Yeomen of the Guard

The Queen 's Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard are one of the various ceremonial bodyguard of the British monarch.

History

The Yeomen of the Guard are the oldest existing bodyguard of the British king. They were founded in 1485 by Henry VII before the Battle of Bosworth Field and fought in the following centuries always as bodyguards. Most recently, she took part in the 1743 Battle of Dettingen, the last battle in which a British king was present in person.

In the period that followed turned the tasks of the Yeomen of the Guard, more and more of a real bodyguard to a unit with ceremonial duties.

Presence

The unit now consists of 73 men who must be retired noncommissioned officer ranks of the British Army with a service life of at least 15 years of all.

The Office of the captain has always been held by the deputy leader of the ruling party in the House of Lords. In fact, the Yeomen of the Senior Messenger Sergeant Major and Wardrobe Keeper be commanded, who resides in St. James 's Palace.

The Yeomen of the Guard are divided into four trains, each consisting of three officers and 13 men.

One of the occasions in which the unit appears in public, including in particular the Royal Maundy Service on Maundy Thursday, investitures and the royal garden parties in the summer. At the opening of Parliament falls to her the task of search the cellars of the Palace of Westminster. The tradition has its origins in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 when Guy Fawkes, along with other conspirators attempted to blow up Parliament and King James I in the air.

Uniform

The uniforms of the Yeomen of the Guard dates from the Tudor period in which the troupe was founded. This also applies to the almost identical dress uniform of the Yeomen Warders who do service in the Tower of London. Both units are therefore often confused.

On the emblems on the front and back of the tunic that is worn by the Yeomen, in addition to the Tudor crown, the rose, the shamrock and the thistle are mapped as the national symbols of the three parts of the country of the United Kingdom.

Battle Honours

From the time in which the Corps is not only perceived purely ceremonial functions, it has some Battle Honours ( honorable mentions, some of which are listed on the flag of the Corps ) were acquired.

Battle Honours ( English names ):

• Field of Stoke in 1487, Boulogne 1492, Blackheath 1497 Tournai in 1514, Boulogne 1544, the Boyne in 1690, Dettingen 1743rd