division, Coldstream, Grenadiers, Scots, Irish and Welsh Guards, all wear red tunics. However, The button arrangement on the tunic, is different, as is the symbol worn on the collar. Also the hackle in the bearskin is different for each regiment. I think there are also other subtle differences too!!!!
I'm seeing a lot of "American(s) react to Trooping the Colour" videos lately, but they've all reacted to this same video, which unfortunately cuts off too early and doesn't show the two cavalry regiments and the horse artillery which pass in review at the end of the ceremony.
Have a look at Hornblower set in the same time as Sharp.Ioan Gruffudd stars as the title character in the story of a young lad who, despite a rather inauspicious beginning, joins the Royal Navy, ultimately becoming one of the most formidable figures of the Napoleanic Wars. The miniseries is based on the stories of C.S. Forester.
Agreed, probably one of the best adaptations of a book series, C.S.Forester (As an ex Naval Officer) was a fanatic for correct period detail in his books, and the series follows this pretty well. There was also a feature film, "Captain Horatio Hornblower" made in 1951 and starring Gregory Peck as Hornblower, which is surprisingly accurate to the book too, Peck surpressing his American accent very well!
Agreed. Ex RN myself, and people often ask me as an older Veteran what I think of Lord Nelson's character. I have to tell them thats a ridiculous question as he died in 1805 so I don't know as I never served with him...but his Grandad was a right B@stard. Boom, boom.
Also read Patrick O'Brian's series of novels. The film Master and Commander was based on them and is probably the most accurate recreation of Georgian naval life
Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall. Bottom of the Mall. Buckingham Palace is at the top of the Mall. Whitehall is where the top Government offices are: Defence, Admiralty (Navy), Foerign Office and Downing STreet is nearby.
Horse Guards Parade was restored as a public space in 1997 after decades of abuse as a car park for senior civil servants. Sir Humphrey was not happy. The room above the central arch and below the clock tower was once the office of the Duke of Wellington and is still used by army chiefs who still sit at Wellington's desk. There is a protected line of sight through the trees, from the saluting base, where The Queen sits, to the balcony of Buckingham Palace which is more than half a mile away.
I'm looking forward to filming the Jubilee concert outside Buck Palace on June 4th. Great line up of acts, and i get to be right in the centre of it. Hope the queen enjoys it
The history of this ceremony is actually pretty interesting. Each regiment in the British Army had it's own "colour," a flag representing the regiment. In battle, the regimental colour was used as a rallying point in the event of the regiment being scattered, so it was essential that every man knew what his regimental colour looked like. That's where Trooping the Colour comes in; the colour would be trooped through the ranks, as seen in this video, making sure that every man saw it and knew what it looked like. Over the years, as warfare changed, the whole thing became less and less practical and more ceremonial. All regiments still have their own colours, but only the household division (the Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, Welsh Guards, Scots Guards and Irish Guards, each with their own colour) still do this ceremony (as far as I know).
As to a previous comment the kilt now worn by the Scots Guards is of the tartan variety, the Irish Guards wear a plain saffron coloured version. The kilt is common to Celtic's peoples apparently. The current kilt, it's my understanding, is a product of the army adapting the original "great kilt" to a smaller version because of cost. Just like the red coat, the army builds every great idea down to the cheapest version, not always the best.
This ended with them getting into formation to March past the Queen in slow and quick time, when they finish the mounted band of The Household Cavalry come on and The Household Cavalry and Kings Troop, Royal Horse Artillery walk and trot past the Queen. The band is from the Royal Corps of military music and are attached to various regiments wearing there uniform, there is also the corps of drums who parade with the band and are part of the regiment, they wear the extra adornments on there uniform and when not playing are fully trained infantry soldiers and deploy as specialist platoons.
The Trooping of the Colour is performed on what is now called Horse Guards Parade but is believed to be the old "Tilt Yard" (Kings and their knights would test their horsemanship jousting) of the historic Palace of Whitehall. The area is still called White Hall and is a Crown Property, upon which now stand the major Offices of State: the Cabinet Office; the Foreign Office; the Ministry of Defence; Admiralty House; No.10 Downing Street.
When looking at the building one is looking almost due East, St James's Park and Buckingham Palace behind. Behind the building is the street, Whitehall with many Government Offices and the Cenotaph. To the Northern end (left) is Trafalgar Square. To the South (Right) Downing Street and Parliament Square with Westminster Palace and Abbey.
One point about saluting: you Yanks seem to salute in or out of uniform, maybe even when you're in the bath. Not so with the British Armed Forces - not only do you never salute if you're out of uniform, but you don't salute unless you're wearing a cap or other headgear.
@@Steve-gc5nt There's a sort of technical reason why the British tradition is different from the American. For us, you're not actually saluting the individual person at all - you're saluting the Queen's Commission.
Only time a commissioned officer will salute an NCO or lesser rank is when that soldier holds the Victoria Cross as that medal is considered higher than any rank.
@@steveellis9065 well, not strictly true. Normally the lower ranking officer or NCO/private would always salute an officer of senior rank, and that senior would usually return the salute. However, an officer might INITIATE a salute to a lower ranking officer or NCO who held the VC, the salute of course also being returned
That buiilding is Horse Guards, which is mentioned in Sharpe by characters. During the Napoleonic Wars it was the British Army HQ during the Penisular Campaign.
It's a pity the guards never retained the iconic Enfield rifle for ceremonial duties, the way the Americans still use the M1 and the Germans and Swiss the Mauser. Such rifles look better on parade than modern firearms.
The sword "thing" is a salute, he is saluting the colour ( flag) representing the Regiment & ultimately HM the Queen. Trooping of the colour is a parading of the flag in order that troops of old would recocgnise it in times of battle & be able to re-group etc, dating from pre-uniform days. Rally round the flag, you might say.
As some have commented, you have Horse Guards Parade (the buildings you were asking about), then St James's Park, then Buckingham Palace. You can walk from one to the other in about 15 minutes (depending on pace). I once photographed Horse Guards Parade from the bridge in St James's Park and it looked like a fairytale scene
One of the stands collapsed today at the rehearsal for the Jubilee Trooping of the Colour. It happened because the spectators all stood up at the same time for the National Anthem. Everyone seems to be OK. One lady fell through the gap to the floor and medics couldn’t get to her for a while but she’s OK apart from some bruises and being a little shaken up.
Two of the stands, apparently. Which, given they are metal, indicates someone's going to be in big trouble for supplying/installing them incorrectly. I don't believe it's ever happened before.
There will be a live streaming of Trooping the Colour on 2nd June 2022. Starting 10 a.m. UK time. Takes about 2 hours and you will also see the Horse Guards parading.
There is another video that shows you what happens after this part it's called --- Trooping the Colour slow + quick march 2022 . After this part the House hold guard goes around twice as well , also the Kings Troop goes around with their gun carriages twice, but you will have to find it on TH-cam
Yes, you really much watch this year's Trooping the Colour, preferably live, on June 2nd. The whole thing is about two hours long. This excerpt misses out the tremendous parade, escorting the Queen, there and back to Buckingham Palace, and also the part of the parade where the troops pass in front of the Queen and salute her. (Before 1982 the Queen - who is a superb horsewoman - rode there and back too.) The yellow scrolls on the Colour are the Battle Honours - going back 350 years - when the Regiment has particularly distinguished itself in combat, so they are a source of immense pride.
She did and riding sidesaddle someone fired a starting pistol on The Mall other way to Trooping the Colour and the Queen was amazing she calmed horse and remained seated absolutely a brilliant Queen and rider
Loved your reaction! I’m ex British Army and I still gets the goosebumps when I watch Trooping of the Colour. In years past each unit had a flag or standard that it’s soldiers could rally to and if necessary protect. Different Corps and Arms have different names for their own Colour, for example a Guidon (pronounced Gee-don with a hard G). In the Royal Regiment of Artillery, there is no flag so the Guns of each unit are the Colours and are afforded the same respect as any other Colour. Scots are not the only Pipers to wear Kilts. The Irish Guards and other Scottish or Irish units will have their own Pipes and Drums whose Tartan will be specific to their unit. Hope that helps?
In Australia the Guidon is for armoured units and assume it is the same for the British armoured units as well. Also the Engineers dont have a colour but the Corp has the Sovereign's Banner which can be paraded with an Engineer unit on special occasions. The unit I was with paraded the Sovereign's Banner on the occassion of the units centenary.
This is Horseguards Parade, as well as Trooping there is Beating The Retreat among other events happen here. The Guards Memorial is next to Horseguards. The guards regiments wear red tunics the buttons on the tunics tells you the regiment as does the plume in the helmet also tells you the regiment.
Connar, the building that you are seeing (in YOUR video at 2:50 mins:secs), is named ‘Horse Guards Parade’. It is located in Whitehall, Westminster, Central London, UK, near Trafalgar Square. The room in the centre of the building with the red draped fabric, under the windows, was the administrative office of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. It is in this building, and this office, where the Duke of Wellington planned his campaigns against Napoleon Bonaparte, during the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815). Which ended in Napoleon Bonaparte's military defeat, at the Battle of Waterloo of 1815. The office is today the administrative office of the Chief of the General Staff is General (the Head of the British Army) Sir Mark Carleton-Smith, who succeeded his predecessor, General Sir Nick Carter, in June 2018. The office is a government building, and is a working office. But the parade ground, and area directly underneath Arthur Wellesley's former office (the arches) is open to the public. The building has a ceremonial guard and armed police officers. You can walk around the whole area, and see the ‘Household Cavalry’ on their horses, and on unmounted guard of the building. See video: London Walk, Ceremonial London, Horse Guard Parade to Whitehall. 4K VIDEO: th-cam.com/video/CW0ncdEaNsg/w-d-xo.html
It’s horse guards parade, it’s behind various buildings including the admiralty. To the right looking towards Admiralty Arch is the garden of 10 Downing Street. I lived about 10 mins walk away on Matthew Parker Street!
Trooping of the colour is a relic of European wars of the eighteenth and nineteenth century when armies needed to maneuver in formation and know where to asemble around their regimental "Colour". The venue is Horse Guards Parade, the traditional Headquarters of the British Army. As to the kilts, most Scottish Regiments and and a couple of Ulster Regiments wear them for ceremonial duties. Every soldier on parade that day is a fully trained combat soldier of the highest calibre.
There outside horse Guards, on the parade ground where it is always held. The sword thing they did is saluting the Colour as it is basically the soul of the Regiment. That is the Regiments colour holding the names of every battle they have been in, from before Waterloo to present day in some cases. I was in the Irish Guards for 23 yrs and have taken part in this event too.
In centuries long past, trooping the color was the act of flying one British flag on the battlefield amidst the smoke and carnage. This gave the troops in battle a central focal point where they rallied to the flag and organized themselves into battalions, ranks, etc that’s where even Americans get the term, “Rally round the flag, boys!”
This is from the website of the household division: Regimental flags of the British Army were historically described as ‘Colours’ because they displayed the uniform Colours and insignia worn by the soldiers of different units. (…) If Troops were to know what their Regiment’s Colours looked like, it was necessary to display them regularly. The way in which this was done was for young officers to march in between the ranks of troops formed up in lines with the Colours held high. This is the origin of the word ‘trooping’. So, what today is a great tradition began life as a vital and practical parade designed to aid unit recognition before a battle commenced. (…) The Guards are amongst the oldest regiments of the British Army and have served as the personal bodyguards of The Sovereign since the monarchy was restored after the English Civil War in 1660. The ceremony of Trooping the Colour is believed to have been performed first during the reign of King Charles II (1660 - 1685). In 1748, it was decided that this parade would be used to mark the official birthday of the Sovereign and it became an annual event after George III became King in 1760. Today, this colourful spectacular remains a celebration of the Sovereign’s official birthday.
The regiments you see in black trousers and red coats and the various Household regiments...Welsh, Irish, Gregadier, Coldstream. The coloured plumes in their bearskin caps (one without any) indicate wear in the front line of battle that regiment was always placed. So a massive front line would have no plume in centre regiment but colour (red, blue, green & white, white etc) each side. IE if I was on horseback behind the centre of the Line, I could see through the smoke, mist or whatever that the Irish were in place, the Scots were in place etc etc. Simple but effective in the days when not much else to communicate with except messengers on horseback. The Scots Guards are the ones in kilts - their regimental band have pipes and drums. In massed banks you can can soldiers in green jackets and tan-coloured kilts....they are Irish I think. In the Trooping etc and on palace guard duty these ceremonial and historic uniforms are work. Tomorrow most of these will be in khaki fatigues and packing for their regimential duty somewhere.
@@gray3553 If I can correct you there, that was a practice ended in 1997. The 500 spaces had been known as 'the Great Perk' available to select senior civil servants, but eventually it was deemed a perk too far.
Drum Majors in gold,are head of the Drum Corp,the 5 regiments of the foot Guard each have thier own Drum Corps hence the 5 Drum Majors,they only wear those on special occasions normaly they wear the red tunics like the rest of the Guards except for their insigns of Drum Major rank.
Scot,Irish Guard Bagpipers wear kilts.the Gold ones (not yellow:) are called Drum Magers,leaders of their Bands and they are dated back to Henry viii times, only worn on state occasions,very expensive uniforms.
On the point about the modern rifles and their apparently looking a bit odd or incongruous next to the men's traditional dress uniforms and bearskin headgear, etc. I can see how it could look that way to an American or other foreigners. However, as most Brits (or Canadians, Australians and New Zealanders) could explain, the troops involved in this ceremonial are real, top-flight combat infantry. While many bandsmen will also come under fire in action while serving as battlefield first aiders, stretcher bearers, medical orderlies etc. As a quick illustration, just take a glance at the regimental colour being trooped (the crimson flag with what looks like a lot of gold/yellow coloured scrollwork bands stitched onto it). There's quite a good view of this in the vid footage from 12:08 mins to 12:24 mins. Judging from the vid, the colour being trooped is that of the Scots Guards. So the battle honours listed on those "scrollwork bands" will indeed likely include battles at Namur, Dettingen, Lincelles,Talavera, Barrosa, Salamanca, Nive and Waterloo, in which muskets did feature. More recent additions, however, could just as well cite actions such as Mount Tumbledown (in the Falklands War 1982), or Iraq (1st Gulf War 1991 and/or 2nd Gulf War 2004).... when the rifles looked more like the current ones.
Officers on parade carry sword as opposed to rifles. The procedure with the drawn sword is the way you salute with a sword ....the monarch, the Colonel, the Colour etc etc.
The orders given all follow a format....... First. for example; 'Troop,' 'Guard,' 'Regiment' ect, the body of troops you want to give the order too. Followed by which side to 'dress' meaning which side to line up with when going to be marching, ...... Then what you want the troops to do! For example; "Present Arms!" (salute with weapon) followed by "Shoulder Arms" .............. If moving, could be something like; "Troop!" (identify who and also to wake them up for a coming order) "By the Center..... Quick...March!" Just a small example..... The drill book is a big one. The guys doing the drill don't really listen to the words given they know what's coming and react to the 'execution' word in the command. Civvies, don't hear what being shouted, but old soldiers hear every word.
You’ve grown on me. There’s a heavy American stereotype that you had to break through. I think I trust you to be genuine now ( I’m British in case that wasn’t clear 😂). Good job.
You mentioned the Scot`s wearing Kilts, The Irish Guards also wear them but they are Mustard coloured or Saffron coloured as some people call it as opposed to Tartan. My Grandfathers old Regiment.
The building is the original entrance Gatehouse to Buckingham Palace .Opposite this in Whitehall is where King Charles 1st was executed by the parliamentarians at the end of the civil war led by. Oliver Cromwell . The Household Cavalry provide a guard which is changed every day to this building .. 4pm the guard has to parade for inspection after the guard was found to be gambling and drunk when Queen Victoria came through the gate one day during her reign , so she ordered that they would have to parade at 4pm every day for one hundred years . But when they had fulfilled this duty it was decided to carry it on .
In battle you rally to the colours, trooping the colour is showing the troops which flag they are to rally to. Each regiment has it's own colours. These colours are the Monarch's. This ceremony is handing the Queens colour, and the duty of protecting the queen to the next regiment on the guard duty roster. These are real soldiers, next week the regiment that just finished its stint as royal guards may be deployed to real combat. And the guys receiving the colour may have just put their camo in the laundry.
The shouting you mention Connor are the instructions to the guards to do certain things.... he gives the time signal to the soldiers to set off in perfect, perfect sync. Yes, only the Scots guards wear the kilt. Don't forget... the Queen is watching everything, and apparently she has a very sharp pair of eyes, that is why standards have to be perfect.
This is the Scots Guards trooping the colour in 2021 I believe. All the guards regiments ( Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots, Welsh and Irish) wear the red tunic for ceremonial duties. Each regiment has it own badge on the tunic collar and shoulders, and the buttons on the front are sewn in differing patterns. Four of the regiments have on their bearskin hats, different coloured feather 'hackles'. Two have the hackles on the right side, two on the left side and the Scots don't wear one. This relates back to how the regiments would form up on the battlefield, two regiments on the left, the Scots in the Middle and two regiments the right.
mac ,I hav e walked accross this square a few times and it's bumpy as hell ,look at the pools of water!, the colour ,called a guidon in the cavalry, has battle honours sewn on to it so it is the soul of the regiment ,It was used in battle to pinpoint the colonel or the thickest part of the battle and it said where exactly the regiment was in the smokey hell of fighting ,the guards taking part in the kings official birthday parade take it in turns every year ,you can tell which is which by the arrangement of the buttons on the jacket ,starting from the Grenadiers single buttons then the Coldstream double ,scots threes , Irish next and lastly Welsh ,first the colour is paraded through the ranks in slow time , then at regular pace ,great aint it ,I was ex 12th lancers and I watch this regularly every year and it gets me every time even at 84
Its Horseguards Parade where in times gone by Officers would be given their Commissions and Orders, you could say it was the HQ of The British Army in days gone by.
The 'guys in the front' are the Drum Majors of the bands of the Household Division - they are wearing their State Uniform, oldest British Army uniform still in use today. They're on Horse Guards Parade . approx mile from Buck House
It’s Horse Guards Parade, a barracks and parade ground in central London. It’s down the road from Buckingham Palace
….and incidentally where volleyball was played during the 2012 Olympics
it is not a barracks the nearest barracks is Wellington barracks barracks for the guards regiments that are on public duties
@@danielspillett5393 You're quite right, I think I was getting confused with the fact it used to be the HQ of the Army. Like a man in orthopaedic shoes I stand corrected :)
You’ll find it was beach volleyball.
... and it's a notoriously uneven parade ground with the biggest dip in the north west corner (I hope they have right). I watched from St.James Park in 2001, I think it was, when the Trooping took place in one of the most rained on of the Queen's entire reign (forgive pun - couldn't resist). At that dip there was at least a foot of rain water and they were doing the 45 degree turn which involves the soldiers in turn marking time as the rest of the brigade segues in before they move off again. Well, as you can imagine, marking time in a foot of water made a hell of a splash, but on they went, oblivious to it all. The press pictures the next day were quite the sight, especially as they did the eyes front and this fierce lash of rainwater shot out, one by one, from their bearskins.
It was at one time the Headquarters of the British Army before that was moved to the War Office in the 1880's
My Dad was in the Scots Guards during the war and lived in Buckingham Palace for a while
They have their buttons in threes
They are parading the colours of each regiment so the troopers can recognise it and know where to assemble in a battle
The orders are shouted loud so they can be heard in battle conditions
The manouvres are arranged so that they can change positions during a battle without leaving themselves vulnerable to attack
Enjoy
Guardsmen, not Troopers.
My Father joined the Scots Guard in 1926. I grew up with these ceremonies.
This years trooping the colour takes place on Thursday 2nd June at 11:00am. It’s well worth watching the entire parade from them leaving Buckingham palace marching down The Mall to Horse Guards. The complete troop includes foot guards, cavalry and infantry. The return to Buckingham Palace and then there is a 41 gun salute and a RAF fly past.
The sword movement made by the Officers that you asked about is the "Sword Salute" In the British army salutes are very traditional, you do NOT salute if you are not wearing headgear (Unlike the US Army), if you are carrying a weapon you salute with that weapon, never with the hand (Rifle, present arms, sword, sword salute) In addition the Army and Navy use different hand positions for the salute, the Army salutes with the palm of the hand facing outwards, the Navy salutes with the edge of the hand out, the Naval salute is supposed to have been changed in Victorian days after Queen Victoria is said to have complained about sailors dirty hands being exposed when they saluted her!
One regiment does salute without headgear, The Blues and Royals.
@@peterbrown1012 Really? I never knew that, but then not a Regiment I've ever really researched, thanks for the information
@@Ivanhoe076 en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blues_and_Royals#:~:text=During%20the%20battle%2C%20the%20Marquess,headdress%2C%20having%20lost%20it%20earlier.
Look under regimental traditions.
@@peterbrown1012 And all stand to attention regardless. Blues and Royals are a weird bunch as I remember, Staff Sgt's are addressed as corporal of horse I think? I was a Staff Sgt the 7th Hussars and was addressed as Sergeant Major, so fair play.
@@muppeteer almost right, The Household Cavalry have their own ranks and insignia, L/Cpl, 2 cheverons with crown above, L/Cpl of Horse, 3 cheverons with cloth crown above, Corporal of Horse, 3 cheverons with brass crown above, Staff Corporal, 4 cheverons upside down on lower sleeve or wrist with crown above, Corporal Major, Crown on lower sleeve or wrist, Regimental Corporal Major, coat of arms.
Cheverons are not worn on ceremonial uniform, rank is by series of augiletts, NCO's from the left shoulder and officers from the right.
All ranks call Lt. Colonel and above by their rank.
Great to have such rich and fantastic history. The envy of other countries. Im proud to be british
me too.
I'm Canadian of English decent. I'm so glad I visited England (first time) for the Jubilee. I've never been so proud of our traditions & our heritage! Over here in N. America and I suspect in England too, we know so little of how much good the British people did for the world. Our school systems have dismissed entire swaths of British history. Not only did England produce what was completely radical at that time, the Magna Carta, but it was the English who were the first people in human history, who said no more slavery at great expense in life and treasure. Thousands of English sailors were killed on the seas stopping slave ships carrying slaves to the Saharan slave trade as well as those in the Atlantic trade. No one ever discusses anything positive about Colonialism but it certainly had a positive; the fact that because of England's power they were able to outlaw slavery in every colonized country they held at the time, which was 25% of the world.
There is also " Trooping The Colour" in Canada on Parliament Hill. Americans can come and see.
Absolutely love British history as a Dane
Red tunic
When the 'Escort to The Colour' steps off in Slow Time for the Trooping: The Massed Bands carry out the 'Spin Wheel' movement. It involves the band spinning on its axis to change direction without changing its formation. You'll notice that some members of the band actually have to march backwards and at various angles whilst playing and reading their music. A feat in itself. The drill movement is NOT written down and has been passed on by word of mouth from Drum Majors and bandsmen for generations. The men in the gold uniforms in front of the band are the Drum Majors of each of the Regimental bands of the Household Division (The Guards: Coldstream, Scots, Welsh, Irish and Grenadier). They are wearing their official 'State Livery'. This uniform is only ever worn in the presence of The Sovereign. (King or Queen)
Those ’drum major’ uniforms are about $50,000 us
The movement with the sword is called a “long report”. The officer moved the sword to the “recover” which is up to the mouth - then down to the “salute” position. Then the reverse to the “carry”.
They are basically saluting the colour out of respect.
The parade ground is Horse Guards Parade which is the ceremonial parade ground for central London, to the left is Admiralty House, center Horse Guards (building)with the Old War Office building behind that and to the right 10 Downing street and the Cabinet office (where Humphrey works 😉), with St James's park behind.
Several have mentioned already that this place is called Horse Guards. It sits at the edge of St James's Park and the buildings were once the headquarters of the army.
@Hereandthere andnowinyourface the building is Dover House (the location of the Scotland Office). The building to the left (looking at the building from the Horse Guards parade aspect), is the Admiralty building.
@Hereandthere andnowinyourface The Headquarters of the Household Cavalry is in Knightsbridge. They do keep either a short guard or a long guard at Horseguards. Horseguards Parade used to be the jousting square for King Henry VIII, the building were once HQ to the Duke of Wellington, and currently offices of the Major General in charge. It is also the Household Cavalry Museum.
@Hereandthere andnowinyourface The Barracks and Stables for the Household Cavalry are in Knightsbridge. They have to travel to get to Horseguards to perform their guard duty, they have room to stable the horses on guard, it is also a museum. Headquarters Household Division comprises not only Cavalry but all five senior Guards Regiments. The HOUSEHOLD DIVISION comprises 7 Regiments. Two of Cavalry, and 5 Guards Regiments.
@@TheKira699 Completely wrong. One minute on Google would tell you that you are. I guess you're too lazy to do it.
@Hereandthere andnowinyourface Correct.
What a lot of people miss is the actual significance of trooping the colour… This is not just handing over a flag. One regiment is quite literally handing over The monarch and the protection of the monarchy to another regiment.
Awww, you Brits really do believe your own bullshit. This is a parade, the authority and protection comes from the rifles.
I'm guessing you weren't in the Army. The Colour as it is known was carried into Battle. The significance of Trooping The Colour is the Trooping through the rank of Guardsmen and Officer by a young Second Lieutenant or Lieutenant. During Battle the Colour would be Trooped through the ranks of Guards so they knew where their colour was. It was also in the thick of Battle and a prize worth capturing by enemy forces
Also the Colour is present by the Monarch and it not handing over the Colour to another Regiment. This is the Queen's Colour of the 1st Battalion Scot Guards being handed over and with the Four NCO point outward to mark protection of the Colour
My Grandad was in the Guards. Later on he was an MP (Military Police) a dog handler in Egypt and a Fireman during WW2. He could also play all these marching tunes on the piano. His favourite song was "Danny Boy" so every dog he had in his MP days was named Danny. Very proud of him.
I like how the marching is not affected or goose stepped or artificial. You could march like they do all day.
Try it, I doubt you will last an hour.
The history of the uk is something everyone aspires to have. thats including all her close friends like new zealand the aussies and of course americans and canadians. its a religion!
UK history is nothing for anyone to aspire to. It's a history of the rich and self-entitled taking advantage of the poorest and weakest through blood, bribery and exploitation.
It's a history of the entitled convincing people that they are better than everyone else just as a birthright, a history of if you are rich and powerful you can take what you like but if you are poor you must be kept down and kept poor.
Don't let glamorous ceremony and pomp distract from the evil and exploitative acts that the Queen's fancy houses and lifestyle are built on.
Its the reason that I am still haven't become a NZ citizen even though I have lived here in NZ for over 40 years. I love NZ and wouldn't live anywhere else but i am still proud to be British and claim my British heritage
I was just going to be awkward and say I'm pretty sure it's a country, there's no church of England. 🤣
Actually,there is
@@stevebarnes1857 There is what?
There are several buildings located near The Horses Parade that are worth checking out during your visit as well. The Old Admiralty and the Admiralty Citadel buildings are located to the north of the Horse Guards Parade, and William Kent’s Horse Guards (which was the former headquarters of the British Army) is located to the east
I went to Horse Gaurds parade last time I was in London. My Girlfriend's brother lives in Dalston, Hackney, North London. There's always something to do, somewhere to go In London. We went to Greenwich observatory on the same trip and the Victoria Albert museum. Most of the places are free to go. I love our trips down to London, but I also like to get back home, up North in the country after 3 days.
It is always good to see the our Guards on parade in the annual ceremonial honouring their monarch. It helps dispel the ludicrous notion among some overseas visitors that they are not actually soldiers at all, simply because their own armed services do not have such a long history as ours.
It is as though we British were to consider the United States Marine Corps as merely civilian actors dressed like those valiant fellows in Hollywood films starring John Wayne, or possibly senior officers in the US Army on formal occasions wearing navy blue tunics and gold rank insignia as re-enactors of the protectors of the nineteenth century Frontier (John Wayne again).
Imagine if we were to say ‘Yes, very smart, but would they be any use in a battle?’
You really need to watch the next part, the Trooping, it's a great spectacle.
Worth bearing in mind every member of the armed forces swear allegiance,not to the government or flag,but to the sovereign.👑
Allegiance is sworn to the crown. I believe mine was.
thats why we left. 🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲
When i joined the RN in 78 we never Swore an Oath of Alleigance,not sure about now though.
@@susanleitch8649 " I ( insert name here) swear by almighty God that I will be faithful, and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles III, his heirs and successors...
Or that's how the Army Oath of Allegiance begins. So definately to the Sovereign rather than any other entity.
Trooping the colour is a very old tradition, it was originally carried out so that everyman in the regiment knew what 'their' colour looked like. This was important as in a battle the colour acted as a rallying point during retreats and attacks. A colour or in the cavalry a 'Guidon' (means 'guide-man') also carries the most important battle honours of the regiment sewn onto the cloth. To lose the colour was seen as a disgrace to the regiment and many men were honoured for saving this piece of cloth from enemy hands.
The movements and formations seen here are how troops used to manoeuvre on the battlefield during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Kilts: the Pipers from both the 1st Battalion Scots Guards and the 1st Battalion Irish Guards are the soldiers wearing kilts.
The open space where the Trooping of the Colour takes place was originally a jousting arena during the middle ages.
And why the very small square behind where the Horse Guards are seen is known as the tilt yard… where people got tilted of their horses. I made a film for the Army about Horse Guards for open government where we explored the history of HQ London district, there was a cock fighting room in the basement of the building and we think that is why one of the sentries in Horse Guards is called the chic sentry. There is so much history in this part of London it is difficult to know where to start and where to stop
Just as a matter of interest the gold thread in officer’s uniforms and the drum major is actually real gold
The Sergeant and then the Ensign are saluting The Colour which is the battle banner of the regiment on which is sew the regimental Battle Honours of The Grenadier Guards in this case and goes back to the battle of Tangier in 1680.
Kilts are worn by Scots Guards (tartan) and the Irish Guards (gold/yellow).
The Colour being Trooped and Saulted was the 1st Battalion Scot Guards
The Buildings around Horseguards Parade are mainly Government Department buildings in and around Whitehall.
Connor, the buildings you asked about are not Buckingham Palace. They are known as Horseguards Parade. Glad you liked the marching!! Don't worry too much about their red jackets... the last time we wore them in anger in the US was a very long time ago!
The action with the sword is a salute. Only officers carry swords, and they salute the Colour. When marching past the Queen or other Royal member, the order will be be for a general salute by all ranks (Eyes Right) - the officers giving a marching salute with their sword.
The difference between Escort FOR the Colour and TO the Colour, is simple. Before they receive the Colour, they are Escort FOR; when the receive the Colour, they become Escort TO.
Each year, the honour passes from one regiment to the next. There are five such regiments, Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, Scots Guards, Irish Guards and Welsh Guards. There are two Cavalry Regiments in the Household Division - the Blues and Royals (blue tunics), and the Lifeguards (red tunics).
The main reason why the Guards constanlt change their rifle positions is because they are on parade for at least two hours, so changing position gives them some relief from the constant dead weight.
Some Warrant Officers [Sergeant-Majors] do too. The one giving the flag to the officer is one.
@@anglosaxon5874 Quite right ASax, but would the Yank know the difference!!? To be honest, I never know why I give answers to this guy, for I don't think he looks at the replies let alone answer anyone's comments. So I just keep it brief.
@@reggriffiths5769 Agreed. I think he's playing a game [with us].
Change arms is more often than when we had the SLR because the design of the SA80 is not good for drill and it hurts the inner elbow it pulls on the tendons. I used both and you could hold the bigger heavier SLR for longer than the lighter shorter SA80. I know weird right but true.
A small correction. A regimental sergeant-major also carries a sword, but with the exception of this very ceremony, does not draw it on parade. It is the regimental sergeant-major, with sword drawn who collects the colour then marches it over to the ensign with drawn sword before handing it over the the ensign who will carry it for the rest of the parade.
Each regiment of the Household Division, Coldstream, Grenadiers, Scots, Irish and Welsh Guards, all wear red tunics. However, The button arrangement on the tunic, is different, as is the symbol worn on the collar. Also the hackle in the bearskin is different for each regiment. I think there are also other subtle differences too!!!!
I'm seeing a lot of "American(s) react to Trooping the Colour" videos lately, but they've all reacted to this same video, which unfortunately cuts off too early and doesn't show the two cavalry regiments and the horse artillery which pass in review at the end of the ceremony.
Have a look at Hornblower set in the same time as Sharp.Ioan Gruffudd stars as the title character in the story of a young lad who, despite a rather inauspicious beginning, joins the Royal Navy, ultimately becoming one of the most formidable figures of the Napoleanic Wars. The miniseries is based on the stories of C.S. Forester.
Agreed.
Agreed, probably one of the best adaptations of a book series, C.S.Forester (As an ex Naval Officer) was a fanatic for correct period detail in his books, and the series follows this pretty well. There was also a feature film, "Captain Horatio Hornblower" made in 1951 and starring Gregory Peck as Hornblower, which is surprisingly accurate to the book too, Peck surpressing his American accent very well!
Agreed. Ex RN myself, and people often ask me as an older Veteran what I think of Lord Nelson's character. I have to tell them thats a ridiculous question as he died in 1805 so I don't know as I never served with him...but his Grandad was a right B@stard. Boom, boom.
@@ghostdancer444 My dad ws in the Royal Marines and a member of the burma star association.
Also read Patrick O'Brian's series of novels. The film Master and Commander was based on them and is probably the most accurate recreation of Georgian naval life
Great respect too our soldiers. I'm proud to be British
As a ..ST GLORIANA ..."old" girl be ?
So am I proud to be born in the greats country
God, you boomers are insufferable
The place your looking at is Horseguards Parade,,,it’s at the back of Downing Street .
I met loads of Americans in England all enjoying the Jubilee.
The trees at the back of Horse Guards is the edge of St James's Park. Buck House is sort of at the end of St J's Pk.
Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall. Bottom of the Mall. Buckingham Palace is at the top of the Mall. Whitehall is where the top Government offices are: Defence, Admiralty (Navy), Foerign Office and Downing STreet is nearby.
Horse Guards Parade was restored as a public space in 1997 after decades of abuse as a car park for senior civil servants. Sir Humphrey was not happy. The room above the central arch and below the clock tower was once the office of the Duke of Wellington and is still used by army chiefs who still sit at Wellington's desk. There is a protected line of sight through the trees, from the saluting base, where The Queen sits, to the balcony of Buckingham Palace which is more than half a mile away.
I'm looking forward to filming the Jubilee concert outside Buck Palace on June 4th. Great line up of acts, and i get to be right in the centre of it. Hope the queen enjoys it
The history of this ceremony is actually pretty interesting. Each regiment in the British Army had it's own "colour," a flag representing the regiment. In battle, the regimental colour was used as a rallying point in the event of the regiment being scattered, so it was essential that every man knew what his regimental colour looked like. That's where Trooping the Colour comes in; the colour would be trooped through the ranks, as seen in this video, making sure that every man saw it and knew what it looked like. Over the years, as warfare changed, the whole thing became less and less practical and more ceremonial. All regiments still have their own colours, but only the household division (the Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, Welsh Guards, Scots Guards and Irish Guards, each with their own colour) still do this ceremony (as far as I know).
The square is Horse Guards and is the 18th centurt entrace to St James Palace, the Duke of Wellington had his office overlooking the square
I did ,4 troopings in the 70's..I was a Life Guard sat on a horse in the red tunics...
As to a previous comment the kilt now worn by the Scots Guards is of the tartan variety, the Irish Guards wear a plain saffron coloured version. The kilt is common to Celtic's peoples apparently. The current kilt, it's my understanding, is a product of the army adapting the original "great kilt" to a smaller version because of cost. Just like the red coat, the army builds every great idea down to the cheapest version, not always the best.
color IS actually 'colour', tire IS actually 'Tyre' and aluminum IS actually 'aluminium' folks. and------ bless you for saluting son !
And Mom is actually Mum!
@@violetk4948 too bloomin right 😁
@@violetk4948 and here up in the North East of England it's mam!!
This ended with them getting into formation to March past the Queen in slow and quick time, when they finish the mounted band of The Household Cavalry come on and The Household Cavalry and Kings Troop, Royal Horse Artillery walk and trot past the Queen.
The band is from the Royal Corps of military music and are attached to various regiments wearing there uniform, there is also the corps of drums who parade with the band and are part of the regiment, they wear the extra adornments on there uniform and when not playing are fully trained infantry soldiers and deploy as specialist platoons.
The Trooping of the Colour is performed on what is now called Horse Guards Parade but is believed to be the old "Tilt Yard" (Kings and their knights would test their horsemanship jousting) of the historic Palace of Whitehall. The area is still called White Hall and is a Crown Property, upon which now stand the major Offices of State: the Cabinet Office; the Foreign Office; the Ministry of Defence; Admiralty House; No.10 Downing Street.
When looking at the building one is looking almost due East, St James's Park and Buckingham Palace behind. Behind the building is the street, Whitehall with many Government Offices and the Cenotaph. To the Northern end (left) is Trafalgar Square. To the South (Right) Downing Street and Parliament Square with Westminster Palace and Abbey.
You should watch the full thing live next it's on. The cavalry segment is never included.
Fascinating to watch the young man taking it all in and with such respect as well.he will never forget it
One point about saluting: you Yanks seem to salute in or out of uniform, maybe even when you're in the bath. Not so with the British Armed Forces - not only do you never salute if you're out of uniform, but you don't salute unless you're wearing a cap or other headgear.
I was once saluted as I left a RN ship. It was intoxicating. I loved being saluted 😄
@@Steve-gc5nt There's a sort of technical reason why the British tradition is different from the American. For us, you're not actually saluting the individual person at all - you're saluting the Queen's Commission.
Only time a commissioned officer will salute an NCO or lesser rank is when that soldier holds the Victoria Cross as that medal is considered higher than any rank.
@@steveellis9065 Victoria & George Cross both officially hold equal ranking, I was always taught to salute both.
@@steveellis9065 well, not strictly true. Normally the lower ranking officer or NCO/private would always salute an officer of senior rank, and that senior would usually return the salute. However, an officer might INITIATE a salute to a lower ranking officer or NCO who held the VC, the salute of course also being returned
That buiilding is Horse Guards, which is mentioned in Sharpe by characters. During the Napoleonic Wars it was the British Army HQ during the Penisular Campaign.
It's a pity the guards never retained the iconic Enfield rifle for ceremonial duties, the way the Americans still use the M1 and the Germans and Swiss the Mauser. Such rifles look better on parade than modern firearms.
The sword "thing" is a salute, he is saluting the colour ( flag) representing the Regiment & ultimately HM the Queen. Trooping of the colour is a parading of the flag in order that troops of old would recocgnise it in times of battle & be able to re-group etc, dating from pre-uniform days. Rally round the flag, you might say.
The colours carry that regiments battle honours battles won these colours go back 400 years ,my regiments colours go back 480 years horse guards ect
As some have commented, you have Horse Guards Parade (the buildings you were asking about), then St James's Park, then Buckingham Palace. You can walk from one to the other in about 15 minutes (depending on pace). I once photographed Horse Guards Parade from the bridge in St James's Park and it looked like a fairytale scene
One of the stands collapsed today at the rehearsal for the Jubilee Trooping of the Colour. It happened because the spectators all stood up at the same time for the National Anthem. Everyone seems to be OK. One lady fell through the gap to the floor and medics couldn’t get to her for a while but she’s OK apart from some bruises and being a little shaken up.
Two of the stands, apparently. Which, given they are metal, indicates someone's going to be in big trouble for supplying/installing them incorrectly. I don't believe it's ever happened before.
There will be a live streaming of Trooping the Colour on 2nd June 2022. Starting 10 a.m. UK time. Takes about 2 hours and you will also see the Horse Guards parading.
There is another video that shows you what happens after this part it's called ---
Trooping the Colour slow + quick march 2022 .
After this part the House hold guard goes around twice as well , also the Kings Troop goes around with their gun carriages twice, but you will have to find it on TH-cam
Yes, you really much watch this year's Trooping the Colour, preferably live, on June 2nd. The whole thing is about two hours long. This excerpt misses out the tremendous parade, escorting the Queen, there and back to Buckingham Palace, and also the part of the parade where the troops pass in front of the Queen and salute her. (Before 1982 the Queen - who is a superb horsewoman - rode there and back too.)
The yellow scrolls on the Colour are the Battle Honours - going back 350 years - when the Regiment has particularly distinguished itself in combat, so they are a source of immense pride.
She did and riding sidesaddle someone fired a starting pistol on The Mall other way to Trooping the Colour and the Queen was amazing she calmed horse and remained seated absolutely a brilliant Queen and rider
Loved your reaction! I’m ex British Army and I still gets the goosebumps when I watch Trooping of the Colour. In years past each unit had a flag or standard that it’s soldiers could rally to and if necessary protect. Different Corps and Arms have different names for their own Colour, for example a Guidon (pronounced Gee-don with a hard G). In the Royal Regiment of Artillery, there is no flag so the Guns of each unit are the Colours and are afforded the same respect as any other Colour. Scots are not the only Pipers to wear Kilts. The Irish Guards and other Scottish or Irish units will have their own Pipes and Drums whose Tartan will be specific to their unit. Hope that helps?
In Australia the Guidon is for armoured units and assume it is the same for the British armoured units as well. Also the Engineers dont have a colour but the Corp has the Sovereign's Banner which can be paraded with an Engineer unit on special occasions. The unit I was with paraded the Sovereign's Banner on the occassion of the units centenary.
2:46 that is Horseguards Parade.
Horseguards, where the beach volleyball was for the 2012 Olympics
The trooping takes place at Horse Guards 1mile from Buckingham Palace
This is Horseguards Parade, as well as Trooping there is Beating The Retreat among other events happen here. The Guards Memorial is next to Horseguards. The guards regiments wear red tunics the buttons on the tunics tells you the regiment as does the plume in the helmet also tells you the regiment.
Connar, the building that you are seeing (in YOUR video at 2:50 mins:secs), is named ‘Horse Guards Parade’. It is located in Whitehall, Westminster, Central London, UK, near Trafalgar Square. The room in the centre of the building with the red draped fabric, under the windows, was the administrative office of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. It is in this building, and this office, where the Duke of Wellington planned his campaigns against Napoleon Bonaparte, during the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815). Which ended in Napoleon Bonaparte's military defeat, at the Battle of Waterloo of 1815.
The office is today the administrative office of the Chief of the General Staff is General (the Head of the British Army) Sir Mark Carleton-Smith, who succeeded his predecessor, General Sir Nick Carter, in June 2018.
The office is a government building, and is a working office. But the parade ground, and area directly underneath Arthur Wellesley's former office (the arches) is open to the public. The building has a ceremonial guard and armed police officers. You can walk around the whole area, and see the ‘Household Cavalry’ on their horses, and on unmounted guard of the building.
See video:
London Walk, Ceremonial London, Horse Guard Parade to Whitehall. 4K
VIDEO:
th-cam.com/video/CW0ncdEaNsg/w-d-xo.html
The movement with the sword to the nose is a salute officially called "present arms"
The Trooping takes place on Horse Guards Parade in front of Wellingtons old office, where the Royal onlookers gather.
It’s horse guards parade, it’s behind various buildings including the admiralty. To the right looking towards Admiralty Arch is the garden of 10 Downing Street. I lived about 10 mins walk away on Matthew Parker Street!
Trooping of the colour is a relic of European wars of the eighteenth and nineteenth century when armies needed to maneuver in formation and know where to asemble around their regimental "Colour". The venue is Horse Guards Parade, the traditional Headquarters of the British Army. As to the kilts, most Scottish Regiments and and a couple of Ulster Regiments wear them for ceremonial duties. Every soldier on parade that day is a fully trained combat soldier of the highest calibre.
There outside horse Guards, on the parade ground where it is always held. The sword thing they did is saluting the Colour as it is basically the soul of the Regiment. That is the Regiments colour holding the names of every battle they have been in, from before Waterloo to present day in some cases. I was in the Irish Guards for 23 yrs and have taken part in this event too.
That’s Horseguards parade square just down the mall(road) from Buckingham palace.
The ‘guys in yellow’, drum majors are wearing Tudor style tunics, stitched in real gold thread.
........ which they wear only on occasions when Royalty is present.
This ceremony is held every year at horse guards parade, St James park London
In centuries long past, trooping the color was the act of flying one British flag on the battlefield amidst the smoke and carnage. This gave the troops in battle a central focal point where they rallied to the flag and organized themselves into battalions, ranks, etc that’s where even Americans get the term, “Rally round the flag, boys!”
Really enjoyed your respectful reaction 😍
This is from the website of the household division:
Regimental flags of the British Army were historically described as ‘Colours’ because they displayed the uniform Colours and insignia worn by the soldiers of different units.
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If Troops were to know what their Regiment’s Colours looked like, it was necessary to display them regularly. The way in which this was done was for young officers to march in between the ranks of troops formed up in lines with the Colours held high. This is the origin of the word ‘trooping’. So, what today is a great tradition began life as a vital and practical parade designed to aid unit recognition before a battle commenced.
(…)
The Guards are amongst the oldest regiments of the British Army and have served as the personal bodyguards of The Sovereign since the monarchy was restored after the English Civil War in 1660. The ceremony of Trooping the Colour is believed to have been performed first during the reign of King Charles II (1660 - 1685). In 1748, it was decided that this parade would be used to mark the official birthday of the Sovereign and it became an annual event after George III became King in 1760. Today, this colourful spectacular remains a celebration of the Sovereign’s official birthday.
Horse Guards Parade is a large parade ground off Whitehall in central London
The regiments you see in black trousers and red coats and the various Household regiments...Welsh, Irish, Gregadier, Coldstream. The coloured plumes in their bearskin caps (one without any) indicate wear in the front line of battle that regiment was always placed. So a massive front line would have no plume in centre regiment but colour (red, blue, green & white, white etc) each side. IE if I was on horseback behind the centre of the Line, I could see through the smoke, mist or whatever that the Irish were in place, the Scots were in place etc etc. Simple but effective in the days when not much else to communicate with except messengers on horseback.
The Scots Guards are the ones in kilts - their regimental band have pipes and drums. In massed banks you can can soldiers in green jackets and tan-coloured kilts....they are Irish I think.
In the Trooping etc and on palace guard duty these ceremonial and historic uniforms are work. Tomorrow most of these will be in khaki fatigues and packing for their regimential duty somewhere.
It's way past time that they levelled that parade ground. It often shows the troops as being all over the place.
Your right, it does have a wavy contour, think you'll find its a car park most of the year.
@@gray3553 If I can correct you there, that was a practice ended in 1997. The 500 spaces had been known as 'the Great Perk' available to select senior civil servants, but eventually it was deemed a perk too far.
@@t.p.mckenna Thx for the correction T.P. Its something I saw back in the 80s.
Drum Majors in gold,are head of the Drum Corp,the 5 regiments of the foot Guard each have thier own Drum Corps hence the 5 Drum Majors,they only wear those on special occasions normaly they wear the red tunics like the rest of the Guards except for their insigns of Drum Major rank.
It's preformed on Horse Guard's Parade the building is the Admiralty Building.
The location is Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall.
2022 Trooping the Colour will be at 10:00 on
Thursday, 2 June
All times are in United Kingdom Time. live on the bbc 1
Scot,Irish Guard Bagpipers wear kilts.the Gold ones (not yellow:) are called Drum Magers,leaders of their Bands and they are dated back to Henry viii times, only worn on state occasions,very expensive uniforms.
On the point about the modern rifles and their apparently looking a bit odd or incongruous next to the men's traditional dress uniforms and bearskin headgear, etc. I can see how it could look that way to an American or other foreigners. However, as most Brits (or Canadians, Australians and New Zealanders) could explain, the troops involved in this ceremonial are real, top-flight combat infantry. While many bandsmen will also come under fire in action while serving as battlefield first aiders, stretcher bearers, medical orderlies etc.
As a quick illustration, just take a glance at the regimental colour being trooped (the crimson flag with what looks like a lot of gold/yellow coloured scrollwork bands stitched onto it). There's quite a good view of this in the vid footage from 12:08 mins to 12:24 mins. Judging from the vid, the colour being trooped is that of the Scots Guards. So the battle honours listed on those "scrollwork bands" will indeed likely include battles at Namur, Dettingen, Lincelles,Talavera, Barrosa, Salamanca, Nive and Waterloo, in which muskets did feature.
More recent additions, however, could just as well cite actions such as Mount Tumbledown (in the Falklands War 1982), or Iraq (1st Gulf War 1991 and/or 2nd Gulf War 2004).... when the rifles looked more like the current ones.
Officers on parade carry sword as opposed to rifles. The procedure with the drawn sword is the way you salute with a sword ....the monarch, the Colonel, the Colour etc etc.
The orders given all follow a format....... First. for example; 'Troop,' 'Guard,' 'Regiment' ect, the body of troops you want to give the order too. Followed by which side to 'dress' meaning which side to line up with when going to be marching, ...... Then what you want the troops to do! For example; "Present Arms!" (salute with weapon) followed by "Shoulder Arms" .............. If moving, could be something like; "Troop!" (identify who and also to wake them up for a coming order) "By the Center..... Quick...March!" Just a small example..... The drill book is a big one. The guys doing the drill don't really listen to the words given they know what's coming and react to the 'execution' word in the command. Civvies, don't hear what being shouted, but old soldiers hear every word.
the same ceremony is carried out at Duntroon Military College on 6th June in Canberra
That is how you salute with a sword.
The building in the background is Horse Guards. It's just down the road from Buckingham Palace.It was once a major army office.
Look up Whitehall and the Parade Ground, other side of St James Park.
You’ve grown on me. There’s a heavy American stereotype that you had to break through. I think I trust you to be genuine now ( I’m British in case that wasn’t clear 😂). Good job.
Trooping the Colour is done on Horseguard's Parade, London.
What you see in the background is Whitehall, traditionally the centre of Government and the Military
You mentioned the Scot`s wearing Kilts, The Irish Guards also wear them but they are Mustard coloured or Saffron coloured as some people call it as opposed to Tartan. My Grandfathers old Regiment.
The building is the original entrance Gatehouse to Buckingham Palace .Opposite this in Whitehall is where King Charles 1st was executed by the parliamentarians at the end of the civil war led by. Oliver Cromwell . The Household Cavalry provide a guard which is changed every day to this building .. 4pm the guard has to parade for inspection after the guard was found to be gambling and drunk when Queen Victoria came through the gate one day during her reign , so she ordered that they would have to parade at 4pm every day for one hundred years . But when they had fulfilled this duty it was decided to carry it on .
The various guards regiments have different patterns of buttons on their red uniform.
In battle you rally to the colours, trooping the colour is showing the troops which flag they are to rally to.
Each regiment has it's own colours. These colours are the Monarch's.
This ceremony is handing the Queens colour, and the duty of protecting the queen to the next regiment on the guard duty roster.
These are real soldiers, next week the regiment that just finished its stint as royal guards may be deployed to real combat.
And the guys receiving the colour may have just put their camo in the laundry.
They're in Horse Guards parade ground, Whitehall.
The shouting you mention Connor are the instructions to the guards to do certain things.... he gives the time signal to the soldiers to set off in perfect, perfect sync. Yes, only the Scots guards wear the kilt. Don't forget... the Queen is watching everything, and apparently she has a very sharp pair of eyes, that is why standards have to be perfect.
Well apart from the pipers and drummers in both the Irish Guards and the Royal Irish Regiment that also wear kilts.
@@royalirish4208 Thank you, sorry for my error. I stand corrected.
This is the Scots Guards trooping the colour in 2021 I believe. All the guards regiments ( Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots, Welsh and Irish) wear the red tunic for ceremonial duties. Each regiment has it own badge on the tunic collar and shoulders, and the buttons on the front are sewn in differing patterns.
Four of the regiments have on their bearskin hats, different coloured feather 'hackles'. Two have the hackles on the right side, two on the left side and the Scots don't wear one. This relates back to how the regiments would form up on the battlefield, two regiments on the left, the Scots in the Middle and two regiments the right.
mac ,I hav e walked accross this square a few times and it's bumpy as hell ,look at the pools of water!, the colour ,called a guidon in the cavalry, has battle honours sewn on to it so it is the soul of the regiment ,It was used in battle to pinpoint the
colonel or the thickest part of the battle and it said where exactly the regiment was in the smokey hell of fighting ,the guards
taking part in the kings official birthday parade take it in turns every year ,you can tell which is which by the arrangement of the buttons on the jacket ,starting from the Grenadiers single buttons then the Coldstream double ,scots threes , Irish next and lastly Welsh ,first the colour is paraded through the ranks in slow time , then at regular pace ,great aint it ,I was ex 12th lancers
and I watch this regularly every year and it gets me every time even at 84
The kilt was first in Greece who passed it on to Ireland who in turn passed it to Scotland (who still haven't seen the joke )
The different combination of buttons and colour on hat denotes which regiment they are in.
Its Horseguards Parade where in times gone by Officers would be given their Commissions and Orders, you could say it was the HQ of The British Army in days gone by.
The 'guys in the front' are the Drum Majors of the bands of the Household Division - they are wearing their State Uniform, oldest British Army uniform still in use today. They're on Horse Guards Parade . approx mile from Buck House