Guardsman
The private soldier rank of the Foot Guards regiments of the British Army, the ceremonial and combat soldiers of the Household Division.
Overview
Guardsman is the title of privates in the five Foot Guards regiments, Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots, Irish, and Welsh, granted in 1915 by King George V to recognize their service. The Guards combine ceremonial duty at Buckingham Palace and Windsor with the ordinary infantry role: battalions have served in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Ukraine training missions. Guardsmen wear the famous bearskin on ceremonial occasions, a trophy of Waterloo. At the private soldier level in NATO terms, the rank shows how British titles diverge by regiment: the same soldier is a rifleman in the Rifles, a guardsman in the Guards, a kingsman in King Regiment descendants.
Related Topics
Lance Corporal (British Army)
Lance Corporal wears one chevron and is addressed as lance jack, the first leadership appointment in the British Army, often comma...
Colour Sergeant
Colour Sergeant was instituted in 1813 to honor the sergeants who had defended the regimental colours in battle, and the rank reta...
Warrant Officer Class 2
Warrant Officer Class 2 wears a large crown and is appointed by warrant rather than commission, the senior NCO stratum of the Brit...
Warrant Officer Class 1
Warrant Officer Class 1 wears the royal arms badge and is the most senior soldier grade in the British Army, OR-9 in NATO terms. T...