Below is some genealogy information on the 1st Life Guard, 2nd Life Guard and Life Guard cavalry regiment of the British army that may help searches for military ancestors.

Theatres of War, Army Regiments, Naval Detachments, RAF

Description: The Life Guards origins are in four troops during King Charles II's restoration and are oldest of all the army regiments. The first of these was formed in 1658 as His Majesty's Own Troop of Horse Guards. They were actually formed whilst Charles was exiled and were raised fight against the English Commonwealth as part of a Spanish army. These troops were formed purely from 'gentlemen'. In 1788 these troops were re-organsied as the 1st and 2nd Regiments of Life Guards. In 1877 they were renamed the 1st and 2nd Life Guards. In 1815 they saw action in the Napoleonic Wars at the battle of Waterloo. They saw action in the Boer Wars, in the battle of Paardenburg. During the First World War they saw extensive fighting, taking part in the battles of Mons, Le Cateau, Marne, Aisne, Messines, the 1st battle of Ypres Passchendaele, the Somme (1916), Arras and the Hindenburg Line. In 1918 they became machine gun battalions (1st and 2nd Batttalions, Guards Machine Gun Regiment) but reverted to their old names at the end of the war. In 1922 the two regiments amalgamated forming The Life Guards (1st and 2nd). In 1928 they were renamed The Life Guards. During the Second World War they fought across several theatres including France, North Africa and the Middle East, fighting in the battles of El Alamein and the invasion of Italy. In 1992 they were joined with the Blues and Royals in a union (as opposed to amalgamation) forming the Household Cavalry Regiment and House Cavalry Mounted Regiment. Most recently they have seen action in the both the first and second Gulf wars. Their nicknames are the Picadilly Cowboys, Donkey Wallopers, Tins, Tinned Fruit, Picadilly Butchers.

Military actions:

• Napoleonic war: Waterloo
• Boer war: Paardenberg
• WWI: Mons
• WWI: Le Cateau
• WWI: 1st Marne
• WWI: 1st Aisne
• WWI: Messines
• WWI: 1st Ypres
• WWI: Somme (1916)
• WWI: Arras
• WWI: Somme (1918)
• WWI: 3rd Ypres
• WWI: Hindenburg Line
• WWII: El Alamein

Websites:

• The Life Guards.
• MOD website

Reading materials:

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