The Blues and Royals Wooden Soldier, History of the Royal Horse Guards

The Royal Horse Guards - The Blues and Royals.
Depicted is a limited edition soldier depicting The Royal Horse Guards a British Cavalry regiment today called The Blues and Royals .

Royal Horse Guards

It is their unique privilege to meet the requirement to carry out mounted and some dismounted ceremonial duties on State and Royal occasions which include the provision of a Sovereign's Escort most commonly seen at the Queen's Birthday Parade in June each year. Other occasions include Sovereign's Escorts for Her Majesty The Queen during State Visits by visiting Heads of State, and as required by Her Majesty anywhere in the Kingdom. They maintain a world-famous tradition dating back to 1660.

Horse Guards is named after the troops who have mounted the Queen's Life Guard on this spot since the Restoration of King Charles II in 1660. Horse Guards remains the official entrance to St James's and Buckingham Palace and this is why The Queen's Life Guard is still mounted here. Apart from members of the Royal Family or cavalrymen on duty, everyone needs the Sovereign's permission in the form of an Ivory Pass to either drive or ride through Horse Guards.

The Origins of The Royal Horse Guards trace back to a force raised by Oliver Cromwell. In 1660 Royalists replaced parliamentary Officers and the Royal Horse Guards saw almost continuous service in Flanders,the Boyne, the War of Austrian Succession and the Seven Years War commanded by the Marquis of Granby.The Regiment fought at the Battle of Vittoria 1813 during the Peninsular Campaign and as part of the Household Cavalry Brigade at the Battle of Waterloo 1815. The Regiment with the Duke of Wellington as its Colonel, was elevated to the status of Household Cavalry in 1820. During Britians small Colonial Wars the Royal Horse Guards saw action in Egypt 1882 the Sudan and South Africa. In the First World War the Royal Horse Guards saw action in France and Flanders likewise in World War II the Regiment served in Palestine, Syria and the invasion of Normandy.

The Royal Dragoons origins trace to a troop of horse raised by King Charles II in 1661 to form part of the garrison of Tangier. They became Dragoons on their return to England in 1683, the term Dragoon being derived from the 'dragon', a musket suitable for mounted infantry. The Regiment served in the War of Spanish Succession, the War of Austrian Succession and in the Spanish Peninsula and the Battle of Waterloo where the Regiment captured the Colour, surmounted by an eagle, of the French 105th infantry Regiment. During Queen Victoria Reign the Royal Dragoons saw action in the Crimea, the Boer War and in India. During the First World War the Royal Horse Guards fought at Ypres, Loos, Hohenzollern and the Hindenburg Line . Between the Wars the Royal Dragoons were stationed in Egypt, India and Palestine. They deployed to the Western Desert in 1941 seeing action in North Africa at El Alamein. In 1944 Operation Overlord saw the Royal Dragoons in Normandy from where they liberated Copenhagen in 1945. The Royal Dragoons were amalagamated with the Royal Horse Guards in 1969 to form the Blues and Royals.

Strictly Limited Edition Horse Guard - Wooden Soldier

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

Click here for our 17 inch, trophy sized Horse Guardr.

Wooden Soldier Regimental Histories

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