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37-470: Squadron leader ( Sqn Ldr or S/L ) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force . The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence . Squadron leader is immediately senior to flight lieutenant and immediately below wing commander . It is usually equivalent to the rank of lieutenant commander in the navy and of

74-467: A Formation Reconnaissance Regiment , serving in armoured fighting vehicles including the Warrior and Ajax , operating far ahead of the main body of friendly forces. Their role is to locate and report on the movement and disposition of enemy forces, and engage and destroy enemy reconnaissance elements that are seeking to do do the same. The regiment forms one of five formation reconnaissance regiments in

111-411: A day, at Hyde Park Barracks . Farriers traditionally combined veterinary knowledge with blacksmiths ' skills. They were responsible for hoof trimming and fitting horseshoes to horses. They also dealt with the "humane dispatch of wounded and sick horses", accomplished with the large spike on the end of their axes. Then they used the sharp blade of the axe to chop off the deceased animal's hoof, which

148-520: A flying squadron is usually commanded by a wing commander , with each of the two flights under a squadron leader. However, ground-operating squadrons which are sub-divisions of a wing are ordinarily commanded by a squadron leader. This includes squadrons of the RAF Regiment and University Air Squadrons . The rank insignia consists of a thin blue band on a slightly wider black band between two narrow blue bands on slightly wider black bands. This

185-554: A numbered squadron, then the number of the squadron is also shown on the flag. In the British Household Cavalry and Royal Armoured Corps , "squadron leader" is the title (but not the rank) often given to the commander of a squadron ( company ) of armoured fighting vehicles . The squadron leader is usually a major (thus the equivalent rank to an RAF squadron leader), although in the Second World War

222-561: A panicked flight through central London. Colliding with vehicles and pedestrians, two of the horses suffered serious injuries. Three soldiers were among those injured and were taken to hospital. The Household Cavalry is supported by the Household Cavalry Foundation, the regimental charity, which raises funds in aid of five core themes: casualties, veterans, serving soldiers, horses and heritage. The Household Cavalry has two museums. The Household Cavalry Museum

259-586: Is horsed and carries out mounted (and some dismounted) ceremonial duties on State and Royal occasions. These include the provision of a Sovereign 's Escort, most commonly seen on The King's Birthday Parade ( Trooping the Colour ) in June each year. Other occasions include state visits by visiting heads of state, royal weddings, coronations, or whenever required by the British monarch , including ceremonies associated with

296-873: Is known as a "long guard." When the King is not resident in London, the Guard is reduced to two non-commissioned officers and ten troopers. This is known as a "short guard." Responsibility for mounting the guard alternates between The Life Guards and The Blues and Royals. Every summer, the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery takes over the role, while the HCMR conducts important regimental training outside of London. Second Lieutenants in The Blues and Royals are known as Cornets . The rank names and insignia of non-commissioned officers in

333-658: Is located at Horse Guards Parade in central London, where the HCMR mounts the King's Life Guard. The museum is a very popular tourist attraction with digital audio guides in several languages. The museum includes a window into the working stables of the King's Life Guard, allowing visitors to watch ongoing care of the horses throughout the day. Separately, the Household Cavalry Regiment has its own museum at Combermere Barracks in Windsor. A volunteer team organise tours and events and, in particular, administer

370-407: Is on horseback from 10 am until 4 pm, with the two sentries changing every hour. From 4 pm until 8 pm a pair of dismounted sentries remain. At 8 pm, the gates of Horse Guards are locked, and a single sentry remains until 7 am. When the King is in London, the Guard consists of one officer, one corporal major (who carries the standard), two non-commissioned officers, one trumpeter and ten troopers. This

407-410: Is worn on both the lower sleeves of the tunic or on the shoulders of the flying suit or the casual uniform. Squadron leaders are the lowest ranking officers that may fly a command flag. The flag may be depicted on the officer's aircraft or, should the squadron leader be in command, the flag may be flown from a flagpole or displayed on an official car as a car flag. If the squadron leader is in command of

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444-733: The Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II . The regiment also mounts the King's Life Guard at Horse Guards . HCMR consists of one squadron from The Life Guards, one from The Blues and Royals and a squadron called Headquarters Squadron, which is responsible for all administrative matters and includes the regimental headquarters (RHQ), the Riding Staff, Farriers, Tailors and Saddlers. The Regiment has been based (in various forms) at Hyde Park Barracks , Knightsbridge , since 1795. New troopers and officers are generally first assigned to London upon completion of horsemanship training, referred to, alongside

481-889: The Household Cavalry Regiment stationed at Wing Barracks in Wiltshire, with an armored reconnaissance role, and the ceremonial mounted unit, the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment , garrisoned at Hyde Park Barracks in London . Both the HCMR and HCR are made up of elements of the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals. The Household Cavalry is part of the Household Division and is the King's official bodyguard. Although

518-647: The Navy and Coast Guard the rank group is called senior officers and consists of Commander and Captain . Household Cavalry The Household Cavalry ( HCAV ) is a corps of the Household Division that is made up of the two most senior regiments of the British Army – The Life Guards and The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons) . They have taken part in every major conflict since 1660. These regiments are divided between

555-673: The Royal Air Force . An RAF air commodore , however, is considered to be an air officer . A number of other armed forces in the Commonwealth , including Australia and New Zealand, also follow this pattern. This officer group in the United States Armed Forces has two different names depending on the branch. In the Army , Marine Corps , Air Force , and Space Force the rank group is called field grade and consists of Major , Lieutenant Colonel , and Colonel . In

592-579: The British Army's order of battle. The HCR has four operational squadrons, three of which are traditional medium reconnaissance squadrons equipped with the Warrior and Ajax armoured fighting vehicles, and the fourth is referred to as Command and Support Squadron and includes specialists, such as Forward Air Controllers . One of HCR's squadrons has been assigned to the airborne role, supporting 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team , since 2003. The regiment

629-634: The German Bundeswehr , officers of the rank of Major , Oberstleutnant and Oberst in the Heer (army) and Luftwaffe (air force), and Korvettenkapitän , Fregattenkapitän and Kapitän zur See in the German Navy are traditionally known as Stabsoffiziere (English: staff officers ). Shtabofitser ( Russian : Штаб-офицер ), derived from the German stabsoffizier ,

666-490: The Household Cavalry Regiment is armoured, it is not part of the Royal Armoured Corps , being assigned to the Household Division. The Household Cavalry is classed as a corps in its own right, and consists of two regiments : The Life Guards and The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons) . They are the senior regular regiments in the British Army, with traditions dating from 1660, and act as

703-547: The Household Cavalry are unique in the British Army: Recruits were required to have a very high moral character. Before the Second World War , recruits were required to be at least 5 feet 10 inches tall, but could not exceed 6 feet 1 inch. They initially enlisted for eight years with the colours and a further four years with the reserve. There is a farrier on call twenty-four hours

740-692: The Household Cavalry is divided into regiments ( battalion -sized units) and squadrons ( company -sized sub-units). The whole corps is under the command of the Commander Household Cavalry (formerly Colonel Commanding The Household Cavalry), who also holds the Royal Household appointment of Silver Stick in Waiting. He is a Colonel and is assisted by a retired lieutenant colonel as Regimental Adjutant . The Household Cavalry Regiment (HCR) has an active operational role as

777-530: The King's personal bodyguard. They are the cavalry element of the guards regiments and, with the five foot guard regiments, constitute the seven guards regiments of the Household Division . Colonel Lieutenant General Sir Edward Smyth-Osbourne General The Princess Royal Below is the structure of the regiment: The Household Cavalry as a whole is split into two different units that fulfil very distinct roles. These are both joint units, consisting of personnel from both regiments. Like other Cavalry formations,

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814-458: The RAF rank of major was superseded by squadron leader which has remained in continuous usage ever since. Promotion to squadron leader is strictly on merit, and requires the individual to be appointed to a Career Commission, which will see them remain in the RAF until retirement or voluntary resignation. Before the Second World War , a squadron leader commanded a squadron of aircraft. Today, however,

851-533: The RAF. In response to the proposal that the RAF should use its own rank titles, it was suggested that the RAF might use the Royal Navy 's officer ranks, with the word "air" inserted before the naval rank title. For example, the rank that later became squadron leader would have been air lieutenant commander. However, the Admiralty objected to this modification of their rank titles. The rank title squadron leader

888-516: The army and air force ranks of major , lieutenant-colonel , and colonel , and the naval ranks of lieutenant-commander , commander , and captain . In the French Armed Forces , senior officers are called officiers supérieurs . They include the army and air force ranks of commandant , lieutenant-colonel and colonel , and the naval ranks of capitaine de corvette , capitaine de frégate and capitaine de vaisseau . In

925-713: The army's cavalry and by the air force's flying units. The cavalry rank of squadron leader in France is equivalent to a major, and the cavalry appointment of squadron leader in the UK generally corresponds to this rank as well. The rank was used in the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1920 until the 1968 unification of the Canadian Forces , when army-type rank titles were adopted. Canadian squadron leaders then became majors . In official Canadian French usage,

962-535: The farriers of The Life Guards—blue tunic, black plume and axe—is a historic reminder of the old British Army of the days of James Wolfe . Every cavalry regiment in the Army, other than the Royal Horse Guards (The Blues), originally wore scarlet for all ranks, except the farriers. Farriers were garbed invariably in sombre blue and bore axes, worn at the side, like the swords of their comrades. When on parade,

999-501: The post was often held by a captain . Senior officer Sometimes, particularly in the army, this grade is referred to as field-grade officers , field officers or officers of field rank . Historically, a regiment or battalion 's field officers made up its command element. In the Canadian Armed Forces , the term "senior officer" ( French : officier supérieur ) is used in all three services. It includes

1036-468: The rank of major in other services. The equivalent rank in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force , Women's Royal Air Force (until 1968) and Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service (until 1980) was "squadron officer". Squadron leader has also been used as a cavalry command appointment (UK) and rank (France) since at least the nineteenth century. In Argentina it is used as a command appointment by both

1073-640: The rank title was commandant d'aviation . However, in 2015, the insignia for Canadian air force majors reverted to two and half strips of braid in pearl grey on black. The rank originated in the British Royal Air Force and was adopted by several other air forces which use, or used, the RAF rank system . On 1 April 1918, the newly created RAF adopted its officer rank titles from the British Army , with Royal Naval Air Service lieutenant commanders and Royal Flying Corps majors becoming majors in

1110-417: The rest of HCMR personnel, as Mounted Dutymen, and remain there for up to three years. Like the five Foot Guards regiments they rotate between the operational and ceremonial roles. The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment provides the King's Life Guard , the mounted guard at the entrance to Horse Guards . Horse Guards is the official main entrance to both St James's Palace and Buckingham Palace . The guard

1147-541: The troopers drew swords, the Farriers drew axes and carried them at the "Advance". Following every parade is a duty horse-box, known as the Veterinary Aid Post, with a specialist emergency team in attendance. The Mounted Band of the Household Cavalry was a merger in 2014 of the 35 piece Band of The Blues and Royals and the 35 piece Band of The Life Guards. They are now one band of 64 musicians but wear

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1184-614: The troops. The troops weave around the trumpeters and the celebrated drumhorse, Spartacus. In the British Army Order of Precedence , the Household Cavalry is always listed first and always parades at the extreme right of the line, save in cases that the guns of the Royal Horse Artillery are to be first in line during parades. In April 2024, after being spooked by falling concrete during their daily morning exercise, five horses unseated their riders and went on

1221-681: The uniform of both The Blues and Royals and The Life Guards. They come under RCAM, the Royal Corps of Army Music . They also provide State Trumpeters for events of state. The Musical Ride of the Mounted Regiments of the Household Cavalry was first performed at the Royal Tournament in 1882. The two trumpeters sitting on grey horses were historically intended to form a contrast with the darker horses, so that they could be seen on battlefields when relaying officers' commands to

1258-613: Was chosen as squadrons were typically led by RAF majors and the term squadron commander had been used in the Royal Naval Air Service. The rank of squadron leader was introduced in August 1919 and has been used continuously since then. From 1 April 1918 to 31 July 1919, the RAF used major as the equivalent rank to squadron leader. Royal Naval Air Service lieutenant-commanders and Royal Flying Corps majors on 31 March 1918 became RAF majors on 1 April 1918. On 31 August 1919,

1295-578: Was formerly based at Combermere Barracks , Windsor, one mile from Windsor Castle , until its move to Bulford Camp , Wiltshire, in May 2019. The members of the Household Division have sometimes been required to undertake special tasks as the Sovereign's personal troops. The Household Cavalry were called to Windsor Castle on 20 November 1992 to assist with salvage operations following the 1992 Windsor Castle fire . The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (HCMR)

1332-424: Was marked with its regimental number. This assisted in keeping track of animals killed in action. Although the axes are not used any more, army farriers still carry these axes, with their characteristic highly polished blade and spike, at ceremonial events such as Trooping the Colour . In The Blues and Royals, the farriers dress like their comrades in regimental uniform. The distinctive uniform and equipment of

1369-550: Was the designation of the following officers of the Russian Imperial Army and Navy until 1917. The British Army and Royal Marines use the terms "officers of field rank" or "field officers" to refer to the ranks of major , lieutenant colonel , colonel and brigadier . The term "senior officer" is used for the ranks of lieutenant commander , commander , captain and commodore in the Royal Navy , and squadron leader , wing commander and group captain in

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