I saw a reality show on the daily events in her Majesties Royal Horseguard yesterday. Brilliant stuff... espesially the part where the "modern" guard took a armored car to a test-range, screw up the naviagtion and end up in the middle of a towncenter. The faces of the bystanders were priceless, as was the bruised ego of the commander! lol!  

Anyway, my question is this one. The Horseguard at Buckingham-palace look all nice and diciplined, but would they be able to intervene in case of problems. Those ceremonial costumes don't look practical at all. So do they actually guard the palace and queen, or are they just a ceremonial artefact from the past?

well, look at the pope's guard. they may look funny in their tights, but they're well trained and i have no doubt they got modern weapons as well.

The guys in all the garb are purely ceremonial the guys with the guns are the ones you really have to worry about.

When people ask if the "Ceremonial" guard are of any practical use I remind myself that empires were built by people using those "archaic" weapons.

That sword may be dull...but in the hands of a man on horseback it is still a deadly weapon. Just because we are prejudiced in favour of things that go bang doesn't mean that the hiss of striking steel is any less deadly than it ever was!

I drilled once with a ceremonial sword of the Canadian Armed Forces. It was an old drill sword and a little beaten up. The beautiful chrome finish had flaked off in a couple of places and underneath you could see the characteristic pattern of Damascus Steel.

Quite evidently they'd nail all the tribespeople at Aden.


A.

Quote:


What's your point?

Quote:


well, the polish cavalry charged against german tanks as recent as 1939, throwing molotov cocktails and using them sabers on infantry

Quote:
Actually, they had Polish breasts 8)... but any helmet plumage may have been a result of more explosive technology .

I personally find the "hahhaah...retarded Poles charging calvalry" point quite offensive. Having read about the incident, I can assure you its not as it sounds.
A cavalry regiment harrassed a German infantry platoon (or whatever) and was really nailing them, but along came some German panzers. The cavalry attacked them too knowing full well what they were ...choosing deaht to slow the advance.
It is offensive to think that intelligent people such as the Poles would do something like that.

A.

P.S This was meant as a correction [/b] only [/b], not a smackdown.

Quote:
???...  I just reread the thread and I don't see where myshelf or anyone else said anything to the contrary for you to correct. What may be needed is you to better explain yourself. Why is it "offensive" to think they would do something like that: you, yourself, stated that it's a fact that they made the attack (properly, a counterattack) -- what else could they do if that was all they had? ???

Quote:


I imagine that the "real" guard at Her Majesty's places of residence is provided by the Royal Protection Officers of the Police...