Opportunity to see Coldstream Guards march through Berwick town centre

Members of the public are encouraged the line the streets and the planned timeline for the day is as follows – 10.30am: arrive at Berwick Railway Station; 10.45am: march down Castlegate and Marygate to the Guildhall; 11am: welcome by the Mayor; 11.15am: march to Holy Trinity with St Mary; 12noon: service of thanksgiving; 2.30pm: march back to the station via Marygate and Castlegate; 3.15pm: departure.

In 1650, Berwick Governor George Fenwick and father-in-law Sir Arthur Hazelrigg formed Monck’s Regiment of Foot near Berwick.

Berwick remained the Regiment’s base until 1659 when they moved to Coldstream. They impressed Berwickers by their industry, clearing midden heaps and carting stone from old Berwick Castle to build the Cromwellian Church.

In 1660, they marched through deep snow from Coldstream to London, securing the city, dissolving Parliament for new elections and restoring the monarchy. Thomas Gumble described them as that ‘Small Company of Men who God made the instrument of Great Things’.

King Charles II asked Monck “where have you marched from?” so he renamed them Coldstream Guards, had he asked “where were you raised?” it might have been Berwick Guards.

The Coldstream have served in almost every major campaign since; with Marlborough in the War of the Spanish Succession; Wellington through the Peninsular Wars, holding Hougemont Farm securing victory at Waterloo; Raglan in the Crimea; Roberts in the Boer War; Haig in the First World War; Alexander and Montgomery in the Second.

Since then it has conducted operations in Malaya, Borneo, Palestine, the Canal Zone, Aden, Northern Ireland, Cyprus and Bosnia, in Afghanistan and in Iraq, and has more recently been involved in training hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers. This October, they deploy to Cyprus with the UN force.

The late Viscount Ridley, Lord Lieutenant of Northumberland, loved Berwick and its Parish Church. His grandfather, Sir Edwin Lutyens, created the magnificent screen behind the altar.

He was also a former Coldstreamer and fellow Vice President of The Coldstream Guards Association with Canon Alan Hughes.

On one visit in 1996, Canon Hughes asked if Lord Ridley could secure a visit to Berwick by Queen Elizabeth and the Freedom of Berwick for their regiment. Canon Hughes was asked to set out his request in writing which he did in 1996, the correspondence now in Berwick Archives.

Lord Ridley was then Lord Steward of The Royal Household, the senior Officer of Court and perfect advocate for such a request. In co-operation with the then Borough Council over four years, the vision became a reality.

The Colours of The Coldstream hang in Berwick Parish Church in perpetuity, granted to Berwick Parish Church by the late Queen to mark their 350th anniversary 25 years ago when the town granted them the Freedom of Berwick.

King Charles III is the Colonel in Chief of The Coldstream and taking a keen in interest in their visit. The Regiment will be led by General Sir James Bucknall, who will report back to The King on an event which marks the start of an historic week for Berwick and The Nation, for they parade before The King at Windsor Castle on the Friday then on Horse Guards Parade Saturday for Trooping of The Colour.