THE ASSOCIATION
The Grenadier Guards Regimental Association was formed in 1913 and is the largest regimental association in the British Army. It currently (April 2024) has 26 branches across the UK, plus a North America branch.
The Association is a registered charity existing to fulfil the following functions:
- To maintain a connection between past and present members of the Grenadier Guards, and thereby promote their mutual interests and the welfare of the Regiment generally.
- To grant financial assistance to needy members or their widows, or on behalf of their children, provided their adverse circumstances are of an unavoidable nature and that the funds of the Association permit.
- To circulate information concerning the Regiment and the advantages of service therein, and to encourage desirable candidates to join.
- To arrange meetings in London or such other place as may help, to promote the objects shown above.
On 12 May 2024, the new President of the Regimental Association (Lt Col (Ret’d) Guy Denison-Smith) advised that his first duty is to announce that on 3rd May 2024 we received the very welcome news from Buckingham Palace that Her Majesty the Queen had agreed to take on the Patronage of the Association.
The President of the Association was presented to Her Majesty on 8th May 2024 when they had a brief conversation about this. She confirmed her commitment to the Regiment and her delight to be our Patron.
With effect April 2024, Lt Col (Ret’d) Guy Denison-Smith is the new President of the Regimental Association. He took over from Col Richard E. H. Aubrey-Fletcher who served 10 years in that role.
The Objects of the Grenadier Guards Association are:
- to promote the efficiency of the Grenadier Guards (hereinafter called ‘the Regiment’) and to maintain its history, traditions and esprit de corps; and
- to relieve, either generally or individually, persons who are serving or who have served in the Regiment and their dependants who are in conditions of need, hardship and distress.
In furtherance of these Objects the Association, through its Trustees, shall have the power:
- to take all necessary action to publicise and disseminate information concerning the Regiment’s history, deeds and traditions and to encourage recruiting;
- to execute and administer charitable trusts;
- to receive, take and accept any gifts of property whether subject to any special trusts or not;
- to receive and accept contributions by way of donations or otherwise and to raise funds for the said Objects provided that the Trustees shall not undertake any permanent trading activities concerned solely with the said raising of funds;
- to assist distressed and needy beneficiaries or their dependents by way of grants, gifts, supplementary allowances or otherwise and where necessary to promote their education and advancement in life;
- to pay for such items, services and facilities by way of donations or subscriptions to charitable institutions or organisations which provide or which undertake in return to provide such items, services or facilities for distressed and needy beneficiaries;
- subject to such consents as may from time to time be required by law, to purchase, take lease or exchange any property required for the Association and lease, exchange or otherwise dispose of the same;
- subject to such consents as may from time to time be required by law, to borrow or raise money for the Association on such terms and such security as may be thought fit;
- to invest funds and property of the Association for use for purposes of the Association in such investments as may from time to time be authorised by law;
- to accumulate funds of the Association for such periods as may from time to time be authorised by law;
- to constitute and form branches of the Association to further the Objects of the Association following the By-Laws established by the Association for its Branches; and
- to do all such other things as shall be necessary for the attainment of the said Objects.
Membership applications will be dealt with by Branch Secretaries who will issue the appropriate membership card and maintain a record of any subscriptions paid.
There are four categories of membership:
Serving Members
All serving Officers, serving Warrant Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers and Guardsmen who have completed recruit training.
Members
All Officers who have formerly served in the Regiment.
Officers and Soldiers of other Corps or Regiments who have formerly served in the Grenadier Guards and the Regimental Band before the advent of CAMUS.
Discharged Soldiers, provided they have completed their recruit training in the Regiment and have been awarded a character assessment of not less than “SATISFACTORY”.
Associate Members
Members of Associations of other Regiments of the Household Division and members of the Regimental Band of the CAMUS era are known as Associate Members
Honorary Members
Ladies (including Grenadier widows) and Gentlemen who have not served in the Grenadier Guards, but who have given outstanding service to the Regiment (e.g. Medical Officers, Chaplains etc) and others in line with the By-Laws for Branches, Section 2, paragraph 2.
Notes:
- The Executive Committee reserves the right to reconsider the membership accorded to all categories.
- Discharged men or Army Reservists with a character reference less than “SATISFACTORY” may apply to join the Association provided that they can show that their conduct since leaving the Colours has been satisfactory. Applications should be made in writing to the General Secretary for special consideration by the Executive Committee who are empowered to elect or re-elect them.
- Any member shall be struck off who has been convicted by the Civil Power if, in the opinion of the Executive Committee, the offence is of a serious nature. Members dealt with under this Rule may apply for re-election, being subject to the provision of point 2 above.
- The Executive Committee reserves to themselves the right to expel any member or exclude any applicant from membership.
- Those members of the Association who cease to belong under the Rules shall have no claim to a refund of any subscription or other payments made by him under these Rules.
Membership applications will be dealt with by Branch Secretaries who will issue the appropriate membership card and maintain a record of any subscriptions paid.
Subscriptions
Subscriptions into the Headquarters Fund are not payable by any member.
At a local level and at the discretion of Branch Committees, with the agreement of members, local rates for subscriptions may be set, collected and retained by Branches to support their general expenditure.
Donations
All members shall be actively encouraged to donate an annual sum to the Association Headquarters Fund and where applicable, by way of a Gift Aided Donation. This enables the Association to claim a refund of income tax on all such donations; thereby helping to further the objects of the Association.
All donations to the Headquarters Fund of the Association (including Gift Aided donations) and legacies will be transacted through the Association Office. Member’s donations/subscriptions of a routine nature should be sent to the Branch Secretary concerned, for retention by the Branch.
The Day’s Pay Scheme
This is a voluntary scheme whereby serving Officers and Soldiers can contribute monthly to Regimental Charitable Funds direct from their pay. All those eligible are encouraged to do so to help support the Association’s welfare effort which is, in turn, supported financially by a monthly Regimental grant.
As of 28 April 2024, the following are known to be some of those who work at Regimental Headquarters:
- Regimental Adjutant: Maj (Retired) James P W Gatehouse, formerly Grenadier Guards
- Regimental Treasurer & Association General Secretary: Lt Col (Retired) James A Keeley MBE
- Officer Recruiting and Assistant Equerry: Capt Edward Bennett
- Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant: WO2 (RQMS) Gavin Hudson
- Association NCO: LSgt Glen Davis
The following list shows the location of all geographical Branches of the Association.
Contact details of each Branch Secretary can be obtained from the Regimental website:
Bath | March | Surrey & East Hampshire |
Bristol | Matlock & Chesterfield | Walsall |
Derby | Norfolk | Wessex |
Gloucestershire | Northamptonshire | Wigan, St. Helens & District |
Kent | North Staffordshire | Windsor |
Leicestershire | Nottinghamshire | Wolverhampton |
Liverpool | Oxfordshire | Worcester & Hereford |
London | Reading | Yorkshire |
Manchester | Suffolk | Overseas: North America |
Several reunions, get-togethers, Facebook Groups, breakfast clubs, and other activities have made their mark on Social Media platforms in recent years. There are also several Grenadier Guards Association Branches with a Facebook presence. Collectively, these events and groups are referred to as Virtual Grenadiers as they operate in the virtual world of the Internet.
Some of the events are a “no frills” gathering, but a great opportunity to turn up, have a drink and catch up with friends; some of whom they wouldn’t have seen, or been in contact with, for many years.
Many of these are run by, and have group members, who are Grenadiers, but who may not otherwise be active within the Grenadier Guards Association. Nonetheless, they are an excellent addition to keep Grenadiers in touch with former military colleagues and friends, and to augment the Esprit de Corps we all have for the greatest Regiment in the world – The Grenadier Guards!
The aim of this post is to list details of any such activity (that we are aware of), so that others can easily find links to the information, then take matters forward as they might wish. Alternatively, if you are looking for a breakfast club, or a reunion or just conversation with old friends from your days in the Grenadiers, then head for the website www.grengds.com and find the link for the Virtual Facebook Groups which may help get you where you want to go!
REUNIONS
Number 3 Company Reunion Derby 2024
- Date: Saturday 09 March 2024
- Venue: The Old Bell Hotel, 51 Sadler Gate, Derby DE1 3NQ
- Organiser: Pete Hales and Andy Buchanan
- Event details: Open to all Grenadiers Past and Present. Come along, pull up a sandbag and swing the lamp.
- Date: Saturday 13 April 2024
- Venue: The Sgts Mess, The Artillery Grounds, Whiteladies Road, Bristol BS8 2LG
- Organiser: Keith Smith
- Event details: The next Great Support Company Reunion will be held in Bristol. Timings: 1400 until 2359 hrs. For the reunion, they have been given exclusive use of the Sgts Mess. The reunion is open to members that served in Support Company which includes their guests and all Grenadiers both “Past and Present”. Don’t miss out on great banter and reminiscing. So no excuses, you have over a year to plan for another great gathering. Pass the word to others, and let’s make it another fantastic reunion.
- Date: Friday 12 July 2024
- Venue: Aldershot Premier Inn (our usual gathering spot), 7 Wellington Avenue, Hampshire, GU11 1SQ
- Event details: This reunion is for the former members 0f Number 5 Platoon who formed at the Guards Depot, Pirbright in July 1984 (that’s 40 years ago) and passed out in December 1984. Platoon Commander was Lt CST Page, Platoon Sergeant was Sgt RC Goodson (to 14th week) then CoH P Henney, Instructors were: LSgt R Baynham, LSgt G Wardell, LCoH Dobbie, LCoH Laidlaw, and the BRI was LCpl Hatcher.
2nd Bn Grenadier Guards No Two Company Reunion 2025
- Date: It has been suggested that this reunion could occur over the weekend of the late May Bank Holiday in 2025
- Venue: TBC
- Organisers: Possibly Gary Eldershaw, Dave Boucher and Linda Chez
FACEBOOK GROUPS/PAGES
- 1st Grenadier Guards 3 Company Seventies Reunion
- 2nd Bn Grenadier Guards MT Platoon
- 5 Platoon
- EKB GGA
- Former Members of the Grenadier Guards Group
- Grenadier Drummers On The Piss
- Grenadier Guards
- Grenadier Guards Company Platoon Squad Photo’s
- Grenadier Guards Association – Kent Branch
- Grenadier Guards Association Gloucestershire Branch
- Grenadier Guards Association – Liverpool Branch
- Grenadier Guards Association Northampton Branch
- Grenadier Guards Association Surrey & East Hampshire Branch
- Grenadier Guards Association – Wallsall Branch
- Grenadier Guards Association Wolverhampton Branch
- Grenadier Guards Friends
- Grenadier Guards in France
- Grenadier Guards MT Platoon
- Grenadier Guards (Notts) Branch
- Grenadier Guards Past and Present
- Grenadier Guards Past and Present 1st Battalion
- Grenadier Guards Reunion
- Grenadier Guards Sergeants’ Mess Past and Present Club
- Grenadier Polo Day
- Grenadier Signals Platoon
- Grenadier Guards The Worlds No1 Regiment!
- Grenadier Guards Veterans
- Leicestershire and Rutland Grenadier Guards Association
- Manchester Grenadiers
- Nijmegen Company Grenadier Guards Old And New
- Number 1 Company 2nd Bn Grenadier Guards
- Number Two Company 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards
- Number 3 Company 1 Grenadier Guards
- Oxfordshire Grenadier Guards Association
- Old Grenadier Mates
- Once A Grenadier Always A Grenadier
- Past And Present Members Of The Band of the Grenadier Guards
- R650 “The Queen’s Company”. Crossmaglen 25 Year Reunion
- Regimental Headquarters Grenadier Guards
- Support Company Grenadier Guards
- Support The Grenadier Guards
- The Facebook Grenadiers
- The Inkerman Company 2 Gren. Guards, THE RIBS!
- The Inkerman Company , 2nd Bn. Grenadier Guards
- The Second Battalion Grenadier Guards (2 Gren. Gds.) The Models
- Whatever Happened To That Grenadier
- Wigan St Helens & District Grenadier Guards Association
BREAKFAST CLUBS
- Folkestone & District Armed Forces & Veterans Breakfast Club – not exclusively Grenadiers, but several of the members of the East Kent Branch Grenadier Guards Association attend their breakfasts
- Grenadier Breakfast Club (East Midlands)
- Grenadier Breakfast – recently started by Kev Kitcher
If there are any events, or groups, that you are aware of that are not listed above, then please let us have detail. You can easily pass detail to us via our Contact Us page.
The following shows the location of Branches of the Household Division Association.
Further details can be obtained from Association HQ on 0207 414 3285 or email assnnco@grengds.com
Birmingham | Luton | Warrington |
Blackpool | Manchester | Wiltshire |
Chester | Morecombe Bay | Wolverhampton |
Cleveland & South Durham | Reading | North Yorkshire |
Colchester | Solent | |
Louth | Telford | Household Division Corps of |
Drums Association |
RHQ has received numerous requests to check service records for service history. This is to advise of the process for ex-service personnel record requests.
The Archive Department, at RHQ, only now has a record (register) of service numbers and names to confirm an individual was a Grenadier, which the Association NCO can use to check on an as-and-when basis.
However, all Records of Service (including Officers) have been transferred to the Ministry of Defence and RHQ are no longer able to answer any queries about individuals who have served in the Regiment.
Please send your enquiry to Army Disclosures, Army Personnel Centre, Kentigern House, 65 Brown Street, Glasgow G2 8EX or visit:
- Get a Copy of Your Own Service Records
- Get a Copy of the Records of Someone Deceased (restrictions apply)
If you have any questions, please telephone the Army Personnel Centre helpdesk on 0345 600 9663.
Individuals – or their attorney’s/next of kin’s – should complete the relevant forms to obtain the information required, which can then be disclosed to them for the relevant purposes.
The same process should be followed if Branches need to obtain information for specific purposes (e.g. welfare cases), albeit through an internal request system via the Association NCO.
REGIMENTAL REMEMBRANCE DAY 2023
On Sunday 21st May 2023, personnel from the Grenadier Guards took part in a service of remembrance in central London.
Black Sunday is a regimental day when serving and former Grenadier Guardsmen come together to pay tribute to those killed and injured. All Grenadiers hold this as an incredibly important day to remember our dead and our wounded from conflicts past.
The parade took place at Wellington Barracks and the Guards Chapel before Grenadier Cadets, and both serving and former personnel, marched together to the Guards Memorial by Horseguards where a wreath was laid in memory of fallen comrades.
Video length 31 minutes 54 seconds
(All credit to MrBaton74 and YouTube)