Soldiers from the Coldstream Guards travel in style to mark their 375th anniversary
At 06:45, 120 soldiers from the Coldstream Guards marched proudly through London's King's Cross station, much to the surprise of early morning commuters.
They were travelling to Berwick-upon-Tweed, the birthplace of the regiment, to mark 375 years of service in the British Army.
They made quite an impression on fellow passengers in their trademark scarlet tunics and bearskin caps.
"There's not a single person that puts on this uniform and doesn't feel proud when they do that, and we do appreciate exactly how the public sees us when we're on public transport and walking through busy train stations," said Captain Alfie Farndale.
"It does make you walk that much taller and that much more proud."
After turning a few heads in the station, the next test is getting all the soldiers safely on board, which is quite a challenge when the guardsmen are over 6ft tall – even without their bearskins.
On the train, the soldiers made good use of the overhead luggage racks, which offer the perfect place for ceremonial uniform, instruments and, of course, the rifles.
"It's very lucky, as our kit is fitting in the right places," said Major Tim Woodbridge.
"It's more the band with all the instruments which have to fit into various places.
"Various bike racks, various luggage places are all filled with instruments, which when we get to Berwick, could be off in a minute and a half.
"So it will be a very short, sharp on and off the train to make sure no one gets left behind."
With the ceremonial season in full swing, it is a busy time for the Guardsmen, and the decision to travel by train was partly driven by speed.
"I think it's an efficient choice, two hours there and two hours back, so we can do it in a day to be back for further training tomorrow," said Maj Woodbridge.
For the soldiers, the journey is a welcome change.
Three-and-a-half hours after leaving London's King's Cross station, the guards were ready to get off at Berwick, the most northerly town in England.
The speedy journey is a far cry from the regiment's legendary march south in 1660, when it took them five weeks to cover the same ground in reverse.
"The regiment had its headquarters in Coldstream and, essentially, was required to march under General Monk to London after Parliament collapsed, to secure the city and then eventually to facilitate the restoration," said Lieutenant Colonel Charlie Foinette.
"It was quite a long march – they set off from Coldstream on 1 January, 1660, and arrived in London on 3 February.
"A long winter march in quite poor weather with some 7,000 troops must have been quite hard going."
Once the soldiers stepped off the train in Berwick, it was a chance to get back to the regiment's roots.
As a mark of that close connection, the regiment have the freedom of the town, which means they have the right to march through the streets with their drums beating, bayonets fixed and colours flying.
Crowds of local people turned out to support their home regiment and show the Guardsmen how proud they are to see them on parade.
But there was no rest for the Coldstream Guards afterwards – with the parade under their belts, they headed back to the railway station and made their way to their London base.
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