I think so, DonD. The regiments of foot guards have their buttons grouped in the numbers appropriate to their own regimental numbers. Ist Regiment of Foot Guards, single buttons, 2nd Regt, 2 buttons and so on. This all derives from the time when the original regimental names, usually taken from the colonel who raised them, were dropped in favour of numbers. The numbers were later dropped, usually in favour of locality identification. Now, your starter for 10, which is which?.... Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots, Irish, Welsh?

The famous bearskin headgear is popularly accepted to be a momento of their action at Waterloo when they broke the French Imperial Guard, who wore a generally similar headgear. Well, maybe, but.... Anyway, I always liked the look of the very practical short "Belgic" shako which seems to have disappeared completely from british full dress uniforms, although versions of the "pickelhaub" are occassionally seen. Something else to blame Prince Albert for, I suspect.

Grenadiers always used to wear a tall narrow hat or cap anyway, partly to distinguish them as a special purpose group within an infantry regiment, and partly so it wouln't get in the way when throwing the early grenade - a sort of hollow iron ball filled with instant bang and with an exposed fuse which the soldier lit before throwing.

Now, fer Gawd's sake, will somebody stop me running off at the keyboard and let somebody else have a go....... Who started this anyway - it's all your fault - help!!!!!!!