"Keith Willshaw" wrote in message
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"Michael Petukhov" wrote in message
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"Keith Willshaw" wrote in message
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"Michael Petukhov" wrote in message
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ess (phil hunt) wrote in message
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On 2 Nov 2003 22:49:06 -0800, Michael Petukhov

wrote:
31 [3] (Royal Army)

Which country's army is this? It's obviously not the UK.


obviously it is.

Britain doesnt have a Royal Army

Royal Air Force and Royal Navy but British Army.

Hm... Yet another abnormality of British.


You can thank Oliver Cromwell for that

BTW I can imagine why Royal air force but British Army.
but why the hell Royal Navy but British Army? There were
both navy and army in Cromwell's times as far as I
understand.


Actually there was no standing army in Cromwells time
but there was a navy. Rulers raised armies at need.
Cromwell raised the first permament army, called the
'New Model Army' as a professional fighting force
and since they were fighting the King's forces at the
time it was definitely not a Royal Army.

Of course the Royal Navy mostly sided with Parliament
but thats another story

After the death of Oliver Cromwell it was General Monck's
march from Coldstream, on the Scotiish Border, at the
head of his regiment that finally brought down the Commonwealth
and allowed the King to return.

The compromise reached by the Convention Parliament meant that
the new army was to be neither Royalist nor Parliametarian force but
a British Army and Monck's Regiment of Foot, last unit of the New Model
Army
became the first Regiment of the new British Army and was named
the Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards , later just the Coldstream Guards

1650 Colonel Monck's Regiment of Foot
1660 Duke of Albemarle's Regiment of Foot
1661 Duke of Albemarle's Regiment of Foot Guards
1670 Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards
1855 Coldstream Guards

Of course the Grenadier Guards have higher precendence.


Keith