The Entente Cordiale Centenary - Bastille Day Parade By Capt JEA de St John-Pryce, The Blues and Royals ive la France and God Save the Queen are not often heard in unison but it has happened .... once, and I was there to witness it. 100 years ago, amidst a Europe torn by war and instability, Great Britain and France decided to put aside their ancestral hate for each other to form the Entente Cordiale and balance the threat posed by other European nations. Like the EU and the single currency, the French somehow managed to turn things their way and had it called the ‘Entente Cordiale’ when it would have sounded equally good as the more Anglophile ‘Gentleman’s Agreement’. But that’s all history.
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To celebrate the centenary of the Entente Cordiale, the Household Cavalry, Grenadier Guards, King’s Troop and Band of the Royal Marines were invited to join elements of the French Army in their parade down the Champs-Elysees on the 14th July. But it is hard to grasp as an Englishman the importance that Bastille Day holds for the French as the holiest day in their secular calendar, it’s like Yom Kippur in Tel Aviv, and the huge honour it is for a French serviceman to be there. Having a soupçon of french in me, I jumped at the opportunity to be part of it and to gain the approval of my French cousins who are still coming to terms with me joining the ranks of the enemy.
As June turned into July, the full enormity of the task became apparent: to move 70 men and 60 horses to France; set up a yard; train and rehearse to produce a unique performance in a foreign city. The whole Regiment set to work and in the very early hours of the 8th July, the long convoy of coaches, lorries and horseboxes set off for Dover. The rendezvous with the Garde Republicaine, our French counterpart, proved to be a little more ‘special’ than expected as a fleet of their motorcycle escort group, more accustomed to escorting the President, turned up to lead us to Paris. The motorway traffic parted as we cruised comfortably through, leaving French motorists curious as to what type of VIPs would be travelling in 5 coaches, 4 lorries and 16 horseboxes! They worked very hard to accommodate us comfortably and to ensure that we were impressed. Once encamped in front of the Chateau de Vincennes on the eastern edge of Paris, we began a most demanding build up program both for the men and horses. After only a day to settle in, the recces and early morning rehearsals began and instead of sight seeing we found ourselves kit cleaning. Every part of the parade had to be worked out to the finest detail between what the French wanted us to do (we said No to returning the
The Household Cavalry in good order arriving at the Dias.
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Household Cavalry News
Colonel Massey leads the Household Cavalry and King’s Troop. The Helicopter display can be seen above the Arc de Triomphe.
Eagle), what we wanted to do (they said No to letting us have another one) and what the Silver Stick said we would do. One ‘minor’ detail that emerged was the 20 mile round trip from the barracks to the Champs- Elysées, meaning a 71⁄2 hour ride there and back for a 30 minute rehearsal! The incredible sight of 300