1815 Major Colours 2nd Bton 1st Foot Guard Waterloo Londres
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Many nations have regiments of guards in their armies, as the term 'guards' is an honorific to mark out the best soldiers. Most monarchies have at least one regiment of guards, part of whose duties is to guard the royal family. During the Napoleonic Wars the British Foot Guard consisted of three regiments, 1st, 2nd and 3rd, each of 1-3 battalions. The Foot Guard was elite unit that recruited the biggest and best volunteers. They had high reputation for discipline. The guardsmen were uniformed like the line infantry but with regimental distinctions.
In 1815 there were 7 battalions of Foot Guard, 4 of them were at Quatre Bras and Waterloo. Maitland's brigade suffered very heavy losses in this campaign (over 60 % !).
- the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards is the most senior regiment of the Guards, and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards. (The Coldstream Guards were organized before the Grenadier Guards, but their regiment is reckoned after the Grenadiers in seniority.) As a result of their heroic actions in fighting off the French grenadiers [or rather chasseurs] at Waterloo, the 1st Guards were renamed as the Grenadier Regiment of Foot Guards, thus becoming the only regiment in the British Army to be named for its actions in battle.
- the 2nd Regiment of Foot Guards, the Coldstream Guards, is the oldest regiment in the British Army in continuous active service, originating on the Scottish border in 1650. It is one of two regiments of the Guards that can trace its lineage to the Cromwell's New Model Army. The Coldstream Regiment saw service in the Napoleonic Wars (Egypt, Cpenhagen in 1807, Portugal, walcheren Expedition, Waterloo). It later was part of the allied occupation forces of Paris until 1816.
- the 3rd Regiment of Foot Guards, the Scots Guards, can trace their origins back to an army that was raised by Archibald 1st Marquess of Argyll, in 1642. After the union of the two kingdoms, it became the third-ranking regiment of foot guards.
The British 1st Foot Guards and Coldstream Guards rush to defend the gate of Hougoumont Farm against a fierce French attack during the battle of Waterloo. During the battle, the Coldstream Guards lost 97 killed, 446 wounded and 4 missing, while the 1st Foot Guards lost 125 killed and 352 wounded.
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