Once a Grenadier (PDF)

An eminent writer has said that regiments great in history have this in common with mortals- through old in glory and honour, they have yet the vigour of youth. To none may the remark be more truthful applied then the Grenadier Guards...' Thus wrote Chichester and Burges-Short in 1900 and, judging by the Regiment's history over the last fifty years, the words ring as true as ever. For this history of Grenadier Guards is indeed a microcosm of all the proud endeavours of the British Army. There are few places of significance where the Regiment has not served: after the round-up of Nazis in 1945 in Germany and Austria, Grenadiers saw action in Palestine and in the jungles of Malaya, and subsequently served during emergencies in Cyprus, the Cameroons, British Guiana, Belize, Northern Ireland, the Gulf and with the United Nations, to indicate but some of the over seas postings which included the Falklands and Hong Kong. Grenadier have also been responsible for the protection of British Sovereigns and the great ceremonial events in London, including the funerals of King George VI and Winston Churchill. Oliver Lindsay has produced a rigorous work of history-his fourth book- rich in quotation after interviewing Grenadiers, serving and retired, of all generations. Drawing on their accounts as well as his own experiences - for he was a regular soldier for thirty-five years- he has written a book of extraordinary interest. Unique among such historians, he tells of the experiences of wives in such places as war-torn Germany in 1945. Tripoli and Cyprus. The story of Grenadiers who served with the Guards parachute Company and in the SAS is included. Five years in the writing, this comprehensive record included coverage of training, tactics, the pronounced changes in the armed forces and the views and anecdotes of the Non Commissioned Officers and Guardsmen. Profusely illustrated and with 14 detailed maps, this is a dedicated history of the senior infantry Regiment in the British Army and what is probably the most famous Regiment in the world.