Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting MOD 45164080

The Regulation Colours are the standard colours used in the armed forces of the countries falling under the

Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the ...

British Armed Forces colours

British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, ...

units usually carry two Regulation Colours: the Regulation King's Colour and Regulation Regimental Colour. These are often referred to as the standard or

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diff ...

. Colours are the identifying battle flags carried by military

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

s to show where their respective

troops A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. Exceptions are the US Cavalry and the King's Troo ...

should rally in battle. Originally these were 6'6" × 6' in size, though have now been reduced to 3'9" × 3', as regiments no longer carry their colours on the battlefield.

British Army

Prior to 1743, each infantry regiment of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gur ...

was responsible for the design and quantity of standards carried, often with each company having its own design. In that year King George II issued a

royal warrant A royal warrant is a document issued by a monarch which confers rights or privileges on the recipient, or has the effect of law. Royal warrant may refer to: * Royal warrant of appointment, warrant to tradespeople who supply goods or services to a r ...

to require each regiment to have, as their first colour, the King's colour. It was also to consist of the

Union Jack The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...

throughout, as a symbol of royal allegiance. The second colour was to be the colour of the facings (uniform linings) of each Regiment, with the Union flag in the upper canton. When Regiments had red or white facings, this was to be replaced by the red cross of

St George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...

on a white background. Regiments with "Royal" designation or named after the members of the royal family, regardless of facings, used

royal blue Royal blue is a deep and vivid shade of blue. It is said to have been created by clothiers in Rode, Somerset, a consortium of whom won a competition to make a dress for Queen Charlotte, consort of King George III. Brightness The ''Oxford ...

regimental colours (plus the optional Union Jack canton), Irish regiments green facings. A second royal warrant was issued in 1747, requiring the Regimental number to be displayed on the colours. As many regiments at that time were known by the name of the Regimental Colonel instead of a number, this requirement was often ignored. On 1 July 1751 a third royal warrant was issued stating ''"No Colonel is to put his Arms, Crest, Device, or Livery on any part of the Appointments of the Regiment under his Command."'' Company colours were phased out altogether, with the battalion colours of the regiment using the designs issued being the only sanctioned ones used. Over time, these colours have evolved to include the battle honours awarded to each Regiment, though these have also been limited. The last British Army regiment to carry its regimental colours into battle was the

58th (Rutlandshire) Regiment of Foot The 58th (Rutlandshire) Regiment of Foot was a British Army line infantry regiment, raised in 1755. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot to form the Northamptonshire Regiment in 1881. Histo ...

in January 1881 at the Battle of Laing's Nek during the

First Boer War The First Boer War ( af, Eerste Vryheidsoorlog, literally "First Freedom War"), 1880–1881, also known as the First Anglo–Boer War, the Transvaal War or the Transvaal Rebellion, was fought from 16 December 1880 until 23 March 1881 betwee ...

Only one British Regiment carries more than two colours on parade. This is the

Yorkshire Regiment The Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th and 33rd/76th Foot) (abbreviated YORKS) is an infantry regiment of the British Army, created by the amalgamation of three historic regiments in 2006. It lost one battalion as part of the Army 2020 defence ...

, who carry four colours. The second pair consists of a stand of honorary battle flags, which are the original size of 6'6" × 6'. These honorary colours, 'King's Honorary Colour' and 'Regimental Honorary Colour,' were originally awarded to the 76th Regiment of Foot, which later became the 2nd Battalion of the

Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment) The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, forming part of the King's Division. In 1702, Colonel George Hastings, 8th Earl of Huntingdon, was authorised to raise a new regiment, which he ...

in 1808, by the Honorable

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Sout ...

for their distinguished services during the Battle of Ally Ghur and again at

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders wi ...

between 1802 and 1804. In 1948 the 1st and 2nd Battalions merged and retained the Honorary Colours. In 2006 the Duke of Wellington's Regiment merged with the Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire and the

Green Howards The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment), frequently known as the Yorkshire Regiment until the 1920s, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, in the King's Division. Raised in 1688, it served under vario ...

to form the 'Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th and 33rd/76th Foot)'.British Army website - Yorkshire Regiment History
/ref> Rifle regiments (today

The Rifles The Rifles is an infantry regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of four Regular battalions and three Reserve battalions, plus a number of companies in other Army Reserve battalions. Each battalion of The Rifles was formerly ...

) plus the

Brigade of Gurkhas The Brigade of Gurkhas is the collective name which refers to all the units in the British Army that are composed of Nepalese Gurkha soldiers. The brigade draws its heritage from Gurkha units that originally served in the British Indian Army ...

do not use colours at all owing to their role. The latter, however, carries the King's Truncheon awarded in 1857 instead.

Guards Division

Unlike the rest of the Army, all five Foot Guards infantry regiments sport a different variant pattern. Given the status of the guards regiments as units under royal patronage and for the defence of the British Royal Family and facilities belonging to them, the design of the colours are: * Queen's/King's Colour - Scarlet with the regimental insignia, arms and battle honours (Union Flag canton on the colours of any additional battalions) * Regimental Colours - Union Flag with regimental insignia and any battle honours Unlike most infantry regiments, all five carry all battle honours on both colours. Until the 1820s, the Guards infantry carried company colours alongside the regimental battalion colours. A third colour, the Guards State Colour, is unique to the

Grenadier A grenadier ( , ; derived from the word ''grenade'') was originally a specialist soldier who threw hand grenades in battle. The distinct combat function of the grenadier was established in the mid-17th century, when grenadiers were recruited from ...

Coldstream Coldstream ( gd, An Sruthan Fuar , sco, Caustrim) is a town and civil parish in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. A former burgh, Coldstream is the home of the Coldstream Guards, a regiment in the British Army. Description Coldstream l ...

, and

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642, although it was only placed on the E ...

, and only used when the monarch is present. Their design is scarlet with the regimental insignia and arms at the centre with the Royal Cypher at the corners. No battle honours are present.

References

{{reflist

British Armed Forces colours

British Army

Guards Division

References

See also