Guards Division

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For other uses, see Guards Division (disambiguation).

The Guards Division is an administrative unit of the British Army responsible for the administration of all the units of Foot Guards of the Household Division.

The Headquarters of the Guards Division is in London, along with the RHQs of each regiment. It is responsible for providing two public duties battalions to London District (plus three incremental companies); although the guards are most associated with ceremonial, they remain as operational infantry battalions, and as such perform in all the various roles of infantry.

Under the restructuring of the infantry announced in 2004, the Guards Division will gain an extra battalion, with, for the first time, a Territorial Army unit being affiliated to the Guards - this will be the London Regiment. The five regular battalions will be given fixed roles:

Grenadier Guards - Light Infantry
Coldstream Guards - Public Duties
Scots Guards - Armoured Infantry
Irish Guards - Light Infantry
Welsh Guards - Public Duties

Note: The two light role battalions and two public duties battalions will periodically rotate.

Each regiment maintains its own regimental band.

[edit] Current units

Regular Army Units
- 1st Battalion, Grenadier Guards
- Nijmegen Company, Grenadier Guards
- 1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards
- No 7 Company, Coldstream Guards
- 1st Battalion, Scots Guards
- F Company, Scots Guards
- 1st Battalion, Irish Guards
- 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards
Territorial Army Units
- London Regiment

[edit] Past units

Units previously in the Guards Division, but which are no longer in existence (along with the dates at which they came into existence, and were disbanded):

2nd Battalion, Grenadier Guards [1656-1994]
2nd Battalion, Coldstream Guards [1711-1993]
2nd Battalion, Scots Guards [1689-1993]
Guards Independent Parachute Company [1948-1975]

Note: The three battalions have technically not been disbanded; instead they are in "suspended animation" and, in theory, can be re-raised if needed. The colours and traditions of each battalion are kept and maintained by the incremental companies. Also the heritage of the Guards Independent Parachute Company has now been continued through the Guards Parachute Platoon that is attached to the 3rd Battlion of the Parachute Regiment.