The Coldstream Guards, in a blaze of scarlet tunics and bearskin caps, made a remarkable return journey from London to Berwick Upon Tweed, in a single day, to mark the 375th anniversary of its formation.
Number 3 Company Coldstream Guards form up outside King’s Cross Station.
Number 3 Company Coldstream Guards move through King’s Cross Station in step with their rifles by their side.
Number 3 Company Sergeant Major, Warrant Officer Class Two Reah checks the troops dressing outside Berwick town hall.
Regimental Sergeant Major, Warrant Officer Class One Fleming walks down the Berwick station steps with the rest of Number 3 Company, Coldstream Guards.
Regimental Sergeant Major, Warrant Officer Class One Fleming with his pace stick and his troops outside Berwick town hall.
Number 3 Company march down the hill back to the town hall on completion of the church service
Number 3 Company troops seated for the church service.
The journey north was to walk in the footsteps of their forebears who were raised by Oliver Cromwell in 1650 from the border coastal town during the Commonwealth of England.
100 soldiers from Number 3 Company, ‘The Spotty Dogs’, of the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, accompanied by the Band of the Coldstream Guards, marched smartly across the station concourse at King’s Cross in London shortly after 6am to the surprise and delight of early morning commuters.
It is incredibly special to be returning to Berwick-Upon-Tweed, after an illustrious 375 years of history. The Coldstream Guards were formed in the Northeast, and we recruit heavily from the area. In the guard of honour there are several second and third generation Coldstreamers. For us all we are very proud to following in our forebearers footsteps, with all the history and traditions that comes too."
They were on their way to board a very special London North Eastern Railway (LNER) Azuma train, unit 800111, which is wrapped in a poppy design. LNER is a signatory of the Armed Forces Community Covenant and this train’s livery was designed in recognition of those who serve and continue to serve.
‘Thank you’ messages and signs of welcome were emblazoned around the station, and a Brass Quintet from the Band of the Coldstream Guards performed rousing medleys at the entrance to the platform as the passengers arrived.
The soldiers stowed their bearskin caps and instruments in the luggage racks and took their seats on the train for the long journey to England’s northern border. As they sped north they were regaled with tales of their remarkable history from the Brigade Major of the Household Division, Lieutenant Colonel Charles Foinette.
The soldiers we know today as the Coldstream Guards were originally raised by the Governor of Berwick George Fenwick and his father-in-law Sir Arthur Hazelrigg, to dispel Scottish disorder in the borderlands. These smart, disciplined soldiers were commanded by George Monck, and impressed the people of Berwick with their industry, as they set about clearing midden heaps and carting stone from ruined old Berwick Castle to help build a new Cromwellian Church for the town.
The regiment relocated to nearby Coldstream Garrison in 1659 but on 1st January 1660, prompted by widespread anarchy throughout the Commonwealth of England, Monck marched his troops through heavy snow south to London.
After restoring law and order and securing the capital, they dissolved Parliament for new elections that led to the Restoration of the Monarchy and the return of King Charles II from exile. It was an incredible achievement for the modest men from Berwick, and Thomas Gumble, Monck’s 17th century biographer, described the Coldstream Guards aptly as that ‘Small Company of Men who God made the instrument of Great Things’.
Being from Newcastle and a Coldstreamer, it makes me very proud to be back in the North East, the birthplace of the Regiment, and to be taking part in the parade.
When he first met the valiant Army that had cleared his path home, King Charles II asked General Monck “Where have you marched from?” and when told “Coldstream”, The King renamed the regiment His Coldstream Guards. If only he had asked “Where were you raised?”, the soldiers might now be known as the Berwick Guards!
General Monck was richly rewarded for his efforts and made a Knight of the Garter by the new King. The Regiment has borne the eight-pointed Garter Star as their cap star ever since, and it is still emblazoned on their Colours (ceremonial flags).
Did you know it was the Coldstream Guards who saved London from the Great Fire in 1666, and that it was 500 soldiers from the Coldstream Guards who were ordered by Royal Warrant to be the first Royal Marines in 1664?
In the Second World War, the regiment were first in line to save the monarchy again. Officers from the Regiment were amongst those who formed part of a secret operation, the Coates’ Mission, to save the Royal Family in the event of invasion.
The Coldstream Guards have a rich action-packed history, but that’s unsurprising when you realise that they have the longest continuous service of any regiment in the British Army. They have served in almost every major conflict since their formation, and they carry a formidable reputation. From Tangiers, Egypt, Copenhagen to the American Revolutionary wars, where Coldstream Guards captured New York and Harlem; to the pinnacle of valour against all odds at Waterloo, where it was Coldstream Guards holding the gate at Hougoumont Farm that turned the tide of the battle to allied victory, The Coldstream Guards’ story lies at the heart of our nation’s history.
Earning 113 Battle Honours, thirteen Victoria Crosses and one George Cross, they have a global reputation for fearsome frontline infantry capability and ceremonial excellence in the Household Division as The King’s Guard.
In Crimea, Mons, Ypres, Normandy, Palestine, Malaya, Aden, Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan, wherever they have served, the Coldstream Guards have done their duty.
And that duty is never stronger than today. The regiment was amongst the first to train thousands of Ukrainian soldiers in the UK with the skills necessary to protect their country from illegal Russian invasion. Over the last 12 months, Coldstreamers have deployed across the world, including to Kenya, Cyprus, Uganda, Germany, Brunei, Albania, Holland, Poland, North Macedonia and the USA. Exercises in the wider Middle East, and short-term training teams to West Africa and Jamaica have helped hone the skills of those deploying, while also building relations with partner forces.
They have just returned from the Middle East on Operation Shader, which is the UK’s contribution to the counter-Daesh coalition. Their primary responsibilities were providing security for military bases in Erbil, Baghdad and Kuwait while transporting and providing protection for senior officers so that they could advise members of the Iraqi and Kurd Security Forces. This October, they will deploy to Cyprus as part of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force.
When they arrived at Berwick-upon-Tweed, they had just a minute to get off the train before it continued on its journey north to Edinburgh. With military precision they were quickly assembled on the platform and ready to march through the border town with their Colours flying and bayonets fixed.
We are enormously grateful to all at Berwick Town Council and the Parish Church of Holy Trinity and St Mary’s for their hard work in the lead up to the day and for making us so very welcome.
The streets were lined with hundreds of well-wishers, local residents and 400 school children who had been allowed to miss lessons to witness the historic event.
The soldiers formed a Guard of Honour at the Guildhall, where they were met by the Colonel of the Regiment, Lieutenant General Sir James Bucknall and Berwick-upon-Tweed’s Mayor, Councillor John Robertson.
Major Tim Woodbridge, Officer Commanding Number 3 Company, 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards said: ‘It is incredibly special to be returning to Berwick-Upon-Tweed, after an illustrious 375 years of history. The Coldstream Guards were formed in the Northeast, and we recruit heavily from the area.’ In the guard of honour there are several second and third generation Coldstreamers. For us all we are very proud to following in our forebearers footsteps, with all the history and traditions that comes too.’
After welcome speeches, the soldiers attended a Service of Thanksgiving at Berwick-upon-Tweed’s Parish Church, the same Commonwealth Era Church, which their forebears helped build in 1652. The sight of so many scarlet tunics in the pews with the glorious music of the Band of the Coldstream Guards filling the sacred space was a truly memorable moment.
The church is a shrine to the regiment with Blue Red Blue stained glass windows and the regiment’s Old Colours hanging in perpetuity. This was an honour granted to Berwick Parish Church by the late Queen Elizabeth II to mark the Regiment’s 350th anniversary 25 years ago, when the town granted them the Freedom of Berwick.
Lance Corporal Harry Stott who was in the Guard of Honour and the Service said: ‘Being from Newcastle and a Coldstreamer, it makes me very proud to be back in the North East, the birthplace of the Regiment, and to be taking part in the parade.’
After the Service the soldiers were invited back to the Guildhall for a Civic Reception before marching smartly back to Berwick Rail Station to catch the 1515 LNER Azuma train, unit 800111, home.
The rapid turnaround was necessary because the soldiers need to be back in Windsor to be presented with their new Colours, Colours which they will troop for King Charles III’s Official Birthday at Trooping the Colour on June 14th at Horse Guards Parade in London.
Colonel Jeremy Bagshaw, Regimental Adjutant Headquarters Coldstream Guards who masterminded the anniversary return said: ‘We are enormously proud of our links with Berwick upon Tweed, the town where we were formed 375 years ago. It was very important to us be able to mark our Anniversary there, steeped as it is in so much history, much shared with the Regiment. We are enormously grateful to all at Berwick Town Council and the Parish Church of Holy Trinity and St Mary’s for their hard work in the lead up to the day and for making us so very welcome. But it would also be remiss of me not to thank LNER for providing us the means to bring the Guardsmen here and back in a day; a crucial requirement amidst a very busy schedule. They, along with Network Rail and British Transport Police, have all been unfailingly supportive.’