"Regimental nicknames. " Topic

The British had these in abundance, the "old stubborns" "the lily whites" "the devils own" "Forty twa" "the virgins" "back badgers" "the Bengal tigers" "Cat and Cabbage" "Bloody eleventh" "the Resurectionists" "the excellers" "ever sworded" "saucy sixth" "the Young buffs" "The Cherry pickers" are a few I can remember.

What about in the other European armies. Soldiers are the same in the the western world, the French, Austrian, Portugues, Spanish and Prussian regiments must have picked up affectionate, humourous or hounoured nicknames through out the wars.

Anybody know any?

Probably due to the long stability of the British Army as an instituion allows it to accumulate a long list of traditions, honours and nicknames. Continental countries have been less stable politically and the armies would be getting renovated after a revolutionary cycle to readicate any connections with the previous regime.

example: some German regiments in WW2 could trace their history back to the army of Frederick the Great and carried the same colours. But all disbanded in '45.

The 57th French line was 'Le Terrible'

The 51st Austrian regiment was nicknamed 'La Légion Infernale' by the French.

The Grenadiers à Cheval were called 'les Gros frères'

The Grenadiers à Pied de la garde were called'Les Immortels'

Spanish units that won battle honours were also given an official nickname. After the Irish performed bravely and effectively defending during the surprise raid on Velletri in 1744, the Irlanda got "El Famoso"; the Ultonia "El Immortal"; and the Hibernia "La Columna Hibernia" (the Pillar of Ireland). I don't know any other Spanish units' nicknames but there would have been others.

Probably due to the long stability of the British Army as an instituion allows it to accumulate a long list of traditions, honours and nicknames.

I don't know the Austrian Regiment No. 4 "Deutschmesiter" lasted from the 1680's until 1918.

I thought the HuD was in WWII also as the 44th Div.?

The Grenadiers à Cheval were called 'les Gros frères'

I thought that was the 11th Cuirassiers?

While I don't recall the numeric designation, one of my
favorite British Army regimental nicks has always been
'Pontius Pilate's Bodyguard' (Scots Guards ???)

I think the "Cherry Pickers" were actually the "Cherrybums".

They charged, along with the rest of the light brigade down that valley in the Crimea.

Bad day. Or, so I heard.

Gondrecourt's 1st Infantry brigade (18. Feld-Jäger-Bataillon,
Infanterieregiment Baron Martini Nr. 30, Infanterieregiment König von Preussen Nr. 34 and 4 pfd. Fussbatterie Nr. 2/I) won the epithet "Iron Brigade" in the Schleswig-Holstein war of 1864 -- confusingly, since there was a US brigade with the same moniker at the same time.

Maybe the Revolution made people not want to give them nicknames, but many French regiments were very old as well – the 2nd Dragoons, for example (who are still in existence) were found, as I recall, about 1645

The 11th Hussars acquired the "Cherry Pickers" nickname in Spain, I believe. Lord Cardigan called them his "Cherry-Bums" (they wore crimson trousers from the 1840s).

So you're both right.

Two follow ups to points raised above

Pontius Pilate's Bodyguards is claimed by the Royal Scots or First Regiment of Foot not the Scots Guards

The 11th Hussars are also known as the "Cherubim s " as apparently Queen Victoria heard someone say Cherrybums and asked "what did they say ?", Not wanting to say "bum" to HRH an aide quickly piped up "Cherubims because of the angelic choir"

The Cherry Pickers were Flashman's original regiment.

I think Les Gros Freres were the cuirasiers. The Grenadiers a Cheval were The Big Boots or The Immortals.

Pontius Pilate's Bodyguards is claimed by the Royal Scots or First Regiment of Foot not the Scots Guards

Right. The Scots Guards are "The Kiddies." At least they are to the Grenadier and Coldstream Guards.

i know its not Euro but the 57th Foot the Diehards is my favourate

Austro Hungarian 4th Foot, Hoch und Deutchmesiter were nicknamed 'Vienna's Sons'

THere is a French line regiment nickmaned 'Un Contre Dix' but for the life of me I can't remember which…

Humorous nicknames may be a reserve of the Anglos, since the French, Prussians etc always took warfare very seriously compared with the rather amatuerish British approach in the early 19th Century.

If you were serious about your career you'd join the Royal Navy, for heaven's sake!

Of course there were serious soldiers, Sir John Moore, Coote-Mannigham, and the Duke, but they were rather a minority!

I was thinking modern armies. The Spanish, Austrian, German and French regiments named don't exist anymore do they?

In Frederick the Great's army there was the "Porcelin Dragoons" (because they were purchased from their original owner for a cupboard full of imported porcelin) and one of the Musketeer Regts was nicknamed "Itzenplitz" (i'm not sure why)

The Spanish assign modern regiments to maintain the traditions of past regiments. I don't know if any of them are direct descendants of the originals.

And re. the Porcelain Regiment and the Dragoon Vases…

Augustus [the Strong of Saxony] went so far as to sell 600 of his best soldiers to his Prussian rival Friedrich Wilhelm I, who used these troops to set up his dragoon regiment. In return, Saxony's ruler received 151 items of Far Eastern porcelain.

You will never guess which regiment I belonged too :-)

Jules

<<The Scots Guards are "The Kiddies." At least they are to the Grenadier and Coldstream Guards.>>

I believe that other Scottish regiments refer to them as the Surrey Highlanders.

<< In Frederick the Great's army … one of the Musketeer Regts was nicknamed "Itzenplitz" (i'm not sure why) >>

Itzenplitz was a Prussian noble family, so in this case it was just the regular regimental name of IR13, August Friedrich v. Itzenplitz being its Regiments-Chef from 1751 until 1759, when he died from wounds received in the battle of Kunersdorf.

A Prussian example from the Napoleonic wars:

Kapitain Leopold August Eduard v. Reckow was transfered as commander to the 9. Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment on 11th August 1813. His favorate words to encourage his men were "Trust in god and do not despair, children." After some time, the officers of the 9. Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment started to call him "Zage nicht" [do not despair], the men picked this up and in the end the whole regiment was known by other units as "die Zage nichts" [the never despairing ones]. He died in 1835.

The (rhyming) nickname of IR Itzenplitz was actually "Donner und Blitz" (thunder & lightning).

Much later, the 1920s Reichswehr's IR 9 was called "Regiment Graf Neun" because of the high percentage of noble officers.

Sparker, it was the 84th Ligne. Un Contre Dix (one against ten) They won this "motto" for their Standard for the epic stand of their first 2 battalions at Graz in Styria on the night of the 25th/26th June 1809.

The (rhyming) nickname of IR Itzenplitz was actually "Donner und Blitz" (thunder & lightning).

That's what I was trying to remember! but I could remember enough Uni German to know Itzenplitz didn't translate into 'Thunder and Lighting'.

My favourite is the Royal Horse Guards. They were known as the Cheesemongers, because their fathers were all in trade.

Nick, Thanks for that – I must paint the 84th up as a future project.

A couple more humourous ones, all Brit foot:

96th – the ups and downs (from the number, geddit!)
95th – Grasshoppers – from the French grognards who only saw them leading from spot to spot dressed in green
50th – Mutton lancers, from their badge, the dirty half hundred, from their number and balck facings
12th – the old dozen
5th – the fighting fifth

In my day the Devon and Dorsets, D and D, liked to refer to themselves as 'Death and Destruction, but the rest of us called them 'Daft and Dozy', though of course they were a fine regiment – part of the 'Rifles' now I believe, which is a shame as they were never a rifles or light unit. But given their recruiting zone in the west country, their current role as the spearhead of 3 Commando Brigade is quite fitting.

The Royal Anglians were the 'Eating irons', army slang for KFS. The Royal Corps of Transport, RCT, used to refer to themselves as Real Cool Truckers, but were otherwise known as 'Rickshaws Cabbies and Taxis'!

Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, REME, were Royal Engineers Minus Education.

The RAOC, ordinance corps, didnt have a nickname AFAIK, possibly out of respect for their role in EOD in NI, but it was noteworthy that the service which was responsible for ammunition delivery had on its capbadge 3 cannon balls that couldnt possibly have fitted the calibre of the cannon that was also depicted on the capbadge!

102nd British Line were known as the "Rum Corps" due to the sale and control of the Rum Trad, the currency in the early days in the colony of NSW (Australia later)

I don't know the Austrian Regiment No. 4 "Deutschmesiter" lasted from the 1680's until 1918.

That wasn't a nickname but the regimental title. Like all Hapsburg regiments, it was named for its Inahber (equivalent to the British Colonel-in-Chief). In this case, the Inhaber was whoever held the title of Grand Master of the Teutonic Order (Hoch- und Deutsch-Meister).

Neufchatel Batallion – "Les Serins" (the canaries)
18eme ligne "Les Braves"
57eme Ligne "Les Terribles"
84th "Un Contre Dix"

For the British, the 88th Foot (Connaught Rangers) were named "The Devil's Own" by Picton

RASC (Royal Army Service Corps) – run away, someone's coming

RAMC (Royal Army Medical Corps) – rob all my comrades

RAOC – the bang gang

Les Serins, i'd not heard that one.

The French 84th sound pretty bad ass. Might have to paint them up now.

For a time in the 1980's the Worcester and Sherwood Forresters, abbreviation WFR, were know as "We flog rockets"

Here is a link that descibes the origins of the name.

link

KOSB – 'Kosbies' or 'Knackered Old s Brigade' :)

It was a shame that the Hampshire Regiment and Glosters weren't amalgamated in the 70's to produce the "Hamsters"….
I thought the Old Guard were called the Grumblers??

Using nicknames in the British Army can be a bit dodgy--Say the wrong nickname to the wrong Regiment and you are likely to get your head kicked in!!!!!!

When I was in the QLR (Queens Lancashire Regiment)they called us-Quick Lets Run or the harder one to take-Queers Lesbians and Rejects.:o(

When I was deployed to the Falklands with HMS Portland back in 2004 the Resident Infantry Company was the QLR Support Company. We did quite a bit of ferrying them around various glaciers and such. They were nails – if they were the support company I shudder to think what the chaps in the Rifle coys were like!

That was me Sparker nov 04 to march 05 and we were the rifle company not support.Small world.

We used to know them as "Quick let's run"….an old tankie speaking (1RTR)!
Other "semi-contempory" (derogatory) names not mentioned above include –
All Guards – Woodentops
Irish Guards – The Liverpool Militia
Hampshires – Cat and Cabbage or "The Swedes"(because they were a bunch of turnips
3RTR – Armoured Farmers
16/5th Lancers – The vulgar fractions
All TA units – STABS (Stupid TA b*******s)
Black Watch – Black Jocks
RLC – Really large corps
WRAC – weekly ration of army c***
RHQs – Puzzle Palace

..the list is almost endless

Edwulf
84eme got its name from their action at battle of Graz 1809…even subsequently had this phrase on a plaquard on their eagle

Hi Panzer,

It is a small world and I apologise for thinking you were support. I wonder what made me think that, must have been some other patrol.

For the life of me I can't remember your Captain's name.

He took us around the Goose Green battlefield and gave us one of the best Battlefield tours I've been on. What I thought was particularly moving was the way he carryied a bottle of Brasso around with him and when he thought no-one was looking would sneak off and polish up the various plaques – including the Argentinian one. A real gentleman.

Kind Regards,

Sparker

Here in Canada the Queen's Own Rifles (QOR) are referred to as the Quickest Out of Ridgeway. Look it up!

"Irish Guards – The Liverpool Militia" LOL!!!!!

At one stage they were going to rename the Pioneers the
Corps of Royal Army Pioneers…Funnily they rejected the name!!!

I always liked the nickname of the Nova Scotia Highlanders in WWI "the ladies from Hades"

One Austrian or Saxon commander during the 1812 Camapign referred to his soldiers as "My Swine", which hardly counts. Further to the various acronyms listed above, there's the famous case of the Cambridge University Naval Training Squadron.