THE LIFE GUARDS

Evening Star, Issue 22070, 2 July 1935, Page 3

THE LIFE GUARDS

HISTORIC REGIMENT ADDRESS BY LORD GALWAY A most interesting talk on the Ist Life Guards ,wliich ho commanded from 1922 to 1929, was given by the Gover-nor-General, Viscount Galway, to members of the Auckland Rotary Club, when His Excellency was for the first time the club’s guest at luncheon. Lord Galway said that he had been asked to speak upon the Army in Britain, but as ho knew his own regiment very much better than any other part of the service ho would limit his remarks to the Life Guards. Those of his hearers who visited London would very probably see the King’s Guard passing through the streets from barracks to the Horse Guards. He hoped that if did so, his remarks would give them something to recollect. The Household Cavalry consisted of the Ist Life Guards —with which the 2nd Life Guards had been amalgamated —and the sister regiment, the Royal Horse Guards —“ The Blues.” The primary duty of both regiments was the protection of the King. The origin of the Life Guards was almost lost in antiquity, but it had been traced to the discovery of a plot to assassinate Henry VIII. This led to the appointment of two officers, known as Gold Stick in Waiting and Silver Stick in Waiting, who organised members of the Court to escort the King and protect him against attack. These offices still existed, the former being held by the honorary colonel ot the Ist Life Guards and the latter by the commanding officer or second-in-command of whichever of the two regiments was on duty in London. The organisation for protecting the King remained rather chaotic until the accession of Charles 11., on the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. The regiment of Life Guards was then organised and assumed its present place as the senior regiment of the British Army. It guarded George 11. at Dettingen, the last battle in which a British king personally commanded his army. It took part in the Peninsular War, Waterloo, the Egyptian campaigns of the ’eighties, the South African War, and, of course, the Great War.

On their embroidered sleeves and collars the officers wore the oak-leaf badge conferred by , Charles 11. to commemorate his escape by hiding in the oak tree at Boscobel. On their crossbelts they wore the red cords which were the badge of the Jlojml Household. These cords were worn also by the Royal servants when the King travelled. Originally such a cord was used to fasten the key of the King’s travelling carriage to the belt of an officer who rode beside it. Although the horse might now seem out of date for the purposes of a bodyguard, it should be remembered that until about 30 years ago it offered the quickest means by which an armed guard could make its way from the Hyde Park barracks to Buckingham Palace in case of emergency—say, in about 20 minutes.

Lord Galway added that only > one such emergency had occurred within living memory. This was in the reign of King Edward VII., when a mounted policeman brought news of a police strike. The King was at the opera, and the Life Guards cleared the street when it was time for him to leave. During his own term as colonel elaborate orders detailing what was to be done in the event of public disorder were read,out every day on parade; ho did not know whether the custom persisted to-day. One difficulty of the mounted sentries in Whitehall was in recognising and saluting high military-officers in mufti as they passed to and from the War Office. Once the major-general commanding the London district, who happened to be far from popular, made a complaint that he had not been saluted. Accordingly a photograph of him in plain clothes was obtained and placed in the canteen, and the men were told to make themselves familiar with it, so that no mistakes should occur in future.

However, the general soon complained again that the sentries had not noticed him. He was told about the photograph, and decided to go into the canteen and see it for himself. The picture was there, but unfortunately lie found that it was being used as the target for dart games. Lord Galway described the arrangements made for the comfort, and welfare of the men for education and outdoor sports. Conditions, he said, were very different from what they had been when he joined the regiment 30 years ago. • Immediately after the war there was some difficulty in securing as smart a turn-out as had been the rule, but this was set right in due course. The men were proud of the great tradition which they inherited, and of being an integral part of State functions, of which the King’s Silver Jubilee ceremony was an example.