Coldstream Guards face the axe!
 

This is a rather shameful thing for the British government to do.

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/260752

Mick

That is one of the worst pieces of news I've read in years. The government may as well start burning Union Flags. Absolute thoughtlessness and disgraceful. This country will have no tradition or identity at all soon.

Regards,

Phil

A sad day!
 

This is decidedly not good news. Are we to have yet another page from our military history wiped out and lost forever? Given the outcry that this is sure to raise though could it possibly be a smoke screen whereby the Coldstream Guards are given a last minute reprieve at the expense of another of our prestigious regiments. Difficult choices it seems are being made and wherever the axe falls it is bound to be painful.

There have been discussions on this theme recently on the forum and arguments made for and against the cuts. I don't wish to get into the politics of the matter as we all have our personal opinions and affiliations but it seems to me that our armed forces are once again bearing the brunt of this savagery from an ungrateful nation, or its governors at least and this gesture politics backed although with regret by our monarchy doesn't really have a great deal of impact on the core problems that the country faces.

We run the very real risk in the future of losing the will of young men to sign up and fight for our country in time of need due to this and other examples of the way in which we treat our armed forces. What covenant?

A sad day!

Well said Ry

Axe the Coldstreams!
 

Why is anyone suprised at the Coldstreams being axed?
In Iraq the Black Watch were tasked to leave Basra, Travel to Bagdad, carry out tasks the Yanks couldn't do. This resulted in heavy loss of life.
What was their reward?
As soon as they returned to U.K. they were effectively disbanded, after 125 years, only remembered now as 3rd battalion of The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
Nothing is sacred when the government is in a saving mood.
Next we will see all special forces cut out,
We don't need them after all, the T.A. will do the job cheaper.

Regards,
Eddie

I too would hate to see a Regiment of such signifance as this go, but is this speculation, well founded concern, or just fear? I can see why someone would say 2 English 1 Scots, 1 Irish & 1 Welsh means that if we have to cut lets get rid of one of the English ones. I doubt any of us really know. I can see another purely speculative approach being to get rid of line before guards.

Let's wait and see, but I have thought again about selling my Royal Dragoon Guards collection (only missing Officers pouch badge and mess dress collars), MBTs are expensive...

Thats a good point, I still haven't sold my spare Coldstream Guards Cap Badge. May take it off the list.

There comes a time during defence cuts when manpower is targeted. During that process it is inevitable that named regiments will feature in both speculation and reality. Partisan loyalties will emerge, as they have here, to argue that a named regiment should not be 'axed' but how else do you cut manpower without naming regiments ? I remember the last big PR exercise mounted to save the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. They were axed but no-one can say that they are forgotten. A regiment may be 'axed' but it will never die. The reforms of 1922 saw the loss of many highly acclaimed regiments from the British army and subsequent reforms did the same. Those regiments still exist in the minds and souls of those who served in them and those who took the trouble to learn about their history and the contribution they made - as named regiments - to the history of Britain and the world. If the Coldstream Guards - or any other named regiment - are axed in the current round of reforms then they will be a victim of progress. We will shout and scream but the result will be the same. We must cut defence spending at this time of recession.

Just think of all those great county Regiments that have gone forever. The Coldstream Guards are possibly one of the most high profile Regiments to come under this threat for a while. If I remember right the Paras also came under threat a while back. My old Regiment the Royal Green Jackets are now the Rifles... In some respect lucky to have kept a lot of their identity as a Rifle Regiment... But you could argue rightly that the County regiments from Devon, Dorest, Wilts and Gloucester can not say the same now they are part of the Rifles.

A terrible shame.... But also what worries me is that we are sending our armed forces out all the time to fight / Police in various areas around the world. Sounds like the Army is near to breaking point anyway with out more cuts.
The powers that are in Charge seem to be hell bent in using our young Men and Women at the drop of a hat in these conflicts. Labour and Tories just as much to blame as each other. My personal view is that we are at the moment throwing lives away in conflicts which in the end will prove to be pointless...To send people out knowing that they could be out of work shortly and facing life back in Civvy street is almost an act of Treason and completely disrespectfull to these brave people.

We may when needs cuts in the defence budget... But not in this period of our history and not with the comintments made buy our politicial leaders... I use the term leaders in that last sentance with my tounge firmly in my cheek !!!! :mad:

The Colonel who first founded our (Leicestershire) Yeomanry in 1774 was a Coldstream Guard, Col William Skeffington.

Coldstream is in Scotland ! David

Very good david, there is no actual connection though, lol.

Phil

Phil,

I believe the Regiment originated in Coldstream, circa mid-1600s.

Happy to stand corrected on this though :).

PJ

As crazy as this sounds coming from an Irish Guards collector and a Grandson of a Mick, I would rather see the Irish Guards go. Or at least form a composite Regiment with another Guards Regiment (Works for the Blues & Royals). Only because it is no longer able to maintain its Irish identity. I've heard figures of only around 25% Irish born. In my Granda's time it was more like 90%.

Coldstream Guards face the axe
 

Surely, if we want an efficient fighting force it is best to axe the pomp and ceremony (and expense of ceremonial uniforms etc) of a Guards Bn and keep a fighting unit that will be useful in combat!

Stephen.