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The Coldstream Guards - Trooping the Colour, Buckingham Palace.
My limited edition soldier depicts a Queens Guardsman c.1914

Coldstream Guards

The modern-day Coldstream Guards is directly descended from Monck's Regiment of Foot and is therefore the oldest Regiment in continuous service with the British Army. After Oliver Cromwell's death in 1658, Charles saw again his opportunity to reclaim the English throne. On 1st January 1660, General Monck assembled a large part of his troops in the little town of Coldstream on the Scottish border and marched to London reaking the army's domination of the Government and brought about the election of a freely-chosen parliament, which met on 25th April 1660. One of the first acts of this new Parliament was to vote for the return of the Monarchy.

On 25 May 1660, the King landed at Dover and Parliament passed an act ordering the disbandment of the entire New Model Army. No exceptions, including General Monck's regiments, were allowed, although one concession was made: they should be the last to disappear.

This concession had far reaching effects two days before Monck's Regiments were to be disbanded, an armed revolt occurred against the King, forcing an alarmed Parliament somewhat reluctantly to call on Monck's Regiment of Foot for help. Monck's men, veterans of a decade of hard campaigning, swiftly quelled the rebels and ended the rioting. A grateful Parliament repealed the order for disbandment. On 14 February 1661, Monck's Regiment of Foot paraded at Tower Hill. The men symbolically laid down their arms and with them their association with the New Model Army. They were immediately ordered to take them up again as Royal troops in the New Standing Army. The new Regiment received the title of The Lord General's Regiment of Foot Guards and became Household Troops from that moment.

The Regiment saw much active service over the next few decades. In 1678, it served in Flanders before taking part in the Battle of Sedgemore in 1687, which ended the Monmouth Rebellion. Tangiers in 1680, Battle of Walcourt (1689), the Limden campaign (1693) and the Siege of Namur (1695). In July 1702, the Coldstream Guards weres sent to Cadiz and Vigo. In July 1704 the guards saw action in Gibraltar and Spain as well.The Battles of Oudenarde in 1708 and Malplaquet in 1709 and Vigo in 1742, the Battle of Fontenoy in 1745 and Flushing in 1747. The Coldstream Guards fought throughout the American War of Independence and returned home after Lord Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown to a stronger American force of some 20,000 men,including 7000 French troops.

During the Napoleonic Wars the Coldstream Guards distinguished itself at the sieges of Valenciennes and Lincelles and the battle of Egmont-op-Zee.In Egypt the Coldstreamers were awarded the distinctive badge of the Sphinx, superscribed Egypt, for their conspicuous service the campaign that blighted Napoleon's dream of world conquest. At the Battle of Waterloo the guards Courageousy defended Hougoumont and during the Crimean War the Coldstream Guards played an important part in the Battles of Alma, Inkerman and Sevastopol. In 1882 the Coldstream Guards saw service in Egypt against the rebels under Arabi Pashi. The campaign ended after the Battle of Tel-el-Kebir in 1885 the Guardsn embarked for the Suakin Campaign and in 1899 left for South Africa on the outbreak of the Boer War.

In the first World War the Regiment took part in many of the War''s most significant engagements, including the Retreat from Mons, the battles at Marne, Aisne and Ypres during 1914 - 15 and those at Loos, the Somme, Ginchy and the 3rd Battle of Ypres in the War''s later stages suffering heavy casualties throughout the War. In the second world war the Coldstream Guards took to the field with the British Expeditionary Force in France. During the following six years the Coldstream fought throughout Europe and North Africa: France 1939 - 40, Egypt 1939 -42, North Africa 1942, Italy 1943 - 45, Normandy to Baltic 1944 - 45.

Strictly Limited Edition Coldstream Guard - Wooden Soldier

Click here for details of the large hand carved wooden Coldstream Guard along with our range of Ceremonial Soldiers.

Click here for our 17 inch, trophy sized Coldstream Guard.

Wooden Soldier Regimental Histories

All of our wooden soldiers are made in strictly limited editions, click here for a regimental history of each soldier.