Regimental Sergeant Major’s of the Guards Depot, Caterham
The life of the Guards Depot and the pursuit of excellence in its training regime always depended on teamwork by its staff, Officers, Warrant Officers, NCO’s (Non Commissioned Officers) and Trained Soldiers.
Those standards that the regime achieved consistently for over a hundred years bears testimony to the breadth and depth of the Brigade’s resources its training personnel.
Like the continuous intake of recruits, the Depot Staff was itself a shifting population. The staff at all levels were posted to Caterham from their Battalions as they alternated between home and overseas postings.
They served their period in whatever aspect of training they were selected for, and were posted out again as their replacements arrived. A few served long periods; most were in and out again in two or threee years. To the recruits, it was a seamless process from which they moved on to the next stage of their training in a Battalion.
It is a fact that till the end of his days, every Guardsman could tell you the names of his squad instructor, trained soldier and officers as readily as he could quote his own regimental number. These were men whose impact was never forgotten.
Below is a list of all Regimental Sergeant Majors of the Caterham Guards Depot, the list is interactive so you can search and select individual Regiments etc.
| Name | Regiment | Date from | Date to |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSM H. Darrell | Coldstream Guards | Jul 1881 | Aug 1881 |
| RSM S. White | Coldstream Guards | Aug 1881 | Jun 1883 |
| RSM E. Dickerson | Coldstream Guards | Jul 1884 | Apr 1885 |
| RSM J. Jones | Grenadier Guards | Aug 1885 | Nov 1887 |
| RSM H. Martin | Coldstream Guards | Jan 1888 | Mar 1891 |
| RSM A. Telfer | Scots Guards | Mar 1891 | May 1891 |
| RSM J. Sparkes | Coldstream Guards | May 1891 | Jan 1893 |
| RSM W. Stewart | Scots Guards | Feb 1893 | May 1896 |
| RSM W.J. Cock | Grenadier Guards | Mar 1897 | Apr 1897 |
| RSM G. Gooding | Coldstream Guards | May 1897 | Nov 1897 |
| RSM J.C. Mant | Scots Guards | Dec 1897 | Dec 1899 |
| RSM J. Skidmore | Grenadier Guards | Sep 1900 | Feb 1901 |
| RSM J. Boyd | Coldstream Guards | Feb 1901 | Sep 1902 |
| RSM J. Mitchell | Scots Guards | Dec 1902 | Feb 1903 |
| RSM C.A. Baylis | Irish Guards | Mar 1903 | Jan 1905 |
| RSM J. Teece | Grenadier Guards | Jan 1905 | Dec 1909 |
| RSM F.J Caunell | Coldstream Guards | Dec 1909 | Apr 1911 |
| RSM J. Tate | Scots Guards | Apr 1911 | May 1913 |
| RSM J. Kirk | Irish Guards | May 1913 | Dec 1913 |
| RSM H. Wood | Grenadier Guards | Dec 1913 | Aug 1915 |
| RSM E. Ellis | Coldstream Guards | Aug 1915 | Apr 1916 |
| RSM J. Barwick MC | Scots Guards | Apr 1916 | Jul 1919 |
| RSM A.E Pettit MC | Scots Guards | Jul 1919 | Dec 1920 |
| RSM C. Harradine DCM | Irish Guards | Jan 1921 | Apr 1922 |
| RSM W.E Hawkins | Grenadier Guards | May 1922 | Oct 1925 |
| RSM F. Gill | Coldstream Guards | Oct 1924 | Apr 1930 |
| RSM W.A Blakeley | Scots Guards | Jul 1930 | Jul 1931 |
| RSM J.D Hughes | Welsh Guards | Jul 1931 | Feb 1934 |
| RSM G.F.G Turner | Grenadier Guards | Feb 1934 | Nov 1934 |
| RSM R. Brittain | Coldstream Guards | Dec 1934 | Oct 1935 |
| RSM A.J Brand | Grenadier Guards | Oct 1935 | Aug 1936 |
| RSM M. Jones | Coldstream Guards | Sep 1935 | Feb 1937 |
| RSM W.J Dorman | Scots Guards | Feb 1937 | May 1939 |
| RSM J. Hastings | Irish Guards | May 1939 | May 1939 |
| RSM H. McKinney | Irish Guards | May 1939 | July 1940 |
| RSM J.A. Stack MC | Irish Guards | Jul 1940 | Sep 1940 |
| RSM P. Dunne | Welsh Guards | Oct 1940 | July 1944 |
| RSM D. Hobbs MBE | Grenadier Guards | Jul 1944 | Aug 1945 |
| RSM S.M Hammilton MBE | Scots Guards | Aug 1945 | Aug 1946 |
| RSM W. Rooney MM | Irish Guards | Aug 1946 | Dec 1949 |
| RSM B.E. Hillier DCM | Welsh Guards | Dec 1949 | Sep 1951 |
| RSM W.L.A Nash | Grenadier Guards | Sep 1951 | Mar 1953 |
| RSM R.J.S Tyacke | Coldstream Guards | Mar 1953 | Oct 1953 |
| RSM D. Whyte | Scots Guards | Oct 1953 | Apr 1956 |
| RSM L.C Drouet | Grenadier Guards | Apr 1956 | May 1957 |
| RSM F. Clutton MM | Grenadier Guards | May 1957 | Mar 1958 |
| RSM W. Rodger | Scots Guards | Mar 1958 | Oct 1960 |
There was an outbreak of diphtheria at the Guards Depot, Caterham in 1927, resulting in a temporary evacuation of Caterham Barracks.
The Guards’ Depot moved to Pirbright in 1960.
