Coldstream Guards march to London in heavy snow
Three hundred and fifty years ago, soldiers set off on a 425 mile march from the North to London in blizzard conditions.
This week a bid to recreate that incredible journey for the first time began in identical weather.
Picture by Captain Mark Hayhurst
On January 2, 1660 General George Monck and 6,000 troops set out from Coldstream to London, in snow which continued until they reached their destination. And on Wednesday morning, the Coldstream Guards will set out from the same starting point, the place after which they were named, in similar snowy conditions, aiming to reach London in 25 days.
Around 100 members of Number Seven Company, some of whom are from the North East and have served in Afghanistan and Iraq, marched to Berwick on the first leg of their journey.
Yesterday, the guardsmen, who are based at Woolwich in London and are part of the Queen's Guard, at Buckingham and St James' Palaces and the Tower of London, continued to Alnwick and today they journey on to Ashington.
From there they call at Newcastle tomorrow, then Durham on Sunday, before heading south, finishing at London on January 30.
The purpose of the march is not only to mark the 350th anniversary of General Monck's march, but also to raise awareness of the work done by Britain's armed forces abroad.
This is particularly poignant for the guardsmen as their friends and colleagues are still serving in Afghanistan, running security patrols in the Helmand province, where three of their regiment have been killed and more than 30 injured.
The dead include Sergeant John Amer, 30, of Sunderland, who was killed in an explosion in November.
The march is also collecting money for the Army Benevolent Fund, which provides help for former soldiers and their families.
It also provides invaluable training for the young soldiers, some of whom are to go to Afghanistan in the coming months for the first time.
Captain Mark Hayhurst, one of the organisers of the march, said: "It is to celebrate the 350th anniversary of the march from Coldstream down to London but also getting people aware that this battalion is currently deployed in Afghanistan.
"We are just hoping that the public will turn out and cheer us on in what we are doing.
"If we are doing nothing more than raise awareness of what we are doing out in Afghanistan, it will be a big success.
"All our limbs will be painful but we have got to be thankful that we have got limbs to hurt."
Guardsman Danny Patterson, 23, from North Shields, has already served with the battalion in Afghanistan from 2007 to 2008.
The former John Spence Community High School pupil said: "It's what I joined the army for. I really enjoyed how exciting it was to be on an operational tour.
"I'm happy to march to help my friends who are out in Afghanistan at the moment by generating awareness and support for them and their families."
The stay in Berwick was significant as General Monck's troops built the town's parish church on their stop off there 350 years ago.
The Coldstream Guards have since been granted the freedom of Berwick, last exercising those rights with a parade through the town centre in March 2008.
On arrival in Berwick on Wednesday, the guardsmen attended a welcome
service in the church, in which their regiment's colours can still be seen.
As in 1660, they were greeted by town dignitaries and were addressed by its vicar, a former guardsman and now regiment chaplain Rev Alan Hughes, who gave them words of encouragement at the start of the march and hopes to be at its conclusion.
He said: "I am just so proud to be vicar of the church of our regiment and all these years on to be associated with them on this historic endeavour."
The Coldstream Guards bed down for the night at Alnwick TA Centre
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Baxterbear,one word, has now brought out a small book called 'Buttons In Two's' about The Coldstream March in Jan 2010 as all the Coldstream Guard's had Baxterbear's on there day sack , and 7foot Baxterbear went with them.
please email me at daisy@baxterbear.com for more info.
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