Please be advised that this is NOT
the Household Cavalry's official website,
but rather a labour of love - intended to be
of help to (and about) the Regiment.

Site kindly hosted by:
Enasec Ltd, The Media Centre,
7 Northumberland Street, Huddersfield HD1 1RL

The Life Guards

The Household Cavalry

The Blues And Royals

This website is devoted to the

Household Cavalry Regiment

I hope you will find in these pages all you want to learn about this unique and historical
Regiment, comprising The Life Guards and The Blues And Royals — the proud
and glorious histories of the Regiments that form today's Household Cavalry Regiment,
the soldiers, the horses, Regimental traditions, ceremonial and operational uniforms,
Regimental music, and accommodation.

Navigate your way around the site by clicking on any of the ribbon links below — in some
instances they take you to other pages, from where you may widen your search.

ARE YOU WILLING TO HELP SOLDIERS INJURED IN SERVICE - AND THE FAMILIES OF THOSE KILLED? The Household Cavalry Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment undertakes a vital role in modern warfare — not too long ago the Regiment was in action in the Falklands War; more recently they played a part in both Gulf Wars, and (latterly) have seen deployments to Afghanistan. If YOU feel that you would like to support a fund dedicated to helping Household Cavalry Regiment soldiers injured while on active service, and providing support and help to families of soldiers killed in action . . . then this link will take you to more information.

I would like to dedicate this website to all those men of the Household Cavalry
(and include, in this, their families and loved ones) who have given their lives
while in the service of their Country, their Sovereign, and their Regiments.

The link in the white panel hereunder will take you to a listing of all those Household Cavalry Officers and Soldiers who have died in service since 1946

Introduction

This is by no means all my own work, although I have managed
- over a number of years - to gather together (into one series
of documents) all the available information that I could find
on the Household Cavalry.

When dealing with matters of fact rather than fiction,
it is virtually impossible to be entirely original in detail, description,
and presentation and - while I own up to having been influenced
by those who have gone before me (and hereby give credit to all
who fit this bill) - this website, and the book that preceded it,
is entirely my own.

There have always been abbreviated accounts of Regimental history
- notably for use in programmes, brochures, and on special occasions
- which have been made available to the general public.

However, at one time they seemed to vary so much that
I was tempted to consolidate all the variations I had into one
meaningful whole - which is when the idea of my "encyclopedia"
was born. Indeed, such has been its ongoing growth that it has
long been referred to by figures within the Regiment as "Topsy".

More recently, I decided that the ideal vehicle for presenting
the information, and keeping it up to date, was via a dedicated
website - and what better time to do it, than to coincide with
the opening in June 2007, by HM The Queen, of the new
Household Cavalry Museum.

Over the years uniforms have evolved and changed, and will
no doubt do so in the future, so I felt it all the more important to
take a snapshot of the situation as in 2007, so providing a useful
reference point for the Regiment and other interested parties.

Along with information on the Regimental Bands, the Musical Ride,
the training of men and horses, the uniforms, and the questions
usually asked by members of the public, I hope that this website
does justice to the Household Cavalry Regiment who - in my view
- really are . . .

The Best!

I also provide an insight into what may be a fairly typical day
in the life of the Mounted Regiment, as well as a fairly typical
year in the life of the Mounted Regiment - however, as the
Regiment can and does testify, life is never as simple or as
straightforward as I describe!

I must apologise for the lack of photographs in a number of places,
which I hope to address with the passage of time.

Finally, I offer my sincere apologies for reproducing information
(from reliable sources) within which dates and/or names of
appointments appear to be incomplete, or not to make any sense.

Unfortunately, the sources I have used appear to be the only ones,
and expected to be definitive.

Peter J Ashman - Life Member, The Life Guards Association

Acknowledgements

I am indebted to a number of persons, not least the following:

Colonel Hamon P D Massey, former Commander Household Cavalry
and Silver Stick, whose vast experience and knowledge of everything
to do with the Household Cavalry, combined with an enthusiasm for
the Regiment - and a desire for accuracy of detail - was invaluable to me.

Colonel P J Tabor MVO, Commander Household Cavalry and Silver Stick
(at the time this website was launched), as he gave me every
encouragement with the project during the time of his appointment.

Major A Kersting (Retd), former Curator of The Household Cavalry
Museum at Windsor - those who know "Paddy" will testify to his
unrivalled knowledge of the Regiment and its history.
His enthusiasm and energy inspired me.

I am indebted to:
Captain Mark Kingston MBE (former QM),
Captain Jon Pass, RHG/D (Recruiting Officer),
Captain Bryan Rogers,
WO1 (RCM) Shaun Pickford,
WO1 (RCM) Adrian Gardner,
and S/Cpls Alan Button and Martin Peet (Master Tailors)
for so kindly assisting with general queries, illustrations,
and descriptions of the various uniforms worn by both the
Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment and the Mounted Regiment.

Mention of photographs (of uniforms) requires a special vote
of thanks to the Commanding Officer of the Household Cavalry
Regiment at Windsor, for arranging two separate photo-shoots
for me, on two separate dates, for which I also have to thank
the subjects themselves, for laboriously (but willingly) donning
various orders of dress for me. All were most co-operative
and patient (as well as being photogenic).

They were:
2nd Lieutenant Richard Bavister (LG),
Cornet Simon Deverell (RHG/D),
WO2 Shaun Pickford (RHG/D),
and L/Cpl Lee Walker (LG).

I am also indebted to:
WO2 (BCM) Richard Allen, LG (School of Army Music),
and WO2 Mark Redman (Band of The Blues And Royals),
for their enthusiasm, and assistance in providing information
on the Bands, together with fine photographs.

I am also indebted to the late Sgt Ian Liptrott (Media Ops,
Horse Guards), who so generously entertained me in hid
office one day, during which time he provided me with some
of his excellent photographs of HM The Queen, the Gold Sticks,
pictures of the Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment in action,
and the Mounted Regiment on various ceremonial occasions.

Mr Ian Williams, Senior Conservation Architect, Estate Development
Group, Ministry Of Defence - Ian replied very promptly, and positively,
to my initial inquiry regarding the various barrack sites and buildings,
and duly proved to be a veritable fount of information, and as
enthusiastic about my project as Paddy (Kersting)!

I am also indebted to Major Gerry Bartlett (National Heritage),
and to the authors/publishers of a book entitled British Barracks
1600-1914: Their Architecture and Role in Society, from which I was
able to enhance my own limited material on the various regimental
quarters of The Household Cavalry.

Their publication is superb, and I commend it to all who are
interested in regimental history.

Finally, there have been numerous books published about
the Household Cavalry over the years, and one or two of these
have been of enormous assistance to me in detailing and verifying
the content of my work. Without them to refer to, the task might
have proved too daunting.

Therefore, I hereby acknowledge all those authors and compilers,
and express my gratitude to them.

Grant Squad - 1957

Peter J Ashman

GOC's Inspection - 1957