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Foot guards are senior infantry regiments within the British Army and the Canadian Army whose primary role includes military and combat operations, while its secondary role include public duties responsibilities which reflect their senior status. Foot guards regiments were historically infantry soldiers who fought on foot who also performed public duties like guard mounting.
The British foot guards were established in the 17th century, and served as an infantry unit and royal guards for the monarchy. In the 19th century, the Canadian foot guard were formed, modelled after their British counterparts as a reflection of Canada’s relationship with the monarchy and to undertake ceremonial duties in Ottawa. Historically, other countries have also maintained units called "foot guards," though not all of these were the senior infantry regiments of their forces or were units that were tasked with both military combat responsibilities with ceremonial public duties.
, the British Army maintains five regiments of foot guards, while the Canadian Army Reserve maintains two regiments of foot guards. While most foot guard units continue to serve in light infantry or infantry roles, two of the five British foot guards regiments have transitioned to mechanised infantry roles.
The three oldest regiments—the Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, and Scots Guards—were formed during the English Civil War, while the Irish Guards and Welsh Guards were established in the 20th century. The Irish Guards were created in 1900 after Queen Victoria was impressed by the actions of Irish units during the Second Boer War. The Welsh Guards were formed in 1915 by King George V, after it was pointed out that the Household Division lacked representation from Wales. A sixth regiment of foot guards briefly existed after the First World War, the Guards Machine Gun Regiment.
Historically, the foot guards also manned ten other sentry posts around London, including Horse Guards, Savoy Place, and Montagu House.
The Canadian Army Regular Force also established a foot guard regiment in 1953, known as the Canadian Guards. However, the unit was reduced to nil strength in 1970 and reassigned to the army's Supplementary Order of Battle.
In addition to supporting ceremonial duties at Rideau Hall and other events for the Governor General of Canada, the Governor General's Foot Guards' Public Duties Company also oversees the Ceremonial Guard. The Ceremonial Guard is a subunit of the Governor General's Foot Guards that operates during the summer and is open to members of the Canadian Armed Forces who want to participate in ceremonial public duties. Service members in the Ceremonial Guard wear the uniforms of the two Canadian foot guard regiments, regardless of their actual regimental or unit affiliation, as they perform public duties traditionally carried out by the foot guard regiments.
Public duties
The regiments of the foot guards are responsible for performing public duties, most notably mounting the King's Guard at St. James's Palace and Buckingham Palace, as well as guard mounting the Windsor Castle Guard, and the Tower of London Guard, all key locations of significance to the monarchy. Although the regiments of foot guards perform the majority of these public duties, they occasionally are supported by other units in the British Armed Forces and the Commonwealth of Nations.
Canada
The Canadian Army Reserve includes two regiments of foot guards, the Governor General's Foot Guards and the Canadian Grenadier Guards, both formed in the 19th century. The two regiments of foot guards are the senior reserve infantry regiments in Canada and train in an infantry role to support Canadian Armed Forces domestic operations and support the Regular Force in international operations. The two units form part of Canada's household troops and serve as a symbol of the armed forces' relationship with the Canadian monarchy and also perform public duties in Ottawa as a result.
The Royal Regiment of Canada is another Army Reserve unit that is uniformed as a regiment of foot guards, although they are formally a line infantry regiment. The regiment adopted the uniform of its predecessor, the Royal Grenadiers, which was uniformed after the British Grenadier Guards.
Public duties
Along with their infantry role, the two regiments of foot guards are also tasked with ceremonial public duties at Rideau Hall and Parliament Hill in Ottawa as the country's household troops. While both units perform public duties in the capital, only the Governor General's Foot Guards are based in Ottawa, with the Canadian Grenadier Guards based in Montreal.
Other historical uses
Germany
The Prussian Army of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Imperial German Army of the German Empire operated several Garde-Regiment zu Fuß () units, including the 1st Foot Guards, 3rd Foot Guards, 4th Foot Guards, and 5th Foot Guards. All Prussian princes received their military commission through the 1st Foot Guards.
Japan
The hatamoto were high-ranking samurai who served as personally served the daimyo in feudal Japan during the Tokugawa shogunate that included a subgroup called the kachi or "Foot Guards", and the umamawari-shū or "Horse Guards". However, only the umamawari-shū were tasked as for the daimyo, while the kachi were not assigned ceremonial duties and engaged in combat as part of their training for higher positions.Stephen Turnbull9781472832443, Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781472832443
See also
Footnotes
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