Many livery companies have continuing associations with the armed forces, and
the Girdlers’ Company is no exception. The Company’s links with P Battery, 254
Regiment Royal Artillery were severed with the unit’s disbandment in 1967 and an
association was formed with the Irish Guards in 2004.
This mutually beneficial association is marked each year by a number of exchanges
and events, including a prize-giving at Girdlers’ Hall close to 1st April – the
date of the Regiment’s formation in 1900 – when the Company presents awards to
the individuals selected by the Regiment as outstanding section commander and
guardsman of the year. Pictures from the 2009 Prizegiving are shown below.
The
Irish Guards is part of the Household Division which prides itself as the guardian of the
Sovereign. Their ethos, taught in training and developed thereafter, demands
above all else the pursuit of excellence, on operations, in the provision of Public
Duties and State Ceremonial, on training, in barracks and off duty. This excellence
is the collective goal, shared by all guardsmen. It aims also to provide challenging
and fulfilling careers.