Welcome to the official page of The Guards Museum in London.
05/02/2025
Sport matters in the British Army - “enhancing physical fitness, mental resilience, leadership, and teamwork” (Army Sport Impact Report 2024).
But did you know in the late 1940s, a group of dedicated Grenadiers began a league for motor cycle racing while stationed in Tripoli, Libya?
They built and modified the motor cycles themselves, inspiring many more units in the area to follow suit and form their own teams. Their first races were held against the Irish Guards team in 1948, who had named themselves ‘The Shamrocks’. Quickly realising they would need their own team name, the Grenadier Guards decided on the ‘Hellcats’.
One of the founding riders of the Hellcats donated these photos and items to the museum, capturing this unique slice of history!
