New Coldstream Guards Cadet Detachment

Lothian and Borders Bn ACF form Coldstream Guards Detachment

Lothian and Borders Battalion Army Cadet Force have formed a Coldstream Guards Cadet Detachment. Their first Parade was during Coldstream Civic Week, which this year, during the first week of August, also marked the 40th Anniversary of the granting of The Freedom of Coldstream to The Regiment.

Lothian and Borders Padre, Canon Alan Hughes, served with The Coldstream as a soldier in the 1960s. Now Vicar of Berwick, he was invited to conduct a service to mark the 40th anniversary supported by Earl Home, No 7 Company Coldstream Guards recently returned from Operations, Association members the newly formed local Coldstream Cadets and hundreds of supporters. A unique privilege for Padre Hughes, having attended the original ceremony with Earl Home's father, Sir Alec Douglas-Home, former Prime Minister, in 1968.

The week was a family occasion, in that Padre Alan's Soprano daughter Tamsin sang 'Flowers o' the Forest' unaccompanied for The Coldstream and assembled Civic parties from all the Border Towns, as she does each year, to honour the fallen of The Battle of Flodden.

The Town of Coldstream stands on the Scottish Border, a few miles up river from Berwick-upon-Tweed. Both Berwick and Coldstream have strong links with The Coldstream Guards. In 1650 their forebears, Monck's Regiment of Foot, built Berwick's distinctive Parish Church under Oliver Cromwell. To mark this, in the year 2000, on the 350th anniversary of the founding of The Regiment and building of the Church, The Coldstream received the Freedom of Berwick and laid their Colours up in Holy Trinity Church led by their Regimental Colonel, General Sir Mike Rose.

Having campaigned around Scotland in the 1650's, Monck's Regiment camped at Coldstream before setting off for London, where they eventually laid down their arms for The King. When he asked where they had marched from and they replied "the Town of Coldstream" he gave them the name Coldstream Guards. Padre Alan is fond of pointing out that, had King Charles II asked "where were you raised?" they could have been called The Berwick Guards!