1.
Household Cavalry
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The Household Cavalry is made up of the two most senior regiments of the British Army, the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals. The Household Cavalry is part of the Household Division and is the Queens official bodyguard, the British Household Cavalry is classed as a corps in its own right, and consists of two regiments, the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals. They are the regular regiments in the British Army, with traditions dating from 1660. They are guards regiments and, with the five foot guard regiments, the Household Cavalry as a whole is split into two different units that fulfil very distinct roles. These are both joint units, consisting of personnel from both regiments, like other Cavalry formations, the Household Cavalry is divided into regiments and squadrons. The whole corps is under the command of the Commander Household Cavalry and he is a Colonel, and is assisted by a retired lieutenant colonel as Regimental Adjutant. The current Commander is Colonel S H Cowen RHG/D, the first unit is the Household Cavalry Regiment. It has an operational role as a Formation Reconnaissance Regiment, serving in armoured fighting vehicles. The regiment serves as part of the Royal Armoured Corps, one of HCRs squadrons is assigned to the airborne role with 16 Air Assault Brigade as of 2003. The Regiment is based at Combermere Barracks, Windsor, one mile from Windsor Castle, the men of the Household Division have sometimes been required to undertake special tasks as the Sovereign’s personal troops. The Household Cavalry were called to Windsor Castle on 20 November 1992 to assist with salvage operations following the Great Fire, the second unit is the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, which is horsed and carries out mounted ceremonial duties on State and Royal occasions. These include the provision of a Sovereigns Escort, most commonly seen on The Queens Birthday Parade in June each year, other occasions include state visits by visiting heads of state, or whenever required by the British monarch. The regiment also mounts the guard at Horse Guards, the Regiment has been based at Hyde Park Barracks, Knightsbridge, since 1795. This is three-quarters of a mile from Buckingham Palace, new troopers and officers are generally first assigned to London upon completion of horsemanship training and remain there for up to three years. Like the five Foot Guards regiments they rotate between the unit and ceremonial duties. However, this origin may be apocryphal, since serjeant was a used by some offices of comparative seniority, such as Serjeants at Arms. Uniquely, non-commissioned officers and warrant officers of the Household Cavalry do not wear insignia on their full dress uniforms. Rank is indicated by a system of aiguillettes, Second Lieutenants in The Blues and Royals are known as Cornets
2.
Piebald
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A piebald or pied animal is one that has a pattern of pigmented spots on an unpigmented background of hair, feathers or scales. The spots are pigmented in shades of black and/or yellow as determined by the controlling the color of the animal. The animals skin underneath its coat may or may not be pigmented under the spots, location of the pigmented spots is dependent on the migration of melanoblasts from the neural crest to paired bilateral locations in the skin of the early embryo. The resulting pattern appears symmetrical only if melanoblasts migrate to both locations of a pair and proliferate to the degree in both locations. Animals with this pattern may include horses, dogs, birds, cats, pigs, some animals also exhibit colouration of the irises of the eye that match the surrounding skin. The underlying genetic cause is related to a known as leucism. In medieval English pied indicated alternating contrasting colours making up the quarters of an item of costume or livery device in heraldry, court jesters and minstrels are sometimes depicted in pied costume and this is the origin of the name of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. The word piebald originates from a combination of pie, from magpie, the reference is to the distinctive black-and white plumage of the magpie. In British English piebald and skewbald are together known as coloured, genetically, a piebald horse begins with a black base coat colour, and then the horse also has an allele for one of three basic spotting patterns overlaying the base colour. The most common coloured spotting pattern is called tobiano, and is a dominant gene. Tobiano creates spots that are large and rounded, usually with a vertical orientation, with white that usually crosses the back of the horse, white on the legs. The frame variant has dark or minimally marked legs, the genetics of overo and sabino are not yet fully understood, but they can appear in the offspring of two solid-coloured parents, whereas a tobiano must always have at least one tobiano parent. The various types of magpie gave their name to pied coloration, the bald eagle derives its name from the word piebald in reference to the contrast of its white head and tail with dark body. The term was used in The Conservationist by Nadine Gordimer when referring to kingfishers, many other animal species may also be pied or piebald including, but not limited to, squirrels and birds. Snakes, especially ball pythons and corn snakes, may also exhibit seemingly varying patches of completely pigmentless scales along with patches of pigmented scales, some domesticated foxes born from the Russian Institute of Cytology and Genetics also carry this coloring. Recently, a piebald blood python was discovered in Sumatra, bicolor cats carry the piebald gene. The same pattern applies to cats also applies to dogs when the white spotting gene involved is indeed piebald. The piebald gene is found in domestic guinea pigs, goldfish, rabbits, hamsters, goats, fancy rats, cows
3.
Regiment
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A regiment is a military unit. Their role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, in Medieval Europe, the term regiment denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted in one geographical area, by a leader who was often also the feudal lord of the soldiers. By the 17th century, a regiment was usually about a thousand personnel. In many armies, the first role has been assumed by independent battalions, battlegroups, task forces, brigades and other, similarly-sized operational units. By the beginning of the 18th century, regiments in most European continental armies had evolved into permanent units with distinctive titles and uniforms, when at full strength, an infantry regiment normally comprised two field battalions of about 800 men each or 8–10 companies. In some armies, an independent regiment with fewer companies was labelled a demi-regiment, a cavalry regiment numbered 600 to 900 troopers, making up a single entity. With the widespread adoption of conscription in European armies during the nineteenth century, the regimental system underwent modification. Prior to World War I, a regiment in the French, German, Russian. As far as possible, the battalions would be garrisoned in the same military district, so that the regiment could be mobilized. A cavalry regiment by contrast made up an entity of up to 1,000 troopers. Usually, the regiment is responsible for recruiting and administering all of a military career. Depending upon the country, regiments can be either combat units or administrative units or both and this is often contrasted to the continental system adopted by many armies. Generally, divisions are garrisoned together and share the same installations, thus, in divisional administration, soldiers and officers are transferred in and out of divisions as required. Some regiments recruited from specific areas, and usually incorporated the place name into the regimental name. In other cases, regiments would recruit from an age group within a nation. In other cases, new regiments were raised for new functions within an army, e. g. the Fusiliers, the Parachute Regiment, a key aspect of the regimental system is that the regiment or battalion is the fundamental tactical building block. This flows historically from the period, when battalions were widely dispersed and virtually autonomous. For example, a regiment might include different types of battalions of different origins, within the regimental system, soldiers, and usually officers, are always posted to a tactical unit of their own regiment whenever posted to field duty
4.
British Army
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The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom. As of 2017 the British Army comprises just over 80,000 trained Regular, or full-time, personnel and just over 26,500 trained Reserve, or part-time personnel. Therefore, the UK Parliament approves the continued existence of the Army by passing an Armed Forces Act at least once every five years, day to day the Army comes under administration of the Ministry of Defence and is commanded by the Chief of the General Staff. Repeatedly emerging victorious from these decisive wars allowed Britain to influence world events with its policies and establish itself as one of the leading military. In 1660 the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were restored under Charles II, Charles favoured the foundation of a new army under royal control and began work towards its establishment by August 1660. The Royal Scots Army and the Irish Army were financed by the Parliament of Scotland, the order of seniority of the most senior line regiments in the British Army is based on the order of seniority in the English army. At that time there was only one English regiment of dragoons, after William and Marys accession to the throne, England involved itself in the War of the Grand Alliance, primarily to prevent a French invasion restoring Marys father, James II. Spain, in the two centuries, had been the dominant global power, and the chief threat to Englands early transatlantic ambitions. The territorial ambitions of the French, however, led to the War of the Spanish Succession and the Napoleonic Wars. From the time of the end of the Seven Years War in 1763, Great Britain was the naval power. As had its predecessor, the English Army, the British Army fought the Kingdoms of Spain, France, and the Netherlands for supremacy in North America and the West Indies. With native and provincial assistance, the Army conquered New France in the North American theatre of the Seven Years War, the British Army suffered defeat in the American War of Independence, losing the Thirteen Colonies but holding on to Canada. The British Army was heavily involved in the Napoleonic Wars and served in campaigns across Europe. The war between the British and the First French Empire of Napoleon Bonaparte stretched around the world and at its peak, in 1813, the regular army contained over 250,000 men. A Coalition of Anglo-Dutch and Prussian Armies under the Duke of Wellington, the English had been involved, both politically and militarily, in Ireland since being given the Lordship of Ireland by the Pope in 1171. The campaign of the English republican Protector, Oliver Cromwell, involved uncompromising treatment of the Irish towns that had supported the Royalists during the English Civil War, the English Army stayed in Ireland primarily to suppress numerous Irish revolts and campaigns for independence. Having learnt from their experience in America, the British government sought a political solution, the British Army found itself fighting Irish rebels, both Protestant and Catholic, primarily in Ulster and Leinster in the 1798 rebellion. The Haldane Reforms of 1907 formally created the Territorial Force as the Armys volunteer reserve component by merging and reorganising the Volunteer Force, Militia, Great Britains dominance of the world had been challenged by numerous other powers, in the 20th century, most notably Germany
5.
Commonwealth of Nations
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The Commonwealth of Nations, also known as simply the Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of 52 member states that are mostly former territories of the British Empire. The Commonwealth dates back to the century with the decolonisation of the British Empire through increased self-governance of its territories. It was formally constituted by the London Declaration in 1949, which established the states as free. The symbol of free association is Queen Elizabeth II who is the Head of the Commonwealth. The Queen is also the monarch of 16 members of the Commonwealth, the other Commonwealth members have different heads of state,31 members are republics and five are monarchies with a different monarch. Member states have no obligation to one another. Instead, they are united by language, history, culture and their values of democracy, free speech, human rights. These values are enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter and promoted by the quadrennial Commonwealth Games, the Commonwealth covers more than 29,958,050 km2, 20% of the worlds land area, and spans all six inhabited continents. She declared, So, it marks the beginning of that free association of independent states which is now known as the Commonwealth of Nations. As long ago as 1884, however, Lord Rosebery, while visiting Australia, had described the changing British Empire—as some of its colonies became more independent—as a Commonwealth of Nations. Conferences of British and colonial prime ministers occurred periodically from the first one in 1887, the Commonwealth developed from the imperial conferences. Newfoundland never did, as on 16 February 1934, with the consent of its parliament, Newfoundland later joined Canada as its 10th province in 1949. Australia and New Zealand ratified the Statute in 1942 and 1947 respectively, after World War II ended, the British Empire was gradually dismantled. Most of its components have become independent countries, whether Commonwealth realms or republics, there remain the 14 British overseas territories still held by the United Kingdom. In April 1949, following the London Declaration, the word British was dropped from the title of the Commonwealth to reflect its changing nature, burma and Aden are the only states that were British colonies at the time of the war not to have joined the Commonwealth upon independence. Hoped for success was reinforced by such achievements as climbing Mount Everest in 1953, breaking the four minute mile in 1954, however, the humiliation of the Suez Crisis of 1956 badly hurt morale of Britain and the Commonwealth as a whole. More broadly, there was the loss of a role of the British Empire. That role was no longer militarily or financially feasible, as Britains withdrawal from Greece in 1947 painfully demonstrated, Britain itself was now just one part of the NATO military alliance in which the Commonwealth had no role apart from Canada
6.
Infantry
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Infantry is the general branch of an army that engages in military combat on foot. As the troops who engage with the enemy in close-ranged combat, infantry units bear the largest brunt of warfare, Infantry can enter and maneuver in terrain that is inaccessible to military vehicles and employ crew-served infantry weapons that provide greater and more sustained firepower. In English, the 16th-century term Infantry describes soldiers who walk to the battlefield, and there engage, fight, the term arose in Sixteenth-Century Spain, which boasted one of the first professional standing armies seen in Europe since the days of Rome. It was common to appoint royal princes to military commands, and the men under them became known as Infanteria. in the Canadian Army, the role of the infantry is to close with, and destroy the enemy. In the U. S. Army, the closes with the enemy, by means of fire and maneuver, in order to destroy or capture him, or to repel his assault by fire, close combat. In the U. S. Marine Corps, the role of the infantry is to locate, close with, and destroy the enemy fire and maneuver. Beginning with the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th century, artillery has become a dominant force on the battlefield. Since World War I, combat aircraft and armoured vehicles have become dominant. In 20th and 21st century warfare, infantry functions most effectively as part of a combined arms team including artillery, armour, Infantry relies on organized formations to be employed in battle. These have evolved over time, but remain a key element to effective infantry development and deployment, until the end of the 19th century, infantry units were for the most part employed in close formations up until contact with the enemy. This allowed commanders to control of the unit, especially while maneuvering. The development of guns and other weapons with increased firepower forced infantry units to disperse in order to make them less vulnerable to such weapons. This decentralization of command was made possible by improved communications equipment, among the various subtypes of infantry is Medium infantry. This refers to infantry which are heavily armed and armored than heavy infantry. In the early period, medium infantry were largely eliminated due to discontinued use of body armour up until the 20th century. In the United States Army, Stryker Infantry is considered Medium Infantry, since they are heavier than light infantry, Infantry doctrine is the concise expression of how infantry forces contribute to campaigns, major operations, battles, and engagements. It is a guide to action, not a set of hard, doctrine provides a very common frame of reference across the military forces, allowing the infantry to function cooperatively in what are now called combined arms operations. Doctrine helps standardise operations, facilitating readiness by establishing common ways of accomplishing infantry tasks, doctrine links theory, history, experimentation, and practice
7.
Military colours, standards and guidons
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The Roman Empire also made battle standards a part of their vast armies. It was formalized in the armies of Europe in the High Middle Ages, as armies became trained and adopted set formations, each regiments ability to keep its formation was potentially critical to its, and therefore its armys, success. In the chaos of battle, not least due to the amount of dust and smoke on a battlefield, Regimental flags are generally awarded to a regiment by a head-of-State during a ceremony. They were therefore treated with reverence as they represented the honour, Colours may be inscribed with the names of battles or other symbols representing former achievements. Regiments tended to adopt colour guards, composed of experienced or élite soldiers, as a result, the capture of an enemys standard was considered as a great feat of arms. They are never capriciously destroyed – when too old to use they are replaced and then laid-up in museums, religious buildings and other places of significance to their regiment. However, in most modern armies, standing orders now call for the Colours to be destroyed if they are ever in jeopardy of being captured by the enemy. Due to the advent of modern weapons, and subsequent changes in tactics, Colours are no longer carried into battle, but continue to be used at events of formal character. The Armed Forces of the Argentine Republics military Colours of the Argentine Army, Argentine Navy and Argentine Air Force are the Flag of Argentina as the National War Colour and the Unit Colour. The National War Colour is a variation of the Argentine national flag made for use, while the Unit Colour differs per service arm. Only the Regiment of Patricians uses company colors, cadet squadron colours are used by the Argentine Air Force Academy. Units of the Brazilian Armed Forces carry a stand of two Colours, differing per service, the standard of the Army measures 80 ×120 cm, white with the Army coat of arms in the centre, trimmed with gold fringe. The name of the service is inscribed in letters on a green scroll beneath the shield. Above the shield is a helmet with red and sky blue mantling. The staff is topped by a nickel-plated lance-head finial,32 cm high, ten red streamers with campaign honours inscribed in sky blue letters are also attached below the lance-head. The staff is 212 cm long, not including the lance-head and it is covered in sky blue velvet with a red spiral strip. The colour belt is 10 cm in width, covered with sky blue velvet with red velvet stripes, the Navys flag uses dark blue colours, the Air Force flag ultramarine blue. Brazilian military units also carry the flag as a National Colour
8.
Ensign (rank)
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Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in a regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag. This rank has generally replaced in army ranks by second lieutenant. Ensigns were generally the lowest ranking commissioned officer, except where the rank of subaltern existed. In contrast, the Arab rank of ensign, لواء, liwa, derives from the command of units with an ensign, not the carrier of such a units ensign, and is today the equivalent of a major general. Ensign is enseigne in French, and chorąży in Polish, each of which derives from a term for a flag, the Spanish alférez and Portuguese alferes is a junior officer rank below lieutenant associated with carrying the flag, and so is often translated as ensign. Unlike the rank in other languages, its etymology has nothing to do with flags, in the German Landsknecht armies, the equivalent rank of a Cornet existed for those men who carried the troop standard. It is still used in the artillery and cavalry divisions of the Netherlands, the NATO rank code is OF-1. In Argentina, the rank of ensign is used by both the air force and the gendarmerie and it is, however, used differently in the two services. The air force uses the rank for newly qualified officers, while the gendarmerie uses ensign ranks as an equivalent for the armys lieutenant ranks, the other armed forces of Argentina have ranks equivalent to ensign, subteniente in the army and guardiamarina in the navy. In the army, the most junior sublieutenant in a regiment is also the flag carrier, during the Ancien Régime in France, as in other countries, the ensign was the banner of an infantry regiment. As in other countries, the name began to be used for the officers who carried the ensign and it was renamed sub-lieutenant at the end of the 18th century. The Navy used a rank of ensign, which was the first officer rank. It was briefly renamed ship-of-the-line sub-lieutenant in the end of the 18th century, nowadays, the rank is still used in the Marine Nationale, Ship-of-the-line ensign is the name of the two lowest officer ranks Both ranks of ensign use the style lieutenant. However, French-Canadian sub-lieutenants use the form of enseigne instead of lieutenant. The rank ensign is used to refer to second lieutenants in household regiments of the Canadian Army. Fähnrich which has a parallel etymology to ensign, containing the corresponding German word stem of flag in it, is a German, the word Fähnrich comes from an older German military title, Fahnenträger, and first became a distinct military rank on 1 January 1899. The German Fähnrich is a non-commissioned officer promoted from the rank of Fahnenjunker or Seekadett, Fähnrich is equivalent to Feldwebel, but with additional responsibilities as an officer cadet
9.
Queen's Official Birthday
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The sovereigns birthday was first officially marked in the United Kingdom in 1748, for King George II. In some cases, it is a public holiday, sometimes aligning with the celebration of other events. Most Commonwealth realms release a Queens Birthday Honours list at this time, except in the states of Western Australia and Queensland, Australia observes the Queens Birthday on the second Monday in June. There is no rule to determine this date, though it is usually the last Monday of September or the first Monday of October. Starting in 2016, Queensland celebrates the holiday on the first Monday of October, so that a long weekend coincides with the AFL, the day has been celebrated since 1788, when Governor Arthur Phillip declared a holiday to mark the birthday of the King of Great Britain. Until 1936, it was held on the birthday of the monarch. This has more evenly spaced out public holidays throughout the year, the Queens Birthday weekend and Empire Day were the traditional times for public fireworks displays in Australia. The sale of fireworks to the public was banned in various states through the 1980s, tasmania is the only state and the Northern Territory the only territory to still sell fireworks to the public. The Queens Birthday Honours List, in new members of the Order of Australia. A royal proclamation issued on 5 February 1957 established the Canadian monarchs official birthday as the last Monday before 25 May. The sovereigns birthday had been observed in Canada since 1845, when the parliament of the Province of Canada passed a statute to officially recognize Queen Victorias birthday,24 May. Edward VIII abdicated on 11 December 1936, three days before the birthday of his brother, the new king of Canada, George VI, the King expressed to his ministers his wish that his birthday not be publicly celebrated, in light of the recent circumstances. George VIs official birthday in Canada was thereafter marked on various days between 20 May and 14 June, the two holidays are in law entirely distinct except for being appointed to be observed on the same day, it is a general holiday in Nunavut and New Brunswick. The reigning Canadian monarch has been in Canada for his or her birthday twice. The first time was 20 May 1939, when King George VI was on a coast-to-coast tour of Canada, in 2014, the couple attended a ceremony in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Despite Fiji ceasing to be a Commonwealth realm in 1987, following a military coup détat. That year, the government of Commodore Frank Bainimarama announced the holiday would be abolished. In New Zealand, the holiday is the first Monday in June, celebrations are mainly official, including the Queens Birthday Honours list and military ceremonies
10.
Horse Guards Parade
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Horse Guards Parade is a large parade ground off Whitehall in central London, at grid reference TQ299800. It is the site of the ceremonies of Trooping the Colour, which commemorates the monarchs official birthday. Horse Guards Parade was formerly the site of the Palace of Whitehalls tiltyard and it was also the scene of annual celebrations of the birthday of Queen Elizabeth I. The area has used for a variety of reviews, parades. It was once the Headquarters of the British Army, the Duke of Wellington was based in Horse Guards when he was Commander-in-Chief of the British Army. The current General Officer Commanding London District still occupies the same office, Wellington also had living quarters within the building, which today are used as offices. For much of the late 20th century, Horse Guards Parade was used as a car park for senior civil servants, about 500 were granted the privilege, which was known as the Great Perk. The proposal was taken up by the Department of National Heritage but then resisted by senior Cabinet members, apparently under pressure from the civil servants who were to lose their parking places. Public revelation of the led to considerable criticism, with Simon Jenkins urging the Head of the Home Civil Service, Sir Robin Butler. In late 1996 Horse Guards Parade was cleared in order to be resurfaced, finally in March 1997 it was announced that car parking on Horse Guards Parade was to be ended. Vehicles are no longer permitted to park anywhere in the area, the parade ground is open on the west side, where it faces Horse Guards Road and St. Jamess Park. Access to this side of Horse Guards Parade is now restricted for security reasons, in 2003 the Royal Naval Division Memorial, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens in 1925, was returned to its original site in Horse Guards Parade and rededicated on Beaucourt Day. Horse Guards Parade hosted the beach volleyball at the 2012 Summer Olympics held in London, temporary courts and seating designed by Populous were installed by the Arena Group, much as seating is installed annually for Trooping the Colour. Most matches were played on Centre Court, but some matches were played on Court 1 on day 6 of the competition, Horse Guards Parade hosted the 1st London Polo Championships on 17 and 18 June 2009 with teams from around the world. On Sunday 20 July 2014, a temporary arena played host to the anniversary games and it consisted of 4 blocks of single tier seating, a long jump and shot putt pit, containing 15,000 tonnes of sand. It also had a 110-metre raised track, a pole vault, the event was broadcast live on channel 4 in the UK. Media related to Horse Guards at Wikimedia Commons
11.
St James's Park
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St Jamess Park is a 23-hectare park in the City of Westminster, central London. The park lies at the southernmost tip of the St Jamess area, the park is the most easterly of a near-continuous chain of parks that comprises Green Park, Hyde Park, and Kensington Gardens. The park is bounded by Buckingham Palace to the west, the Mall to the north, Horse Guards to the east and it meets Green Park at Queens Gardens with the Victoria Memorial at its centre, opposite the entrance to Buckingham Palace. St Jamess Palace is on the side of The Mall. The closest London Underground stations are St Jamess Park, Green Park, Victoria, the park has a small lake, St Jamess Park Lake, with two islands, West Island, and Duck Island, named for the lakes collection of waterfowl. A resident colony of pelicans has been a feature of the park since pelicans were donated by a Russian ambassador in 1664 to Charles II. While most of the time the wings are clipped, there is a pelican who can be flying to the London Zoo in hopes of another meal. The Blue Bridge across the lake affords a view west towards Buckingham Palace framed by trees. Looking east the view includes the Swire Fountain to the north of Duck Island and, past the lake, the grounds of Horse Guards Parade, with Horse Guards, the Old War Office and Whitehall Court behind. To the south of Duck Island is the Tiffany Fountain on Pelican Rock, and past the lake is the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, with the London Eye, the Shell Tower, and the Shard behind. In 1532, Henry VIII bought an area of marshland through which the Tyburn flowed from Eton College. It lies to the west of York Place acquired by Henry from Cardinal Wolsey, it was purchased in order to turn York Palace, subsequently renamed Whitehall, a 775 metre by 38 metre canal was created as evidenced in the old plan. The king opened the park to the public and used the area to entertain guests and mistresses, such as Nell Gwyn. The park became notorious at the time as a place for impromptu acts of lechery, as described by John Wilmot. In the late-17th and early-18th centuries cows grazed on the park, at the same time, Buckingham House was expanded to create the palace, and Marble Arch was built at its entrance, whilst The Mall was turned into a grand processional route. It opened to public traffic 60 years later in 1887, the Marble Arch was moved to its current location at the junction of Oxford Street and Park Lane in 1851 and the Victoria Memorial was erected between 1906 and 1924. Media related to St Jamess Park at Wikimedia Commons Visitor information at the Royal Parks website
12.
BBC
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The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. It is headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, the BBC is the worlds oldest national broadcasting organisation and the largest broadcaster in the world by number of employees. It employs over 20,950 staff in total,16,672 of whom are in public sector broadcasting, the total number of staff is 35,402 when part-time, flexible, and fixed contract staff are included. The BBC is established under a Royal Charter and operates under its Agreement with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. The fee is set by the British Government, agreed by Parliament, and used to fund the BBCs radio, TV, britains first live public broadcast from the Marconi factory in Chelmsford took place in June 1920. It was sponsored by the Daily Mails Lord Northcliffe and featured the famous Australian Soprano Dame Nellie Melba, the Melba broadcast caught the peoples imagination and marked a turning point in the British publics attitude to radio. However, this public enthusiasm was not shared in official circles where such broadcasts were held to interfere with important military and civil communications. By late 1920, pressure from these quarters and uneasiness among the staff of the licensing authority, the General Post Office, was sufficient to lead to a ban on further Chelmsford broadcasts. But by 1922, the GPO had received nearly 100 broadcast licence requests, John Reith, a Scottish Calvinist, was appointed its General Manager in December 1922 a few weeks after the company made its first official broadcast. The company was to be financed by a royalty on the sale of BBC wireless receiving sets from approved manufacturers, to this day, the BBC aims to follow the Reithian directive to inform, educate and entertain. The financial arrangements soon proved inadequate, set sales were disappointing as amateurs made their own receivers and listeners bought rival unlicensed sets. By mid-1923, discussions between the GPO and the BBC had become deadlocked and the Postmaster-General commissioned a review of broadcasting by the Sykes Committee and this was to be followed by a simple 10 shillings licence fee with no royalty once the wireless manufactures protection expired. The BBCs broadcasting monopoly was made explicit for the duration of its current broadcast licence, the BBC was also banned from presenting news bulletins before 19.00, and required to source all news from external wire services. Mid-1925 found the future of broadcasting under further consideration, this time by the Crawford committee, by now the BBC under Reiths leadership had forged a consensus favouring a continuation of the unified broadcasting service, but more money was still required to finance rapid expansion. Wireless manufacturers were anxious to exit the loss making consortium with Reith keen that the BBC be seen as a service rather than a commercial enterprise. The recommendations of the Crawford Committee were published in March the following year and were still under consideration by the GPO when the 1926 general strike broke out in May. The strike temporarily interrupted newspaper production and with restrictions on news bulletins waived the BBC suddenly became the source of news for the duration of the crisis. The crisis placed the BBC in a delicate position, the Government was divided on how to handle the BBC but ended up trusting Reith, whose opposition to the strike mirrored the PMs own
13.
Germany
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Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a federal parliamentary republic in central-western Europe. It includes 16 constituent states, covers an area of 357,021 square kilometres, with about 82 million inhabitants, Germany is the most populous member state of the European Union. After the United States, it is the second most popular destination in the world. Germanys capital and largest metropolis is Berlin, while its largest conurbation is the Ruhr, other major cities include Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf and Leipzig. Various Germanic tribes have inhabited the northern parts of modern Germany since classical antiquity, a region named Germania was documented before 100 AD. During the Migration Period the Germanic tribes expanded southward, beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 16th century, northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation, in 1871, Germany became a nation state when most of the German states unified into the Prussian-dominated German Empire. After World War I and the German Revolution of 1918–1919, the Empire was replaced by the parliamentary Weimar Republic, the establishment of the national socialist dictatorship in 1933 led to World War II and the Holocaust. After a period of Allied occupation, two German states were founded, the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic, in 1990, the country was reunified. In the 21st century, Germany is a power and has the worlds fourth-largest economy by nominal GDP. As a global leader in industrial and technological sectors, it is both the worlds third-largest exporter and importer of goods. Germany is a country with a very high standard of living sustained by a skilled. It upholds a social security and universal health system, environmental protection. Germany was a member of the European Economic Community in 1957. It is part of the Schengen Area, and became a co-founder of the Eurozone in 1999, Germany is a member of the United Nations, NATO, the G8, the G20, and the OECD. The national military expenditure is the 9th highest in the world, the English word Germany derives from the Latin Germania, which came into use after Julius Caesar adopted it for the peoples east of the Rhine. This in turn descends from Proto-Germanic *þiudiskaz popular, derived from *þeudō, descended from Proto-Indo-European *tewtéh₂- people, the discovery of the Mauer 1 mandible shows that ancient humans were present in Germany at least 600,000 years ago. The oldest complete hunting weapons found anywhere in the world were discovered in a mine in Schöningen where three 380, 000-year-old wooden javelins were unearthed
14.
Belgium
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Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a sovereign state in Western Europe bordered by France, the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, and the North Sea. It is a small, densely populated country which covers an area of 30,528 square kilometres and has a population of about 11 million people. Additionally, there is a group of German-speakers who live in the East Cantons located around the High Fens area. Historically, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg were known as the Low Countries, the region was called Belgica in Latin, after the Roman province of Gallia Belgica. From the end of the Middle Ages until the 17th century, today, Belgium is a federal constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of governance. It is divided into three regions and three communities, that exist next to each other and its two largest regions are the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders in the north and the French-speaking southern region of Wallonia. The Brussels-Capital Region is a bilingual enclave within the Flemish Region. A German-speaking Community exists in eastern Wallonia, Belgiums linguistic diversity and related political conflicts are reflected in its political history and complex system of governance, made up of six different governments. Upon its independence, declared in 1830, Belgium participated in the Industrial Revolution and, during the course of the 20th century, possessed a number of colonies in Africa. This continuing antagonism has led to several far-reaching reforms, resulting in a transition from a unitary to a federal arrangement during the period from 1970 to 1993. Belgium is also a member of the Eurozone, NATO, OECD and WTO. Its capital, Brussels, hosts several of the EUs official seats as well as the headquarters of major international organizations such as NATO. Belgium is also a part of the Schengen Area, Belgium is a developed country, with an advanced high-income economy and is categorized as very high in the Human Development Index. A gradual immigration by Germanic Frankish tribes during the 5th century brought the area under the rule of the Merovingian kings, a gradual shift of power during the 8th century led the kingdom of the Franks to evolve into the Carolingian Empire. Many of these fiefdoms were united in the Burgundian Netherlands of the 14th and 15th centuries, the Eighty Years War divided the Low Countries into the northern United Provinces and the Southern Netherlands. The latter were ruled successively by the Spanish and the Austrian Habsburgs and this was the theatre of most Franco-Spanish and Franco-Austrian wars during the 17th and 18th centuries. The reunification of the Low Countries as the United Kingdom of the Netherlands occurred at the dissolution of the First French Empire in 1815, although the franchise was initially restricted, universal suffrage for men was introduced after the general strike of 1893 and for women in 1949. The main political parties of the 19th century were the Catholic Party, French was originally the single official language adopted by the nobility and the bourgeoisie
15.
The Mall, London
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The Mall is a road in the City of Westminster, central London, between Buckingham Palace at its western end and Trafalgar Square via Admiralty Arch to the east. Before it terminates at Whitehall it is met by Horse Guards Road and Spring Gardens where the Metropolitan Board of Works and it is closed to traffic on Sundays, public holidays and on ceremonial occasions. The Mall began as a field for playing pall-mall, in the 17th and 18th centuries it was a fashionable promenade, bordered by trees. C. These routes were intended to be used for major national ceremonies, as part of the development – designed by Aston Webb – a new façade was constructed for Buckingham Palace, and the Victoria Memorial was erected. The Queen Victoria Memorial is immediately before the gates of the Palace, the length of The Mall from where it joins Constitution Hill at the Victoria Memorial end to Admiralty Arch is exactly 0.5 nautical miles. St. Jamess Park is on the side of The Mall, opposite Green Park and St Jamess Palace. Running off The Mall at its end is Horse Guards Parade. The surface of The Mall is coloured red to give the effect of a giant red carpet leading up to Buckingham Palace and this colour was obtained using synthetic iron oxide pigment from Deanshanger Oxide Works, which was created using the Deanox Process devised by chemist Ernest Lovell. It was David Eccles decision, as Minister of Works from 1951 to 1954 and these scenes were repeated in 2011 for the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, and again in 2012 for the Queens Diamond Jubilee, and the Jubilee concert. Scheduled buses are not allowed to use the Mall and go past Buckingham Palace except by permission of the monarch and this has only happened twice in history, in 1927 and in 1950. The annual London Marathon finishes on The Mall and it was also the start and finish line for the marathon course, the road race, and the race walks of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The womens marathon took place on 5 August and the mens Olympic marathon on 12 August, the mens 20 km walk took place on 4 August, with the mens 50 km walk and womens 20 km walk took place on 11 August. The Paralympic marathons were held on 9 September, media related to The Mall, London at Wikimedia Commons
16.
Buckingham Palace
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Buckingham Palace is the London residence and administrative headquarters of the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and it has been a focal point for the British people at times of national rejoicing and mourning. It was acquired by King George III in 1761 as a residence for Queen Charlotte. During the 19th century it was enlarged, principally by architects John Nash and Edward Blore, Buckingham Palace became the London residence of the British monarch on the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837. The palace chapel was destroyed by a German bomb during World War II, the original early 19th-century interior designs, many of which survive, include widespread use of brightly coloured scagliola and blue and pink lapis, on the advice of Sir Charles Long. King Edward VII oversaw a partial redecoration in a Belle Époque cream, many smaller reception rooms are furnished in the Chinese regency style with furniture and fittings brought from the Royal Pavilion at Brighton and from Carlton House. The palace has 775 rooms, and the garden is the largest private garden in London, the state rooms, used for official and state entertaining, are open to the public each year for most of August and September and on some days in winter and spring. In the Middle Ages, the site of the palace formed part of the Manor of Ebury. The marshy ground was watered by the river Tyburn, which flows below the courtyard. Where the river was fordable, the village of Eye Cross grew, ownership of the site changed hands many times, owners included Edward the Confessor and his queen consort Edith of Wessex in late Saxon times, and, after the Norman Conquest, William the Conqueror. William gave the site to Geoffrey de Mandeville, who bequeathed it to the monks of Westminster Abbey, in 1531, King Henry VIII acquired the Hospital of St James from Eton College, and in 1536 he took the Manor of Ebury from Westminster Abbey. These transfers brought the site of Buckingham Palace back into royal hands for the first time since William the Conqueror had given it away almost 500 years earlier, various owners leased it from royal landlords and the freehold was the subject of frenzied speculation during the 17th century. By then, the old village of Eye Cross had long fallen into decay. Needing money, James I sold off part of the Crown freehold, clement Walker in Anarchia Anglicana refers to new-erected sodoms and spintries at the Mulberry Garden at S. Jamess, this suggests it may have been a place of debauchery. Eventually, in the late 17th century, the freehold was inherited from the property tycoon Sir Hugh Audley by the great heiress Mary Davies, possibly the first house erected within the site was that of a Sir William Blake, around 1624. The next owner was Lord Goring, who from 1633 extended Blakes house and he did not, however, obtain the freehold interest in the mulberry garden. Unbeknown to Goring, in 1640 the document failed to pass the Great Seal before King Charles I fled London and it was this critical omission that helped the British royal family regain the freehold under King George III. The improvident Goring defaulted on his rents, Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington obtained the mansion and was occupying it, now known as Goring House, Arlington House rose on the site—the location of the southern wing of todays palace—the next year
17.
Household Division
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In the United Kingdom, the most senior infantry and cavalry regiments are respectively known as the Foot Guards, and the Household Cavalry. From this origin developed the practice of designating a country’s finest military units as forming Household or Guards regiments, members of the Household Divisions would accompany the monarch to protect him when he ventured into the public. Hence, as kingdoms grew larger and more complex, the Household Divisions naturally became part of the public spectacle of the state. Their uniforms, weapons and even personal attributes such as height were selected to engender awe on ceremonial occasions, the Household Divisions thus developed a tradition of providing a theatrical ceremonial accompaniment to important national events. From this development comes the association of Household Divisions with wealth, snobbery, and discrimination, today, members of the remaining Household Divisions continue to enjoy a certain social prestige within the armed forces and the state at large. They do, however, continue to fulfil their roles at state occasions. The Household Division concept is not applied in Australia and it does not have a protective role for the Head of State. Drawing its members from all three services of the Australian Defence Force, the Guard is the first purely ceremonial unit in the history of the Australian Defence Force. There are two Canadian Household Foot Guards, the Governor Generals Foot Guards and the Canadian Grenadier Guards, the three Household Divisions are all members of the Primary Reserve rather than a regular force units. All three regiments contribute active soldiers and ceremonial guards, the Governor Generals Foot Guards and the Canadian Grenadier Guards combine on an ad hoc basis to form the infantry Ceremonial Guard. Prior to 1970, the four battalions of the now disbanded Canadian Guards provided the infantry element of the Household Division. Although India is a republic, its history as an empire within the British Empire has left it with a host of institutions of quasi-imperial forms, as a result, the Indian military retains two Household Divisions, despite recognising the authority of no royal household. The Brigade of the Guards is the countrys Foot Guard regiment, the Malaysian Army maintains two Household Divisionns, the Royal Malay Regiment, and the Mounted Ceremonial Squadron, Royal Armoured Corps. Their responsibilities are at the Istana Negara, Kuala Lumpur as the Royal Household Troops, from 1950–1968, the term Household Brigade was used. In 2004, however, the Minister of Defence announced that the Foot Guards would gain a reserve battalion, the Household Division and the Kings Troop, Royal Horse Artillery are collectively referred to as the Household Troops. They are under the command of the Major-General Commanding the Household Division, the Divisional command is made up of the Major General, his Chief of Staff, the Brigade Major, the Staff Captain, Staff Officer Ceremonial, Superintending Clerk and the Garrison Sergeant Major. In addition, both the Household Cavalry and the Foot Guards have their own chains of command, as do the individual regiments, the connection with the Sovereign remains important ceremonially and operationally, and the Household Division provides both ceremonial and operational support for the Crown. The Sovereign is Colonel-in-chief of all the constituent regiments of the Division, one of the five Foot Guards regiments is selected each year to troop their colour before the Sovereign at Trooping the Colour annually in June
18.
Foot Guards
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In some militaries, foot guards are senior infantry regiments. The Federation Guard is a tri-service Australian ceremonial unit that performs similar functions to the five British, the Foot Guards are the Regular Infantry regiments of the Household Division of the British Army. There have been six active regiments of guards and one reserve regiment. The Royal Guards Reserve Regiment was a formation of the Household Brigade in existence from 1900 to 1901. There are various other distinguishing features of the uniforms of the regiments, such as the colour of the plume, which side it is worn on the bearskin, the collar badge and the shoulder badge. When all five regiments parade together, they are in the order of Grenadier Guards on the flank, then Scots Guards, Welsh Guards, Irish Guards. This is because although the Coldstream are ranked second in seniority and these companies perform ceremonial and security duties in London. The Foot Guards have a role as the garrison for the capital, for the military security of the Sovereign. Two battalions are appointed for public duties, with a third from an infantry regiment since 1996. These provide the Queens Guard, the Tower of London Guard, the Guards Battalions on Public Duties are located in barracks close to Buckingham Palace for them to be able to reach the Palace very quickly in an emergency. In central London, a battalion is based at Wellington Barracks, Westminster, however, as of 2010, the independent incremental companies of the Grenadier and Coldstream Guards have been moved from Chelsea Barracks to the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich. While F Company, Scots Guards, are now based at Wellington Barracks alongside the resident infantry battalion. The Guards Battalion stationed at Windsor generally provides the Windsor Castle Guard, the Windsor battalion is at Victoria Barracks, a quarter of a mile south of the Castle. The Guards Division received a new following the restructuring of the army in 2004. The Royal Guards Reserve Regiment was in existence during the Second Boer War from 1900 to 1901, the Guards Machine Gun Regiment was raised for service during the First World War. Initially, each brigade of the Guards Division had a gun company attached. In 1917, these companies were regimented to form a battalion, further battalions were formed by conversion of the Household Cavalry regiments, and King George V ordered that the regiment be classified as the Sixth Regiment of Foot Guards, or Machine Gun Guards. However, it was disbanded in 1920 and they trained at the Guards Depot in Caterham, Surrey
19.
Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment
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The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment is a cavalry regiment of the British Army tasked primarily with ceremonial duties. Part of the Household Division, it is classed as a regiment of guards, the HCMR is one of two operational units that form the Household Cavalry, the other being the Household Cavalry Regiment. That unit is a reconnaissance regiment, with front-line combat duties. It consists of one squadron from each regiment of the Household Cavalry plus a Headquarters Squadron. Each of the Squadrons consists of two divisions of one officer and 24 men and this has been based at Hyde Park Barracks, Knightsbridge, since 1795. The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment carries out ceremonial duties throughout the year. As the Sovereigns bodyguard and part of the Household Division, the HCMR mounts a guard at Horse Guards. This ceremony can be viewed daily by members of the public, the HCMR is responsible for the provision of the Sovereigns Escort, most commonly seen at the monarchs annual Birthday Parade in June each year. The escort is also seen at other occasions, including during state visits by visiting heads of state, the regiment provides a staircase party inside Buckingham Palace at state Investitures, and inside the Palace of Westminster at the annual State Opening of Parliament. They are also present at the annual Garter Ceremony at Windsor Castle, the Household Cavalry Musical Ride has been performed at agricultural shows, military tattoos since the 1880s. The display is accompanied by the Mounted Band of the Blues. The Musical Ride demonstrates the skills that were required by cavalry in times of war, the display was a firm favourite at the Royal Tournament where it was first performed in 1882, the Musical Ride was performed at the last Royal Tournament in 1999. Since 2010, it has performed at the British Military Tournament
20.
King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery
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The Kings Troop, Royal Horse Artillery is a ceremonial unit of the British Army, quartered at Woolwich. Its duties include the firing of royal salutes on royal anniversaries and state occasions, the unit is most often seen providing gun salutes on state occasions in Hyde Park, and Green Park. Accordingly the Riding Troop was reformed on 17 April 1946 at Shoeburyness as a six-gun Royal Horse Artillery battery for the Household Division, at the suggestion of Brigadier John Anquetil Norman, the King declared that the Riding Troop would be known as The Kings Troop. The King enacted his proclamation on 24 October 1947 by amending the page on the book by striking out the word Riding and inserting Kings. On her accession, Queen Elizabeth II declared that the name The Kings Troop would remain in honour of her father, on 6 September 1997, the coffin of Diana, Princess of Wales was carried on a gun carriage by members of the Kings Troop Royal Horse Artillery. The King’s Troop was for 65 years stationed at St Johns Wood Barracks before it was relocated to Napier Lines at the traditional Royal Artillery Barracks at Woolwich in February 2012. The Kings Troop Royal Horse Artillery performed their Musical Drive at every Royal Tournament from its formation in 1947 to the final Royal Tournament on 2 August 1999. The Musical Drive can be seen at shows around the United Kingdom, many of the manoeuvres of the Musical Drive have remained unchanged since it was first performed in 1897. The start, known as the Big Drive, features the Scissors, another manoeuvre, the Wagon Wheel, depicts an inner wheel, spokes, and an outer wheel. A display may then finish with a Battery Charge, for a Heros Welcome event in Windsor in May 2008 there were six gun teams, each of ten horses and seven riders. Women, first admitted to the Kings Troop in 1996, made up one-third of the display team, major Erica Bridge was the first female officer commanding the Kings Troop. At the end of the event, the Kings Troop ranks past the Queen, in the British Army Order of Precedence, the Household Cavalry is listed first and normally parades at the extreme right of the line. However when the Royal Horse Artillery is on parade with its guns, a 35mm CinemaScope film, The Troop, was filmed in Windsor Great Park and at The Wood barracks. The film had a royal premiere before the Princess Royal at BAFTA in September 1999, the Glory Film Co. production was produced by Marcus Dillistone and Paul-Anthony Viollet, and directed by Marcus Dillistone with an introduction spoken by Sir John Mills. Music was composed by Julian Scott and performed by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, British Army Honourable Artillery Company List of Royal Artillery Batteries Royal Artillery Royal Horse Artillery Royal Tournament Trooping the Colour Clarke, W. G. Horse Gunners, The Royal Horse Artillery,200 Years of Panache, official site Col Anand We Gunners An History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery
21.
Corps of drums
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A Corps of Drums is a musical unit of several national armies. Drummers were originally established in European armies to act as signallers and this is the major historical distinction between a military band and a corps of drums, drummers would not play their instruments to entertain or delight, but rather as a utilitarian battlefield role. The drummers would be more aptly described as signallers than musicians, as time went on, the individual drummers and fife players in each company would be organized at battalion level. They retained their role in each company in battle, but would form one body of men at the head of a battalion on the march, several different strings of logic have seen corps of drums employed in many varied roles. The corps of drums role on the battlefield was originally to signal orders, Corps of drums were also deployed to march under the parley flag when officers of opposing met to discuss terms of surrender, etc. Therefore some corps of drums perform a liaison role, historical duties such as uncasing the colours on parade and various other privileges are continued in most units. Due to the specialist duties and ceremonial aspects of a drummers life, Corps of drums are drawn from the whole battalion, and are attached to the battalion HQ. Above the drum major as its head, the corps is answerable to the battalions adjutant. The British Army maintains a corps of drums in each infantry battalion except for Scottish, Irish, each battalion of a regiment will maintain a corps of drums which may be massed together on certain occasions. All corps-of-drums soldiers are called drummers regardless of the instrument they play, a Corps of Drums will deploy with the rest of the battalion, and will often form specialist platoons such as assault pioneers, supporting fire or force protection. Historically, the drum was used to convey orders during a battle, the main instrument is the Side drum. These were originally of a design with wide wooden hoops, a wooden shell. In the British Army, this model has been upgraded, with the inclusion of snares, more modern metal rod-tension. The current British Army 97s-pattern side drum also has nylon hoops, the side drum was increasingly decorated throughout the 19th century, until it bore the fully embellished regimental colours of the battalion, including its battle honours. As such a regiments drums are often afforded respect, the second instrument was originally the fife, replaced in the modern British Army by the five key flute. A wide variety of flutes and pitches is used, the fife and later the flute have been favoured as a warlike instrument due to shrill pitch and thus the ability to be heard above the noise of battle. Many tunes such as The British Grenadiers are traditionally played by military flutes, the bugle replaced the drum mid-way through the 19th century as the most common means of communication on the battlefield. These duties were carried out by the corps of drums
22.
Salute
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A salute is a gesture or other action used to display respect. Salutes are primarily associated with armed forces, but other organizations and civilians also use salutes, the French salute is almost identical to the British Armys. The customary salute in the Polish Armed Forces is the two-fingers salute, in the Russian military, the right hand, palm down, is brought to the right temple, almost, but not quite, touching, the head has to be covered. In the Swedish armed forces, the salute is identical to that of the U. S. armed forces, in the Hellenic Army salute the palm is facing down and the fingers point to the coat of arms. It should be noted that when outdoors, a cover is to be worn at all times when wearing Battle Dress Uniforms/Army Combat Uniforms, but is not required when wearing physical training gear. When the presence of enemy snipers is suspected, military salutes are generally forbidden, others also note that the raising of ones visor was a way to identify oneself saying This is who I am, and I am not afraid. Medieval visors were, to end, equipped with a protruding spike that allowed the visor to be raised using a saluting motion. As late as the American Revolution, a British Army soldier saluted by removing his hat, over time, it became conventionalized into something resembling our modern hand salute. During the Napoleonic Wars, British crews saluted officers by touching a clenched fist to the brow as though grasping a hat-brim between fingers and thumb, when carrying a sword, European military forces and their cultural descendants use a two-step gesture. The sword is first raised, in the hand, to the level of. The blade is inclined forward and up 30 degrees from the vertical, then the sword is slashed downward to a position with the point close to the ground in front of the right foot. The blade is inclined down and forward with the edge to the left. This gesture originated in the Crusades, the hilt of a sword formed a cross with the blade, so if a crucifix was not available, a Crusader could kiss the hilt of his sword when praying, before entering battle, for oaths and vows, and so on. The lowering of the point to the ground is an act of submission. In fencing, the fencers salute each other before putting their masks on to begin a bout. There are several methods of doing this, but the most common is to bring the sword in front of the face so that the blade is pointing up in front of the nose, the fencers also salute the referee and the audience. When armed with a rifle, two methods are available when saluting, the usual method is called present arms, the rifle is brought to the vertical, muzzle up, in front of center of the chest with the trigger away from the body. The hands hold the stock close to the positions they would have if the rifle were being fired, less formal salutes include the order arms salute and the shoulder arms salutes
23.
Green Park
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The Green Park, usually known without the article simply as Green Park, is one of the Royal Parks of London. It is located in the City of Westminster, central London, Green Park covers 19 hectares between Hyde Park and St. Jamess Park. The park consists almost entirely of mature trees rising out of turf, the park is bounded on the south by Constitution Hill, on the east by the pedestrian Queens Walk, and on the north by Piccadilly. It meets St. Jamess Park at Queens Gardens with the Victoria Memorial at its centre, to the south is the ceremonial avenue of the Mall, and the buildings of St Jamess Palace and Clarence House overlook the park to the east. Green Park tube station is an interchange located on Piccadilly, Victoria. Tyburn stream runs beneath Green Park, the park is said to have originally been swampy burial ground for lepers from the nearby hospital at St Jamess. It was first enclosed in 16th century when it formed part of the estate of Poulteney family and he laid out the parks main walks and built an icehouse there to supply him with ice for cooling drinks in summer. The Queens Walk was laid out for George IIs queen Caroline, it led to the reservoir that held drinking water for St Jamess Palace, called the Queens Basin. The park was known as a duelling ground, one particularly notorious duel took place there in 1730 between William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath and John Hervey, 1st Earl of Bristol. In 1820, John Nash landscaped the park, as an adjunct to St. Jamess Park, on 10 June 1840, it was the scene of Edward Oxfords assassination attempt on Queen Victoria, on Constitution Hill. The Royal Parks website, The Green Park Virtual journey into Green Park
24.
British royal family
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The British royal family comprises the monarch of the United Kingdom and her close relations. There is no legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member of the British royal family. Different terms may be applied to the same or similar group of relatives of the monarch in his or her role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, for example, in Canada, the family is known as the Canadian royal family. Some members of the family have official residences named as the places from which announcements are made in the Court Circular about official engagements they have carried out. The state duties and staff of some members of the family are funded from a parliamentary annuity. Since 1917, when King George V changed the name of the house from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, members of the royal family belong, either by birth or by marriage. In 2014, the family were regarded as British cultural icons. Today, they often perform ceremonial and social duties throughout the United Kingdom, in the other countries of the Commonwealth royalty do not serve as Counsellors of State, although they may perform ceremonial and social duties on behalf of individual states or the organisation. Wives of the said enjoy their husbands precedence, and husbands of princesses are unofficially but habitually placed with their wives as well and she did not alter the relative precedence of other born-princesses, such as the daughters of her younger sons. The Oxford Illustrated History of the British Monarchy and they Serve the Queen, A New and Authoritative Account of the Royal Household. The Lives of the Kings & Queens of England, symbol and Privilege, The Ritual Context of British Royalty. Britains Royal Families, The Complete Genealogy, Royal Family is a celebrated and reverential BBC documentary made by Richard Cawston to accompany the investiture of the current Prince of Wales. The documentary is frequently responsible for the greater press intrusion into the royal familys private life since its first broadcast. Official website of the royal family Official YouTube Channel House of Windsor Family Tree, archived from the original on 2010-12-02
25.
Royal Air Force
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The Royal Air Force is the United Kingdoms aerial warfare force. Formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, following victory over the Central Powers in 1918 the RAF emerged as, at the time, the largest air force in the world. The RAF describe its mission statement as, an agile, adaptable and capable Air Force that, person for person, is second to none, and that makes a decisive air power contribution in support of the UK Defence Mission. The mission statement is supported by the RAFs definition of air power, Air power is defined as the ability to project power from the air and space to influence the behaviour of people or the course of events. Today the Royal Air Force maintains a fleet of various types of aircraft. The majority of the RAFs rotary-wing aircraft form part of the tri-service Joint Helicopter Command in support of ground forces, most of the RAFs aircraft and personnel are based in the UK, with many others serving on operations or at long-established overseas bases. It was founded on 1 April 1918, with headquarters located in the former Hotel Cecil, during the First World War, by the amalgamation of the Royal Flying Corps, at that time it was the largest air force in the world. The RAFs naval aviation branch, the Fleet Air Arm, was founded in 1924, the RAF developed the doctrine of strategic bombing which led to the construction of long-range bombers and became its main bombing strategy in the Second World War. The RAF underwent rapid expansion prior to and during the Second World War, under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan of December 1939, the air forces of British Commonwealth countries trained and formed Article XV squadrons for service with RAF formations. Many individual personnel from countries, and exiles from occupied Europe. By the end of the war the Royal Canadian Air Force had contributed more than 30 squadrons to serve in RAF formations, additionally, the Royal Australian Air Force represented around nine percent of all RAF personnel who served in the European and Mediterranean theatres. In the Battle of Britain in 1940, the RAF defended the skies over Britain against the numerically superior German Luftwaffe, the largest RAF effort during the war was the strategic bombing campaign against Germany by Bomber Command. Following victory in the Second World War, the RAF underwent significant re-organisation, during the early stages of the Cold War, one of the first major operations undertaken by the Royal Air Force was in 1948 and the Berlin Airlift, codenamed Operation Plainfire. Before Britain developed its own nuclear weapons the RAF was provided with American nuclear weapons under Project E and these were initially armed with nuclear gravity bombs, later being equipped with the Blue Steel missile. Following the development of the Royal Navys Polaris submarines, the nuclear deterrent passed to the navys submarines on 30 June 1969. With the introduction of Polaris, the RAFs strategic nuclear role was reduced to a tactical one and this tactical role was continued by the V bombers into the 1980s and until 1998 by Tornado GR1s. For much of the Cold War the primary role of the RAF was the defence of Western Europe against potential attack by the Soviet Union, with many squadrons based in West Germany. With the decline of the British Empire, global operations were scaled back, despite this, the RAF fought in many battles in the Cold War period
26.
Flypast
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A flypast is a ceremonial or honorific flight by a group of aircraft or a single aircraft. The term flypast is used in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, in the United States, the terms flyover and flyby are used. Flypasts are often tied in with Royal or state events, anniversaries, celebrations -, sometimes flypasts occur in special situations, to honour someone or to celebrate certain types of aircraft. They have affinities with parades, of which form the aerial component. Often they occur in purely display contexts at airshows, but it is the flypasts linked with civic, ceremonial and national pride and these spectacular and daring displays of military - and occasionally passenger - aircraft, are described in broadcast and print media as historic. Flypasts are regularly featured in public and ceremonial life in the United Kingdom and they serve to show respect, display aircraft, showcase flying skills and as a form of entertainment to delight the public, for example, during their annual appearance after Trooping the Colour. Flypasts reflect milestones of life, varying in scope from personal, to community and local, to military. They may honour individuals in private or public life or commemorate happenings at a particular location and they are also used to honour aircraft. On occasions both small and large they may occur over land or sea, sometimes connected with memorial or thanksgiving services, in Commonwealth countries, notably Singapore, Canada and Australia, they occur on national days and occasionally on anniversaries. They are seen rarely in other territories. Flypast locations are usually of national importance, in the UK, these include Buckingham Palace, where the Royal Family on the balcony will join the thousands of spectators in streets and parks below. Other London settings have included the River Thames, the 50th and 60th anniversaries of World War II were celebrated by flypasts over Normandy in France. Festivities of Trafalgar 200 were centred over Portsmouth and at sea, the connection of Trooping the Colour with Royal Air Force flypasts began in 1913 when the Royal Flying Corps Military Wing performed a flypast for King George V on Laffans Plain, near Aldershot. On 6 July 1935, George V carried out his Silver Jubilee Review of the Royal Air Force at RAF Duxford and RAF Mildenhall which included 200 aircraft on the ground and a flypast of 350 aircraft. King George VI attended a flypast at the ceremony of the Empire Exhibition, Scotland 1938 at Ibrox Stadium on 5 May 1938. Flypasts are a regular occurrence in the United Kingdom at national events or commemorations, in 1954 the Queen conducted a Coronation Review of the Royal Air Force at RAF Odiham which included a flypast by about 640 aircraft - among them 440 jet aircraft. Headed by the Lancaster with 2 Hurricanes and 2 Spitfires, the 49 aircraft in 9 formations included Typhoons, Jaguars, Tristar, VC10, C-17A Globemaster III, the highlight was a Diamond 9 formation of Tornado GR4s and the appearance of a Canberra escorted by the Red Arrows. In many countries, flypasts, normally performed by the aerobatic team of a countrys air force, are an integral part of Republic Day or National Day celebrations
27.
Honourable Artillery Company
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The Honourable Artillery Company was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII and is considered one of the oldest military organisations in the world. The equivalent form of words in modern English would be either Honourable Infantry Company or Honourable Military Company, Members of the Regiment and Specials are drawn, for the most part, from young men and women working in and around the City and Greater London. Those leaving the units may become Veteran Members and remain within the fraternity of the Company. This body was known by a variety of names until 1656 and it was first referred to as the Honourable Artillery Company in 1685 and officially received the name from Queen Victoria in 1860. However, the Archers’ Company of the Honourable Artillery Company was retained into the late 19th century, founded in 1781 by Sir Ashton Lever, it met at Archers’ Hall, Inner Circle, Regents Park, London. The regiment has the distinction of having fought on the side of both Parliament and the Royalists during the English Civil War 1642 to 1649. From its formation, the company trained at a site it had occupied at the Old Artillery Ground in Spitalfields, in 1622, the company built its first Armoury House at the site of the Old Artillery Gardens. In 1657, it sold its old Armoury House in Spitalfield to Master Gunner Richard Woolaston for £300. James, the Duke of York and Albany, Lord High Admiral and brother of King Charles II, was Captain-General of the Honourable Artillery Company, until 1780, captains of the HAC trained the officers of the London Trained Bands. In 1860, control of the Company moved from the Home Office to the War Office and in 1889, in 1883, Queen Victoria decreed that the HAC took precedence next after the Regular Forces and therefore before the Militia and Yeomanry in consideration of its antiquity. Members of the Company first served as a unit overseas in the South African War. In 1907, the Company became part of the newly formed Territorial Force with the passing of the Territorial, the HAC also had its property and privileges protected by the Honourable Artillery Company Act 1908. The HAC expanded to three battalions and seven artillery batteries during the First World War. Second Lieutenants Reginald Leonard Haine and Alfred Oliver Pollard, of the 1st Battalion HAC, were awarded Victoria Crosses for their actions at Gavrelle in 1917, in total 1,600 men from the HAC were killed during the war. In September 1914 the 1st Battalion followed the British Expeditionary Force to France, after the fighting at the Battle of the Ancre in 1916 and the Battle of Arras in 1917, it became an officer training battalion and provided demonstration platoons. Elements of the battalion were used to quell the Étaples Mutiny. The 2nd Battalion HAC was raised in August 1914, it was in France by October 1916 and they fought at the Battle of Arras in May and the 3rd Battle of Ypres in October. In November 1917, the moved to the Italian Front under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Richard O’Connor
28.
Elizabeth II
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Elizabeth II has been Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand since 6 February 1952. Elizabeth was born in London as the eldest child of the Duke and Duchess of York, later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth and her father acceded to the throne on the abdication of his brother Edward VIII in 1936, from which time she was the heir presumptive. She began to undertake duties during the Second World War. Elizabeths many historic visits and meetings include a visit to the Republic of Ireland. She has seen major changes, such as devolution in the United Kingdom, Canadian patriation. She has reigned through various wars and conflicts involving many of her realms and she is the worlds oldest reigning monarch as well as Britains longest-lived. In October 2016, she became the longest currently reigning monarch, in 2017 she became the first British monarch to commemorate a Sapphire Jubilee. Elizabeth has occasionally faced republican sentiments and press criticism of the family, however, support for the monarchy remains high. Elizabeth was born at 02,40 on 21 April 1926, during the reign of her paternal grandfather and her father, Prince Albert, Duke of York, was the second son of the King. Her mother, Elizabeth, Duchess of York, was the youngest daughter of Scottish aristocrat Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and she was delivered by Caesarean section at her maternal grandfathers London house,17 Bruton Street, Mayfair. Elizabeths only sibling, Princess Margaret, was born in 1930, the two princesses were educated at home under the supervision of their mother and their governess, Marion Crawford, who was casually known as Crawfie. Lessons concentrated on history, language, literature and music, Crawford published a biography of Elizabeth and Margarets childhood years entitled The Little Princesses in 1950, much to the dismay of the royal family. The book describes Elizabeths love of horses and dogs, her orderliness, others echoed such observations, Winston Churchill described Elizabeth when she was two as a character. She has an air of authority and reflectiveness astonishing in an infant and her cousin Margaret Rhodes described her as a jolly little girl, but fundamentally sensible and well-behaved. During her grandfathers reign, Elizabeth was third in the line of succession to the throne, behind her uncle Edward, Prince of Wales, and her father, the Duke of York. Although her birth generated public interest, she was not expected to become queen, many people believed that he would marry and have children of his own. When her grandfather died in 1936 and her uncle succeeded as Edward VIII, she became second-in-line to the throne, later that year, Edward abdicated, after his proposed marriage to divorced socialite Wallis Simpson provoked a constitutional crisis. Consequently, Elizabeths father became king, and she became heir presumptive, if her parents had had a later son, she would have lost her position as first-in-line, as her brother would have been heir apparent and above her in the line of succession
29.
Edward VII
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Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, before his accession to the throne, he served as heir apparent and held the title of Prince of Wales for longer than any of his predecessors. During the long reign of his mother, he was excluded from political power. He travelled throughout Britain performing ceremonial duties, and represented Britain on visits abroad. His tours of North America in 1860 and the Indian subcontinent in 1875 were popular successes, as king, Edward played a role in the modernisation of the British Home Fleet and the reorganisation of the British Army after the Second Boer War. He reinstituted traditional ceremonies as public displays and broadened the range of people with whom royalty socialised and he died in 1910 in the midst of a constitutional crisis that was resolved the following year by the Parliament Act 1911, which restricted the power of the unelected House of Lords. Edward was born at 10,48 in the morning on 9 November 1841 in Buckingham Palace and he was the eldest son and second child of Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. He was christened Albert Edward at St Georges Chapel, Windsor Castle and he was named Albert after his father and Edward after his maternal grandfather Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn. He was known as Bertie to the family throughout his life. As the eldest son of the British sovereign, he was automatically Duke of Cornwall, as a son of Prince Albert, he also held the titles of Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Duke of Saxony. He was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester on 8 December 1841, Earl of Dublin on 17 January 1850, a Knight of the Garter on 9 November 1858, and a Knight of the Thistle on 24 May 1867. In 1863, he renounced his rights to the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in favour of his younger brother. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were determined that their eldest son should have an education that would prepare him to be a constitutional monarch. At age seven, Edward embarked on an educational programme devised by Prince Albert. Unlike his elder sister Victoria, Edward did not excel in his studies and he tried to meet the expectations of his parents, but to no avail. Although Edward was not a diligent student—his true talents were those of charm, sociability and tact—Benjamin Disraeli described him as informed, intelligent, after the completion of his secondary-level studies, his tutor was replaced by a personal governor, Robert Bruce. After an educational trip to Rome, undertaken in the first few months of 1859, he spent the summer of that year studying at the University of Edinburgh under, among others, in October, he matriculated as an undergraduate at Christ Church, Oxford. Now released from the strictures imposed by his parents, he enjoyed studying for the first time
30.
Military band
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A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments, the conductor of a band commonly bears the title of Bandmaster or Director of Music. Ottoman military bands are thought to be the oldest variety of marching band in the world. Military bands also play a part in funeral ceremonies. There are two types of traditions in military bands. The first is military field music and this type of music includes bugles, bagpipes, or fifes and almost always drums. This type of music was used to control troops on the battlefield as well as for entertainment, following the development of instruments such as the keyed trumpet or the saxhorn family of brass instruments, a second tradition of the brass and woodwind military band was formed. 11th century book Divânu Lügatit-Türk mentions prototype of Mehtaran, as a nevbet, 17th century traveler Evliya Çelebi noted that the Ottoman Empire had 40 guilds of musicians in 1670s Istanbul. Ottoman military bands influenced European equivalents, each regiment in the British Army maintained its own military band. Until 1749 bandsmen were civilians hired at the expense of the colonel commanding a regiment, instruments during the 18th century included fifes, drums, the oboe, French horn, clarinet and bassoon. Drummers summoned men from their farms and ranches to muster for duty, in the chaotic environment of the battlefield, musical instruments were the only means of commanding the men to advance, stand or retire. In the mid 19th century each smaller unit had their own fifer and drummer, when units massed for battle a band of musicians was formed for the whole. The American military band traditions date from the British era, from the American Revolutionary War onward military bands marched in the same manner as their French counterparts. During the American Civil War most Union regiments had both types of groups within the unit and these performed in a concert setting for entertainment, as well as continued to perform drill and martial events. Field music is popular with many organizations such as police, fire. Indeed, Russia has a tradition of military bands and so many military marches have been composed by various composers through the years. The military bands also provide musical support in civil and military events, in a wide range of groups. Some can even continue the old Russian military band traditions by donning the old imperial military uniforms of the Russian Empire, todays French Armed Forces bands are also of the headquarters element from the regimental or brigade level onward and can also provide musical elements for civil and military events
31.
Marcus Sarjeant
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Marcus Simon Sarjeant fired six blank shots at Queen Elizabeth II as she rode down The Mall to the Trooping the Colour ceremony in 1981. Sarjeant, who was from Capel-le-Ferne, near Folkestone, Kent, went to Astor Secondary School in Dover and he was a member of the Scouts, becoming local patrol leader before leaving to join the Air Training Corps in 1978. In the ATC, Sarjeant won a marksmans badge, and he owned an air rifle. After leaving school in May 1980 with seven CSE passes, Sarjeant applied to join the Royal Marines but could not accept the discipline and he also tried to join the Army but stayed only for two days of an induction course. After failed applications to join the police and the service, he worked at a zoo. Under the Youth Training Scheme he worked at a centre in Hawkinge. Friends reported that Sarjeant joined the Anti-Royalist Movement in October 1980, at the time of the incident at the Trooping the Colour, he was unemployed and living with his mother. He tried unsuccessfully to find ammunition for his fathers.455 Webley revolver, through mail order he paid £66.90 for two blank-firing replica Colt Python revolvers. In the run-up to the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony, Sarjeant sent letters to two magazines, one of which included a picture of him with his fathers gun and he also sent a letter to Buckingham Palace which read Your Majesty. Dont go to the Trooping the Colour ceremony because there is a set up to kill you. The letter arrived on 16 June, on 13 June 1981, Sarjeant joined the crowds for Trooping the Colour, finding a spot near the junction between The Mall and Horseguards Avenue. When the Queen came past riding her 19-year-old horse Burmese, Sarjeant quickly fired six blanks from his starting revolver, the horse was momentarily startled but the Queen brought her under control, she was unharmed. Lance Corporal Alec Galloway, Lance Corporal McNeill, Sergeant John Woodcock and John Heasman quickly reacted and subdued Sarjeant, I wanted to be a somebody. The incident happened fifteen minutes after the Queens departure from Buckingham Palace, immediately the Sovereigns Escort was ordered by the Gold Stick-in-Waiting to close up around Her Majesty. The Queen continued to Horse Guards Parade, in questioning, Sarjeant said he had been inspired by the assassination of John Lennon in December 1980, and the attempts on the life of Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II. In particular he noted the ease with which Mark David Chapman had become famous after killing John Lennon. A friend said that at the time of John Hinckley, Jr. s attempt on the life of President Reagan, the police found that Sarjeant had written I am going to stun and mystify the world. I will become the most famous teenager in the world, investigations by psychiatrists found that Sarjeant did not have any abnormalities within the Mental Health Act 1983
32.
Biretta
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The biretta is a square cap with three or four peaks or horns, sometimes surmounted by a tuft. Traditionally the three peaked biretta is worn by Roman Catholic clergy and some Anglican and Lutheran clergy, the four peaked biretta is worn as academic dress by those holding a doctoral degree from a pontifical faculty or pontifical university. Occasionally the biretta is worn by advocates in law courts, for instance the advocates in the Channel Islands, the origins of the biretta are uncertain. It is mentioned as early as the tenth century, one possible origin is the academic cap of the high Middle Ages, which was soft and square. This is also the ancestor of the modern mortarboard used today in secular universities. The biretta seems to have become a widely used as an ecclesiastical vestment after the synod of Bergamo,1311. The tuft or pom sometimes seen on the biretta was added later, the biretta may be used by all ranks of the Latin clergy cardinals and other bishops to priests, deacons, and even seminarians. Those worn by cardinals are scarlet red and made of silk, after the Second Vatican Council the ceremony of giving the galero to cardinals was replaced with giving the biretta. The biretta of a bishop is amaranth in color, while those worn by priests, deacons, the pope does not make use of the biretta. It is often asserted that seminarians are only entitled to wear a biretta without a pom-pom, priests in monastic and mendicant religious orders that have their own habits do not generally wear birettas, in most circumstances, even liturgical, the monastic hood took the place of the biretta. Canons Regular generally do—for instance the canons of the Order of Prémontré wear a white biretta, clerks Regular generally wear a black biretta with no tuft. Other priests who belong to various forms of community life, as the Congregation of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri for instance, generally wear birettas. The liturgical biretta has three peaks, with the peak-less corner worn on the side of the head. Its use is prevalent among bishops and cardinals, and less so among other clergy, some priests wear it during outdoor services such as burials or processions and, as is intended, during the celebration of Mass and other liturgical services. The biretta is worn by a priest, deacon, subdeacon. Birettas are also worn by Anglo-Catholic Anglican clergy, though is it generally considered a Romanism. Canons and deans could wear a black biretta with a purple pom, the Canterbury cap is of similar origin to the biretta, and, although seldom used since the early 20th century, has been considered a more authentically Anglican alternative to the biretta. The Canterbury cap has a soft, square top rather than the horns that developed on the biretta
33.
Order of the Crown of India
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The Imperial Order of the Crown of India is an order in the British honours system. The Order was established by Queen Victoria in 1878, when she became Empress of India, the Order is open only to women, no new appointments have been made after the Partition of India in 1947. The members of the Order, titled Companions, could use the post-nominals CI, furthermore, they were entitled to wear the badge of the Order, which included Queen Victorias Imperial Cypher, VRI. The letters were set in diamonds, pearls and turquoises and were surrounded by a border of pearls surmounted by a figure the Imperial Crown. The badge was attached to a light blue bow, edged in white. Queen Elizabeth II and her sister Princess Margaret were appointed to the Order by their father King George VI in June 1947, Queen Elizabeth II is the last surviving former member of the Order. Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester was the last ordinary member at the time of her death in 2004
34.
Defence Medal (United Kingdom)
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The duration of the Second World War in Europe was from 3 September 1939 to 8 May 1945, while in the Pacific Theatre it continued until 2 September 1945. The medal was awarded for non-operational service overseas in the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, India. Eligible civilian service in the United Kingdom included, but was not confined to, Civil Defence services established by a Government Department or Local Authority. Rescue Service, including former First-Aid Party Service, First-Aid Service, including First-Aid Posts and Points, Public Cleansing Centres, Mobile Cleansing Units and the Nursing Service for public air-raid shelters. Emergency Food Service, including the Queens Messenger Convoy Service, national Fire Service, including service in a local authority Fire Brigade or the Auxiliary Fire Service prior to nationalisation. The Police, Royal Marine Police Special Reserve, Admiralty Civil Police, War Department Constabulary, Air Ministry Constabulary, Railway Police, Civil Defence Reserve, Kent County Civil Defence Mobile Reserve and West Sussex County Civil Defence Mobile Reserve. Fire Guards who performed duties under the authorities, or at Government or business premises. Lighthouse keepers who served under the three Lighthouse Authorities and keepers of Light-Vessels under those authorities, who did not qualify for the 1939-1945 Star, nurses in hospitals for which Government Departments or local authorities were responsible, or in the recognised Voluntary hospitals. Port of London Authority River Emergency Service, womens Voluntary Services for Civil Defence, whose members could qualify provided, They were enrolled in an eligible local authority Civil Defence Service. The length of qualifying service required for the award of the Defence Medal varied, depending on where and in what role an individual served. For persons normally resident in the United Kingdom, the requirement was 1,080 days of service in the United Kingdom or 90 days of service in a Mine, the qualifying period in the United Kingdom ended upon the end of the War in Europe on 8 May 1945. Military service overseas from the United Kingdom could qualify up to 2 September 1945, Service was reckonable from the date of embarkation and was counted at its full rate for the voyage to the non-operational area. In a non-operational area subjected to air attack or closely threatened, the same applied to British Commonwealth citizens from overseas who served in the Home Guard in the United Kingdom. Service was reckonable from the date of embarkation and, for the voyage to the area of service, was counted at half the duration of the voyage. Regarding service outside the country of residence, five territories were classified as single contiguous areas, movements by personnel from one territory to another within the defined groups were not regarded as outside the country of residence in terms of qualification for the award of the Defence Medal. Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Eire, Isle of Man, cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Egypt and Transjordan. Kenya, Tanganyika, Uganda, Nyasaland, Northern Rhodesia and Zanzibar, nigeria, Gambia, Sierra Leone and the Gold Coast. The Union of South Africa, South-West Africa, Basutoland, Swaziland, mediterranean Area Anglo-Egyptian Sudan from 28 November 1941 to 8 May 1945
35.
King George V Silver Jubilee Medal
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The King George V Silver Jubilee Medal is a commemorative medal, instituted to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the coronation of King George V. The award of the medals was then at the discretion of the government authority. A total of 85,235 medals were awarded, including 6,500 to Australians 7,500 to Canadians 1,500 to New Zealanders Designed by Sir William Goscombe John, a circular, silver medal,1.25 in diameter. The obverse features the conjoined effigies of King George V and Queen Mary, crowned and robed, the legend around the top edge reads GEORGE • V • AND • QUEEN • MARY • MAY • VI • MCMXXXV. The reverse displays the Royal Cypher GRI, surmounted by an Imperial Crown, at the left is the date MAY6 /1910 in two lines, and at right the date, MAY6 /1935. The purple ribbon is 1.25 inches wide, with three stripes of dark blue, white, and dark blue at each edge. The three narrow stripes are 0.25 wide in total
36.
King George VI Coronation Medal
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The King George VI Coronation Medal was a commemorative medal, instituted to celebrate the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. The award of the medals was then at the discretion of the government authority. A total of 90,279 medals were awarded, including 6,887 to Australians 10,089 to Canadians Designed by Percy Metcalfe, a circular, silver medal,1.25 inches in diameter. Featured on the obverse are the effigies of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, crowned and robed. The rim is not raised on this medal and there is no legend, the Royal Cypher GRI appears on the reverse, surmounted by a large crown, with the inscription CROWNED /12 MAY1937 in two lines below the Royal Cypher. Around the rim of the medal is the inscription GEORGE VI QVEEN ELIZABETH
37.
Canadian Forces Decoration
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The Canadian Forces Decoration is a Canadian award bestowed upon members of the Canadian Forces who have completed twelve years of military service, with certain conditions. By convention, it is given to the Governor General of Canada upon his or her appointment as viceroy. The decoration is awarded to all ranks, who must have a record of conduct during the final eight years of claimed service. The first Governor General to receive the CD was Viscount Alexander of Tunis in 1951, the decoration is awarded to officers and non-commissioned members of the Regular and Reserve forces, including honorary appointments within the Canadian Armed Forces. However, time served while on the Supplementary Reserve List does not apply, the medal is decagonal,36 millimetres across the flats, with raised busts. The King George VI medal is.800 fine silver and gilded, the Queen Elizabeth II medal is tombac A gilded copper version was introduced in 2008. The King George VI medal has the uncrowned head of King George VI, facing left, with the inscription GEORGIVS VI D, G, BRITT, OMN, REX FID. The reverse of the medal has a crown, three leaves and an eagle representing the navy, army and air force from top to bottom. The word SERVICE is on a scroll at the base and a fleur-de-lis is on side of the crown. The Royal Cypher is superimposed on the centre of the King George VI medal, early Queen Elizabeth II medals had the letters stamped rather than engraved. A clasp, also known as a bar, is awarded for every 10 years of subsequent service, the bar is tombac and is 0.25 inches high, has the Canadian coat of arms in the centre surmounted by a crown, and is gold in colour. This is indicated on the ribbon bar by a rosette. Recipients of the Canadian Forces Decoration are entitled to use the post nominal letters CD and this post-nominal is not affected by the awarding of clasps. McCreery, Christopher, The Canadian Forces’ Decoration, Department of National Defence, ISBN 978-1-100-54293-5 Canadian Forces Decoration
38.
Order of the Garter
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The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry and the third most prestigious honour in England and the United Kingdom. It is dedicated to the image and arms of Saint George and it is awarded at the Sovereigns pleasure as a personal gift on recipients from the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms. Membership of the Order is limited to the Sovereign, the Prince of Wales, the order also includes supernumerary knights and ladies. New appointments to the Order of the Garter are always announced on St Georges Day, the orders emblem is a garter with the motto Honi soit qui mal y pense in gold lettering. Members of the wear it on ceremonial occasions. King Edward III founded the Order of the Garter around the time of his claim to the French throne, the list includes Sir Sanchet DAbrichecourt, who died on 20 October 1345. Other dates from 1344 to 1351 have also been proposed, the Kings wardrobe account shows Garter habits first issued in the autumn of 1348. Also, its original statutes required that member of the Order already be a knight. The earliest written mention of the Order is found in Tirant lo Blanch and it was first published in 1490. This book devotes a chapter to the description of the origin of the Order of the Garter, at the time of its foundation, the Order consisted of King Edward III, together with 25 Founder Knights, listed in ascending order of stall number in St.1431. Various legends account for the origin of the Order, the most popular legend involves the Countess of Salisbury, whose garter is said to have slipped from her leg while she was dancing at a court ball at Calais. When the surrounding courtiers sniggered, the king picked it up and returned it to her, exclaiming, Honi soit qui mal y pense, King Edward supposedly recalled the event in the 14th century when he founded the Order. This story is recounted in a letter to the Annual Register in 1774, The motto in fact refers to Edwards claim to the French throne, the use of the garter as an emblem may have derived from straps used to fasten armour. Medieval scholars have pointed to a connection between the Order of the Garter and the Middle English poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, in Gawain, a girdle, very similar in its erotic undertones to the garter, plays a prominent role. A rough version of the Orders motto also appears in the text and it translates from Old French as Accursed be a cowardly and covetous heart. While the author of that poem remains disputed, there seems to be a connection between two of the top candidates and the Order of the Garter. Scholar J. P. Oakden has suggested that it is related to John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, and, more importantly. Another competing theory is that the work was written for Enguerrand de Coucy, the Sire de Coucy was married to King Edward IIIs daughter, Isabella, and was given admittance to the Order of the Garter on their wedding day
39.
Order of the Thistle
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The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is an order of chivalry associated with Scotland. The current version of the Order was founded in 1687 by King James VII of Scotland who asserted that he was reviving an earlier Order, the Order consists of the Sovereign and sixteen Knights and Ladies, as well as certain extra knights. The Sovereign alone grants membership of the Order, he or she is not advised by the Government, the Orders primary emblem is the thistle, the national flower of Scotland. The motto is Nemo me impune lacessit, the patron saint of the Order is St Andrew. Most British orders of chivalry cover the whole United Kingdom, the Order of the Thistle, which pertains to Scotland, is the second-most senior in precedence. Its equivalent in England, The Most Noble Order of the Garter, is the oldest documented order of chivalry in the United Kingdom, in 1783 an Irish equivalent, The Most Illustrious Order of St Patrick, was founded, but has now fallen dormant. James VII claimed that he was reviving an earlier Order, according to legend, Achaius, King of Scots, while engaged in battle at Athelstaneford with the Saxon King Æthelstan of East Anglia, saw in the heavens the cross of St Andrew. After he won the battle, Achaius is said to have established the Order of the Thistle, dedicating it to the saint, the tale is not credible, because the two individuals purported to have fought each other did not even live in the same century. Another story states that Achaius founded the Order in 809 to commemorate an alliance with the Emperor Charlemagne, there is some credibility to this story given the fact that Charlemagne did employ Scottish bodyguards. There is, in addition, a tradition that the order was instituted, or re-instituted and he allegedly conferred membership of the Order of the Burr or Thissil on King Francis I of France. However, there is no evidence for a fifteenth-century order. A French commentator writing in 1558 described the use of the thistle and the cross of St Andrew on Scottish coins and war banners. Similarly, John Lesley writing around 1578, refers to the three orders of chivalry carved on the gate of James Vs Linlithgow Palace with his ornaments of St Andrew. Some Scottish order of chivalry may have existed during the century, possibly founded by James V and called the Order of St. Andrew. James VII issued letters patent reviving and restoring the Order of the Thistle to its glory, lustre. Eight knights, out of a maximum of twelve, were appointed and his successors, the joint monarchs William and Mary, did not make any further appointments to the Order, which consequently fell into desuetude. In 1703, however, Anne once again revived the Order of the Thistle, in 1827, George IV augmented the Order to sixteen members. From time to time, individuals may be admitted to the Order by special statutes, such members are known as Extra Knights and do not count towards the sixteen-member limit
40.
Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
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The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is a Royal Air Force flight which provides an aerial display group comprising an Avro Lancaster, a Supermarine Spitfire and a Hawker Hurricane. The flight is part of No.1 Group RAF, flying out of RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire. IIa. In 2011 she was repainted in the 41 Squadron code EB-G, which represents the aircraft flown by Pilot Officer Eric Lock on 5 September 1940, the Mk Vb Spitfire, AB910, escorted convoys in the Battle of the Atlantic. She then flew escort patrols during bombing raids on the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, then, AB910 now wears the 133 squadron codes MD-E which she actually wore during the Dieppe Raid. The Mk LFIXe Spitfire, MK356, was built in March 1944 with clipped wings optimised for low level flight, and fitted with a Merlin 66 engine. Allocated to the Royal Canadian Air Force 144 wing, based in locations around southern England. After the war she served as a guardian at Hawkinge and Locking. As of 2008, she is displayed in a paint scheme used in late 1944 fighter/bomber missions over the Balkans from bases in Southern Italy. There are also two PRXIX Spitfires, both built in 1945 with Griffon 66 engines, pS915 performed various reconnaissance duties at Wunsdorf in Germany. She returned to the UK in 1954, and was retired to gate guarding duties, in 1987 she was modified with a Griffon 58 engine and refurbished to flying condition by British Aerospace. The ground crew painted the inscription The Last, on PS 915s left engine cowling. One Mark XIX Spitfire, PS853, was sold in 1994 to defray the costs of rebuilding Hurricane LF363 after her crash-landing on the runway at RAF Wittering due to failure in 1991. The BBMF pilot escaped with an ankle and minor bruises. Spitfire Mark XVI TE311 was acquired in 2002 and initially allocated for spares, TE311 was made airworthy in the later stages of the 2012 display season and will be joining the flight to carry out commemorative sorties in 2013. LF363 is a Mk IIc and the last Hurricane to have entered service with the RAF and she appeared in the films Angels One Five, Reach for the Sky, The Battle of Britain and a TV series The War in the Air. PZ865, is a Mk IIc built six months after LF363 and she once wore the inscription The last of the Many on her port and starboard sides - the original fabric with this inscription is now located in the BBMF Headquarters at RAF Coningsby. The Lancaster bomber - PA474, acquired by the BBMF in 1973, is one of two surviving airworthy examples of the type, the other is in Canada. She was built in mid-1945 and assigned to duties after appearing too late to take part in the bombing of Japan
41.
Red Arrows
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The Red Arrows, officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, is the aerobatics display team of the Royal Air Force based at RAF Scampton. The team was formed in late 1964 as an all-RAF team, the Red Arrows badge shows the aircraft in their trademark diamond nine formation, with the motto Éclat, a French word meaning brilliance or excellence. Initially, they were equipped with seven Folland Gnat trainers inherited from the RAF Yellowjacks display team and this aircraft was chosen because it was less expensive to operate than front-line fighters. In their first season, they flew at 65 shows across Europe, in 1966, the team was increased to nine members, enabling them to develop their Diamond Nine formation. In late 1979, they switched to the BAE Hawk trainer, the Red Arrows have performed over 4,700 displays in 56 countries worldwide. The Red Arrows were not the first RAF aerobatics team, an RAF pageant was held at Hendon in 1920 with teams from front-line biplane squadrons. In 1925, No.32 Squadron RAF flew an air display six nights a week entitled London Defended at the British Empire Exhibition, in 1938, three Gloster Gladiators flew with their wing-tips tied together. Formation aerobatics largely stopped during the Second World War, in 1947, the first jet team of three de Havilland Vampires came from RAF Odiham Fighter Wing. Various teams flew the Vampire, and in 1950, No.72 Squadron was flying a team of seven, No.54 Squadron became the first RAF jet formation team to use smoke trails. Vampires were replaced by Gloster Meteors, No.66 Squadron developing a team of six aircraft. Hawker Hunter aircraft were first used for teams in 1955. The official RAF team was provided by No.111 Squadron in 1956, and for the first time the aircraft had a colour scheme. After a demonstration in France, they were hailed as Les Fleches Noires and this team became the first team to fly a five-Hunter formation. In 1958 the Black Arrows performed a loop and barrel roll of 22 Hunters, the Black Arrows were the premier team until 1961, when the Blue Diamonds continued their role, flying sixteen blue Hunters. In 1960, the Tigers were re-equipped with the supersonic English Electric Lightning and performed wing-overs and they sometimes gave co-ordinated displays with the Blue Diamonds. Yet another aerobatics team was formed in 1960 by No.56 Squadron, in 1964, the Red Pelicans, flying six BAC Jet Provost T Mk 4s, assumed the role of the RAFs leading display team. In that same year, a team of five yellow Gnat trainers from No 4 Flying Training School displayed at the Farnborough Airshow and this team became known as the Yellowjacks after Flight Lieutenant Lee Joness call sign, Yellowjack. In 1964, all the RAF display teams were amalgamated, as it was feared pilots were spending too much time practising formation aerobatics rather than operational training
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Feu de joie
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A feu de joie is a celebratory rifle salute, described as a running fire of guns. As soldiers fire into the air sequentially in rapid succession, the cascade of blank rounds produces a characteristic rat-tat-tat effect and it is used on rare landmark occasions of national rejoicing. During the 18th and 19th centuries, a feu de joie has celebrated a victory or birthday. In recent years, it has marked the 80th Birthday and Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, the men were placed in specified positions to fire a feu de joie with muskets and cannon—three times three discharges of thirteen cannon. At the first the army huzzaed, Long live the King of France, at the second, Long live the friendly European powers, and at the third there was a shout, The American States. From his headquarters at Ross Hall, General George Washington ordered a feu de joie to celebrate the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Soldiers are to adorn their Hats with Green-Boughs and to make the best appearance possible. The disposition will be given in the orders of tomorrow, double allowance of rum will be served out. In May 1782 a feu de joie at West Point celebrated the birth of the Dauphin of France, and was witnessed by a Dr. Thacher. The arbor was, in the evening, illuminated by a vast number of lights, the feu-de-joie was immediately followed by three shouts of acclamation and benediction for the Dauphin by the united voices of the whole army on all sides. Thus did the rattle of musketry three times make its distant circuit along the Hudson and they gave three cheers, drank their queens health, raised the British flag and gave forth a feu de joie, on the spot that became known as Possession Point. Today, the site is marked by Hollywood Road Park, Queen Victorias proclamation as Empress of India in Delhi on 1 January 1877 was followed by a feu de joie described by Field Marshal Lord Roberts. A salute of one hundred and one salvos of artillery was fired and this was too much for the elephants. As the feu-de-joie approached nearer and nearer to them, they became more and more alarmed, during the 1911 Delhi Coronation Durbar of King George V, a feu de joie followed the 101-Gun Salute during the State Entry ceremony on 12 December 1911. Numerous feux de joie were performed to commemorate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth on 2 June 1953 and these ranged from elaborate ceremonies at home and in Europe, to a combat feu de joie in Korea. As part of Elizabeth IIs 80th birthday celebrations, a feu de joie occurred on the Forecourt of Buckingham Palace on 17 June 2006 following the RAF flypast after Trooping the Colour. A cascade of rounds was fired by the Old Guard, the New Guard, the cascades of blank gunshots were interspersed with the National Anthem, God Save the Queen. After the feu de joie the troops on the Forecourt laid down their weapons, removed their headgear, on 5 June 2012 a weekend of celebrations for the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II culminated in a feu de joie given at Buckingham Palace. The Royal Military College of Canada also performs a feu de joie on the graduation parade where the graduates are commissioned
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Uniforms of the British Army
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The uniforms of the British Army currently exist in sixteen categories ranging from ceremonial uniforms to combat dress. Prior to the English Civil War of 1642–51 the only significant instances of uniform dress in British military culture occurred in small bodyguard units, notably the Yeoman of the Guard. During the Civil War the Parliamentary New Model Army adopted a standardised pattern of red clothing. By the end of the 17th century, the English army uniforms colour, was settled on red with few exceptions. The practice of distinguishing regiments by different facings was in use by the early 18th century. In the decades after the end of the Napoleonic Wars, British Army uniforms trended towards extravagance rather than practicality and that trend was reversed during Crimean war with the adoption of looser fitting tunics and more practical headdresses. Red coats were however retained, except in India where drab coloured garments were introduced in 1848, in January 1902 the British army adopted a universal khaki uniform for home service wear, the Service Dress, after experience with lighter khaki drill in India and South Africa. The traditional scarlet, blue and green uniforms were retained for full dress. Details of these colourful uniforms varied greatly between regiments and branches of the army, the early use of camouflage in the form of plain khaki reflected the exigencies of colonial war and the freedom allowed, and taken, by many of the officers who fought it. In 1938, the British Army adopted a revolutionary and practical type of uniform for combat known as Battledress, during the Second World War a handful of British units adopted camouflage patterned clothes, for example the Airborne Forces Denison smock and the windproof suit. In the late 1960s the Disruptive Pattern Material camouflage uniform was adopted across the whole of the British Army and it remained in service, with periodical updates, for the next 40 years. From 2009 it began to be replaced by a new Multi-Terrain Pattern uniform and this Personal Clothing System has been developed for use across the British Armed Services, making use of the latest in clothing technology. Fourteen numbered orders of dress are set out in Army Dress Regulations though individual Regiment, Full Dress is also prescribed for individual regiments, outside the Household Division it is however seldom worn except by regimental drummers, buglers and other limited categories. Note that uniform distinctions can vary greatly from one Regiment or Corps to another, also, while there are officially fifteen different grades, many of these are rarely worn or are being phased out altogether. It uses the Multi-Terrain Pattern camouflage and is mistakenly called MTP uniform. Full dress is the most elaborate and traditional order worn by the British Army and it was withdrawn from general issue in 1914. An example of the latter was the 1937 Coronation when mounted detachments from participating cavalry regiments were issued with full dress uniforms for the occasion. The reason for not generally reintroducing the distinctive full dress between the wars was primarily financial, as the scarlet cloth required expensive red cochineal dye, Full dress is now rarely worn except by the Foot Guards and the Household Cavalry
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Welsh Guards
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The Welsh Guards, part of the Guards Division, is one of the Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. It was founded on 26 February 1915 by Royal Warrant of George V and they were the last of the Guards to be created, with the Irish Guards coming into being in 1900. Just three days later the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards mounted its first Kings Guard at Buckingham Palace on 1 March 1915 – St Davids Day, on 17 August 1915 the 1st Battalion sailed for France to join the Guards Division to commence its participation in the First World War. Its first battle was some months after its arrival, at Loos on 27 September 1915. The regiments first Victoria Cross came two years later in July 1917 awarded to Sergeant Robert Bye, in 1929 the 1st Welsh Guards deployed to Egypt where they joined the Cairo Brigade where they stayed for only a brief period of time, returning home in 1930. Just prior to the outbreak of the Second World War the 1st Welsh Guards were dispatched to Gibraltar where they remained upon the outbreak of war in September 1939, the 2nd Battalion, Welsh Guards was created in 1939. The Welsh Guards were increased to three battalions during the Second World War, the 1st Battalion fought valiantly in all the campaigns of the North-West European Theatre. In May 1940 at the Battle of Arras, the Welsh Guards gained their second Victoria Cross by Lieutenant Christopher Furness, who was subsequently killed in action. The 3rd Battalion, Welsh Guards, which was formed at Beavers Lane Camp in 1941, fought throughout the arduous North African Campaign, in the Tunisia Campaign, shortly after the end of the war the 3rd Battalion was disbanded while the 2nd Battalion was placed in suspended animation. In 1947 the 1st Welsh Guards were dispatched to Palestine, then under British control, while it was in a volatile, the regiment had its colour trooped for the first time in 1949. In 1950 the regiment arrived in West Germany as part of the 4th Guards Brigade, in 1952 the regiment joined the Berlin Brigade in West Berlin, an enclave in Communist East Germany during tense times between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the Warsaw Pact. The Welsh Guards returned home the year and soon after deployed to the British-controlled Suez Canal Zone in Egypt. As previously in Palestine, the Welsh Guards time in Egypt was quite turbulent and they performed internal security duties there. They remained in the SEZ until the British withdrawal in 1956, in 1960 the regiment deployed to West Germany again, and in 1965 to Aden, another part of the declining British Empire. They were to return home the following year, in 1970 the regiment arrived again in West Germany, this time at Münster, as part of 4th Armoured Brigade. In 1972 came deployment to Northern Ireland, then embroiled in violence later known as The Troubles, the following year the Welsh Guards were dispatched to the province again and during this period lost Guardsman David Roberts in a landmine explosion. In October 1975 till March 1976 the Welsh Guards were part of the British contingent of the United Nations force deployed to Cyprus in the aftermath of the Turkish invasion of the island in 1974. In 1977 the regiment arrived in West Berlin again, and then in 1979 once more in the midst of the situation in Northern Ireland
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Royal Standard of the United Kingdom
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The Royal Standards of the United Kingdom refers to either one of two similar flags used by Queen Elizabeth II in her capacity as Sovereign of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories. Two versions of the flag exist, one for use in England, Northern Ireland, Wales and overseas. Although almost universally called a standard, such flags when used in the United Kingdom are banners of arms, since the 1960s, Queen Elizabeth II has had several personal flags designed for her use as sovereign of certain Commonwealth realms. It may be flown on any building, official or private, during a visit by the Queen, the Royal Standard was flown aboard the royal yacht when it was in service and the Queen was on board. The only church that may fly a Royal Standard, even without the presence of the Sovereign, is Westminster Abbey, the Royal Standard is flown at royal residences only when the sovereign is present. If the Union Flag flies above Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle or Sandringham House it signals that the Queen is not in residence, in 1934, King George V permitted his subjects in Scotland to display the ancient Royal Standard of Scotland as part of his silver jubilee. Today, it flies above Holyrood Palace and Balmoral Castle when the Queen is not in residence, when the Queen attends Parliament at the Palace of Westminster, the Royal Standard flies from Victoria Tower. Unlike the Union Flag, the Royal Standard is never flown at half-mast, even after the demise of the Crown, controversy arose regarding the lack of a flag at half-staff over Buckingham Palace following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997. The Queen was then in residence at Balmoral, and according to established custom, no flag was displayed over Buckingham Palace. The Queen proposed a compromise whereby the Union Flag would be flown at half-staff on the day of Dianas funeral. The Union Flag was also flown at half-mast over Buckingham Palace as a mark of respect on the first anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and outside the United Kingdom, the flag is divided into four quadrants. The inclusion of the remains a issue for some in Ireland. The request was denied and the harp remains, the modern Royal Standard of the United Kingdom, apart from minor changes, dates to the reign of Queen Victoria. The Hanoverian association terminated in 1837 with the accession of Queen Victoria who, being a female, the third quadrant, displaying the gold harp of Ireland, remains unaltered from that version used throughout the remainder of the United Kingdom and overseas. The Royal Standard of the United Kingdom used in Scotland differs from the ancient Royal Standard of Scotland in that the latter portrays the Lion Rampant in its entirety. The direct heir to the Throne has several distinct standards and banners for use throughout the United Kingdom in representation of this position, Charles, Prince of Wales currently has five standards at use for his various roles and titles. Historic Other members of the Royal Family have personal standards of their own and these are variants of the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom, defaced with a white label and either three points or pendants, or five points. Traditionally all princes and princesses of royal blood are granted arms on their 18th birthday, in Scotland, a queen consort will use the Scottish version of the Royal Standard
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Flag of the United Kingdom
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The national flag of the United Kingdom is the Union Jack, also known as the Union Flag. The current design of the Union Jack dates from the union of Ireland and it consists of the red cross of Saint George, edged in white, superimposed on the Cross of St Patrick, which are superimposed on the Saltire of Saint Andrew. Wales, however, is not represented in the Union Flag by Waless patron saint, Saint David, the flags standard height-to-length proportions are 1,2. The war flag variant used by the British Army modifies the proportions to 3,5, the earlier flag of Great Britain was established in 1606 by a proclamation of King James VI and I of Scotland and England. The Union Flag can be flown by any individual or organisation in Great Britain on any day of their choice, legal regulations restrict the use of the Union Flag on Government buildings in Northern Ireland. Long-standing restrictions on Government use of the flag elsewhere were abolished in July 2007, while the flag appears symmetric, the white lines above and below the diagonal red are different widths. On the side closer to the flagpole, the lines above the diagonals are wider, on the side farther from the flagpole. Thus, no change will be apparent when rotating the flag 180 degrees, placing the flag upside down is considered lèse majesté and is offensive to some. However, it can be flown upside down as a distress signal, while this is rare, it was used by groups under siege during the Boer War and during campaigns in India in the late 18th century. The reason that the UK flag is not symmetrical is because of the positions of the saltires of St Patrick. The red saltire of St Patrick is offset such that it does not relegate the white saltire of St Andrew to a mere border, St Andrews saltire has the higher position at the hoist side with St Patricks saltire in the higher position on the opposite side. Half-mast means the flag is flown two-thirds of the way up the flagpole with at least the height of the flag between the top of the flag and the top of the flagpole. Until July 2007, the Union Flag was only flown on Government buildings on a number of special days each year. The choice of days was managed by the Department for Culture, Media, Government buildings are those used by civil servants, the Crown, or the armed forces. They were not applicable to citizens, corporations, or local authorities. On 3 July 2007, the Justice Secretary Jack Straw laid a green paper before Parliament entitled The Governance of Britain. Two days later, Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced that with immediate effect the Union Flag would fly from the pole above the front entrance of 10 Downing Street on every day of the year. The intention was to increase feelings of British national identity, other Government departments were asked to follow this lead, and all Government buildings in Whitehall did so
