The Royal Guardsmen, Home Guard, Military Anniversaries


If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
I love the fact that CP Mary participated in this event as a soldier. She clearly enjoyed her military training, and is seems very proud to be able to be a part of the military.
 
Translation of a Q&A in Billed Bladet #44, 2012.

Where a Dora Anoldus would like to know whether the bear caps worn by the Royal Lifeguard Regiment are genuine.

Jon Bloch Skipper replies:
In England the ligeguard of Queen Elizabeth have begun to wear caps of synthetic fur, but here at home the Royal Lifeguards still use fur from black bears. (*)
This tradition from the beginning of the 1800s will not be changed despite wide spread critisism from animal rights organisations.
It needs to be added that the Lifeguard only use fur from black bears that are certified according to the Washington Convention about endangered animals. Black bears a protected but it's legal to shoot a certain number to cull the population.
Incidentally it takes an entire skin to manufacture one bear skin cap.

(*) By late 1700's the Royal Lifeguards had evolved into a grenadier regiment and such regiments typically used bearskin caps. Later on during the 1800's the regiment, just like other grenadier regiments, evolved into a heavy infantry of the line. By then the bear skin caps were typical of guards regiments.
In Britain there are several guards regiments taking turn in guarding QEII's palaces. Usually of a battalion size each.
In DK there is only one "guards battallion" and it's only of company size, so the need for bear skin caps is limited in comparison. And bearskin caps last for decades.

https://www.box.com/s/3axbwfboilwux6e9i14c
 
Last edited:
This is based on a Q&A in Billed Bladet #5, 2014.

Where a Johnnie Larsen would like to what rifle the Royal Lifeguard Regiment uses.

Jon Bloch Skipper gives a detailed but not complete reply, so I'll add some additional details.
The Lifeguard Regiment was formed during the Skanska Wars in mid 1600's and by then they would have looked like figure #21 in this illustration: https://app.box.com/s/dzxlcz47qq7oeko1iw4y By then they were equipped with pikes and matchlock muskets.

But technology went ahead and by the time of the great Nordic War, the flintlock musket had been introduced. Although the bayonets were jammed into the barrel for a few decades more and used more like a pike, until mid 1700's
See figure #37 in this illustration: https://app.box.com/s/1ic24fzyaz0dasq8n1s4

By the time of the Napoleonic Wars, uniforms and weapons had developed.
Here is a guardsman from 1807, still uniformed like a typical grenadier of the time: https://app.box.com/s/16lviopuuwwarhv0v8i2
The musket was this state of the art model: https://app.box.com/s/zajxgep5ijdgodbccp2g

By the mid 1800's that was hopelessly oldfashioned and the Remington Rifle M1867, percussion rifle was introduced. Firing a heavy 12 mm projectile.
https://app.box.com/s/un6lbr6xkp05ecyheces

It was soon obsolete and by the late 1800's the bolt actions Krag-Jørgensen rifle M1889 was introdued and used well into WWII. It was also used by the US army in the Phillippines, so American members may be familiar with the weapon? https://app.box.com/s/civ33cwyh8yaxz2jlax7

Right after the Liberation in 1945 the first guards battalions standing guard for the DRF were issued with second hand German Mausers K98 https://app.box.com/s/81ie5rjvmtdqp90f8ltn

But the Garand (M50) was soon introduced as the standard rifle and remained in use in the guards battallion well into the 1980's: https://app.box.com/s/nx61l60jvkhnnjsrufox

Until it was replaced by the German Hechler & Koch (M75), 7.62, a ridiculously easy to use rifle which I have carried around alot in my time! The Royal Lifeguard however used a model with an extended butt, to make it easier to use for tall guardsmen on the parade ground and with a special three round magazine: https://app.box.com/s/pwvup64a5wa7a3usv2dz

Today however, the modern guardsman: https://app.box.com/s/k5jp5ewjfvtkmjy6s05t use the Colt Canada C7 (M95) 5.56 https://app.box.com/s/vxx2ywq1fl4tfo10kiva Without the scope and with an extended rifle butt. - That weapon has actually been replaced by a more modern version, but it is used by the guards battallion because of it's length and because it to be honest is more pleasing to look at than the more functionalistic looking modern carbines.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom