The Regimental Colours

 

The word ‘Colours’ is often used to describe not only the Colours of infantry battalions but also the Standards of the Household Cavalry and Dragoon Guards and the Guidons of Dragoons, Hussars and Lancers. Rifle Regiments do not carry Colours. All three types of Colours are direct descendants of the banners of the knights and barons whose followers made up the armies of Crecy and Agincourt. Originally the distinguishing marks of the leaders, they gradually became the means of identifying the units themselves. Thus they came to be regarded as symbolic of the spirit of those who fought under them, and the practice of consecrating them grew up.

 

During the 17th century Colours were carried by each company, but by the beginning of the 18th century they had been reduced to three in each infantry regiment. These were carried in battle by the three divisions of the regiment – musketeers on the flanks and pike men in the centre. With the abolition of the pike in 1707 the colours were reduced to two the Queen's Colour and the Regimental Colour, which are carried by most Infantry regiments to this day.

 

In earlier days the colours were trooped through the ranks of their respective regiments prior to an engagement, so that they could be recognised as a rallying point during the course of the battle. Although the Colours are no longer carried in battle as the tangible incentive in the attack or as a rallying point in defence, they constitute the sacred symbol of the Regiments honour and devotion to duty and depict, in the Battle Honours emblazoned on them, the courage, sacrifice and steadfastness of our forbears. 

 

A stand of colours normally comprises:

A Queen's Colour, usually with the design of the Union Flag with a gold circle in the centre, within which the regiments’s name (and sometimes initials or number) are inscribed;
 

A Regimental Colour, usually a plain flag in the colour of the regiment's "facings" (traditionally the colour of the lining of the redcoat jacket) or the Cross of St George, with the regiment's insignia in the centre.
 

Now, however, for the soldiers of Berkshire and Wiltshire things have changed, for traditionally Rifle Regiments do not carry Colours and as such the privilege of carrying them on parades throughout the counties will no longer be available. Those of our predecessor regiments are now only to be seen where they have been laid up.

 

Here we will show examples of our former Regiments colours, where and when they were presented and when and where they were laid up (where known). It each case we list the battle honours awarded with the ones carried on the colours shown in BOLD TYPE.

 

They are shown in the order of precedence, followed by the order of amalgamation.

 

Royal Berkshire Regiment (49th/66th)
 

 

Battle honours Royal Berkshire Regiment (49th, 66th)
Battle Honour (Bold type carried on colours)	Participating Unit
St Lucia 1778	49th
Egmont-op-Zee	49th
Copenhagen	49th
Douro	2nd/66th
Talavera	2nd/66th
Albuhera	2nd/66th
Queenstown	49th
Vittoria	2nd/66th
Pyrenees	2nd/66th
Nivelle	2nd/66th
Nive	2nd/66th
Orthes	2nd/66th
Peninsula	2nd/66th
Alma	49th
Inkerman	49th
Sevastopol	49th
Kandahar 1880	66th
Afghanistan 1879 -80	66th
Egypt 1882	1st
Tofrek	1st
Suakin 1885	1st
South Africa 1899-1902	2nd
First World War
Mons	1st
Retreat from Mons	1st
Marne	1st
Asine 1914, 1918	1st and 2nd
Ypres, 1914, 18	1st, 1st/4th ,2nd/4th
Langemarck 1914, 17	1st, 2nd, 1st/4th
Gheluvelt	1st
Nonne Bosschen	1st
Neuve Chapelle	2nd
Aubers	2nd
Festubert 1915	1st
Loos	1st, 2nd, 5th, 8th
Somme 1916, 1918	1st, 2nd, 1st/4th, 2nd/4th, 5th, 6th, 8th
Albert 1916 1918	1st, 2nd, 5th 8th
Bazentin	2nd/4th, 6th 8th
Delville Wood	1st
Poziers	1st/4th
Flers-Corcelette	8th
Morval	8th
Thiepval	8th
Le Transloy	8th
Ancre Heights	1st/4th
Ancre 1916 – 18	1916 – 1st 1918 - 5th
Arras 1917-18	1917 – 1st , 5th 1918 – 2nd
Scarpe 1917 -18	1917 – 5th 1918 – 2nd
Arleux	1st, 5th
Pilckem	2nd , 6th
Polygon Wood	1st/4th
Broodseinde	1st/4th
Poelcappelle	1st/4th
Passchendale	6th
Cambrai 1917, 18	1917 – 1st, 2nd/4th ,5th 1918 – 1st
St Quentin	1st , 2/4th
Bapaume 1918	1st, 5th
Rosieres	2nd
Avre	8th
Villers-Bretonneux	2nd
Lys	2nd/4th
Hazebrouck	2nd/4th
Bethune	2nd/4th
Amiens	8th
Hindenburg Line	8th
Havrincourt	1st
Epehy	5th, 8th
Canal du Nord	1st
St Quentin Canal	8th
Selle	1st, 1st/4th, 5th, 8th
Valenciennes	2nd/4th
Sambre	8th
France and Flanders 1914 - 18	1st, 2nd, 1st/4th, 2nd/4th, 5th, 6th, 8th
Piave	1st/4th
Vittorio Veneto	1st/4th
Italy 1917-18	1st/4th
Doiran 1917-1918	7th
Macedonia, 1915 1918.	7th
Second World War
Dyle	1st
St Omer-La Bassee	1st
Dunkirk 1940	1st, 4th
Normandy Landing	5th
Rhine	5th
North West Europe 1940, 44,45	1st, 5th
Pursuit to Messina	10th
Sicily 1943	10th
Monte Camino	10th
Calabritto	10th
Garigliano Crossing	10th
Damiano	10th
Anzio	10th
Carroceto	10th
Italy 1943 – 1945	10th
Donbaik	1st
Kohima	1st
Mao Songsang	1st
Shwebo	2nd
Kyaukmyaung Bridgehead	2nd
Mandalay	2nd
Fort Dufferin	2nd
Rangoon Road	2nd
Toungoo	2nd
Burma 1942-1945	1st, 2nd

 

49th (Hertfordshire) Regiment 1st Battalion (dates of presentation of colours where known)
Date of presentation
1743	Trelawney’s Regiment – No trace
1769	No Trace
1772	No Trace
1781	The periods between presentations seem short, especially that between 1769 and 1772. Heavy usage in the American War of Independence and St Lucia may account for this.
1816	1816 - A report dated 1815 when the Regiment was stationed in Weymouth stated ‘Colours worn out from being torn from the staffs at Fort George to prevent them from falling into the hands of the enemy’ This refers to the capture of Fort George by the Americans in May 1813. They were replaced on the 17th August 1816 when the regiment was based in Dublin. (We have no records of what became of the old colours.)
1844	Colours presented at Winchester on the 27th August. The colours were consecrated by the Bishop of Winchester and presented by Lady Pakenham. (disposal of old colours not known)
1861 or 2.	No record of presentation, but they were laid up in St Lawrence’s Church, Friar Street, Reading on the 7th May 1891.
1889	First stand of Royal Colours were presented by HRH the Duke of Edinburgh. 1st April in Malta. (The Regiment was re-designated as a ‘Royal’ Regiment as a result of the action at Tofrek in the Sudan in 1885). In 1905 the condition of the colours was so bad that it was thought they would have to be replaced. This was avoided due to a repair carried out by Mrs Field the wife of the quartermaster.
1908	Presented on the Curragh parade ground near Dublin on the 14th August by Lieutenant-General, the Hon, Sir N.G. Lyttelton, GCB (Commander-in-Chief, Ireland.) They were eventually laid up in June 1960 at St Mary’s Church, Wallingford.
1956	Her Majesty the Queen presented new colours at Windsor Castle on the 21st July 1956.
1959	The final stand of colours were laid up at Windsor Castle on the 22nd May 1959 prior to amalgamation with the Wiltshire Regiment. .

 

66th (Berkshire) Regiment 2nd Battalion Date of presentation
1758	Presented on formation of the regiment but they were reported as being ‘bad’ in 1773. (These colours were eventually laid up in St Vincent)
1785	It is believed the Regiment was presented with new colours during its posting in St Vincent. On hearing that the 66th was under orders for Gibraltar, the St Vincent Government formally requested that the old colours might be deposited in the court house at Kingstown. On the 8th January 1793 the colours that had been carried for upwards of 30 years were deposited in the court house. The St Vincent authorities replied - ‘We receive these colours as a mark of attention from the Regiment to the Colony, and will preserve them as a memorial of their good conduct and discipline’ These colours are no longer there.
1803	New colours presented to the newly formed 2nd/66th These were lost at Albuhera and what was left of the battalion served as the left wing of the first provisional battalion and the colours they served under during this period were those of the 2nd/31st As a result of the loss new colours were provided and were sent to Lisbon in 1812. As they were not required due to the remnants of the battalion serving as a provisional battalion the colours were returned to England. When the battalion returned to England in 1814, these new colours were sent to Plymouth to meet it. The Regiment actually landed at Portsmouth, and somehow the colours went astray, and never reached them. A new set was made up, after which the missing set which had never been carried turned up. This caused a dilemma for Major-General Nicolls who as Colonel of the 66th was responsible for paying for both sets. One of these sets eventually passed into the possession of Miss Louisa Nicolls a relative of the General, and eventually presented to the Royal United Service Institution on the 8th March 1876. They were later passed into the custody of the Regiment and are now at the Regimental Museum in Salisbury. (We do not know what became of the second set).
1851	New colours presented to the 66th at the Jesuit Barracks, Quebec July 1851, presented by Lieutenant Colonel Grubbe the officer commanding the battalion, without the usual preliminary consecration. (The old colours were sent back to the Regiment's depot which at that time was located in Guernsey and later laid up in St Mary’s Church, Reading on the 27th February 1877.)
1872	New Colours presented to the 66th in the Sind District, India 1872 (These were lost at the battle of Maiwand in Afghanistan, 27th July 1880) presented by His Excellency the Rt Hon Lord Northbrook, Viceroy and Governor of India.
1881	New colours presented to the 2nd Battalion Berkshire Regiment to replace those lost at Maiwand, when the battalion was the 66th, by Queen Victoria at Parkhurst 18th August. They were carried until 1948 when the battalion merged with the 1st Battalion. These colours were kept by the 1st Battalion and eventually laid up at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. Their current whereabouts are not known.

 

3rd (Militia) Battalion Date of presentation
1855	Colours presented on 31st July near Vastern Road, Reading next to the Thames River. They were presented by the Countess of Abingdon. (It is not known what happened to the previous set of colours)
1898	1898 Presented with new colours at Windsor Seebook. Carried until 1908 when they became the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion. They were disbanded in 1919. They were keep in the officers' mess at Brock Barracks until June 1960 when they were laid up in the town hall in Abingdon

 

4th Battalion Date of presentation
1908	The 4th (Territorial) Battalion were presented with their first set of colours on the 3rd August 1909 at Beaulieu, Hampshire.
1967	These colours were laid up in St Laurence’s Church, Reading in 1967.

Royal Berkshire Regiment Service (Kitchener) Battalions

These were raised in 1914/15 and once trained went to the Western Front and other areas of operations where they remained until the cessation of hostilities. Their contribution was such that the authorities deemed that the battalions should be presented with a King's Colour. In most cases they were presented with the colour which was immediately laid up as the Battalion in question no longer existed.

 

5th (Service )Battalion

The King's Colour was presented by HRH the Prince of Wales at Erre (France) during a driving snowstorm on the 14th February 1919. They were laid up in St Laurence’s Church, Friar Street, Reading. They are still there today.

 

6th (Service)Battalion

The King's Colour was presented at the Depot, Reading on the 31st August 1920 by Major-General Sir H B Walker, KCB, KCMG, DSO. Later they were laid up at St Giles Church, Southampton Street, Reading. This colour has since gone missing.

 

7th (Service)Battalion

The King's Colour was presented at the Depot, Reading on the 31st August 1920 by Major-General Sir H B Walker, KCB. KCMG, DSO. Later they were laid up at in St Georges Church, Reading. This colour has since gone missing.

 

8th (Service) Battalion.

The Kings Colour was presented at Bartry (France) in January 1919 by Lieutenant-General Sir R H K Butler, KCB, KCMG, General Officer Commanding III Corps. They were laid up at St Giles Church, Southampton Street, Reading. This colour has since gone missing.

 

The Royal Berkshire Regiment were one of the very few to present colours to the Labour Battalions.

 

10th (Labour) Battalion

The King's Colour was presented at Brock Barracks in August 1920 by Major- General Sir H B Walker KCB, KCMG, DSO. It was received by Major Pike MC and later laid up in Reading (This colour is now missing).

 

11th (Labour) Battalion

The King's Colour was presented at Brock Barracks in August 1920 by Major- General Sir H B Walker, KCB, KCMG, DSO. It was received by Captain Holtham and later laid up in Reading (This colour is now missing).

 

12th (Labour) Battalion

The King's Colour was presented at Brock Barracks in August 1920 by Major-General Sir H B Walker KCB, KCMG, DSO. It was received by Brigadier General Bodie and later laid up in Reading (This colour is now missing).

 

13th (Labour) Battalion

The King's Colour was presented at Brock Barracks in August 1920 by Major-General Sir H B Walker KCB, KCMG, DSO. It was received by Brigadier-General Bodie and later laid up in Reading (This colour is now missing).

 

Wiltshire Regiment (62nd/99th)

 

Battle Honours Wiltshire (Duke of Edinburgh’s) Regiment (62nd, 99th)
Battle Honour (Bold type carried on colours)	Participating Unit
Louisburg	62nd
Nive	2nd/62nd
Peninsula	2nd/ 62nd
Ferozeshah	62nd
Sobraon	62nd
Sevastopol	62nd
New Zealand	99th
Pekin 1860	99th
South Africa 1879	99th
South Africa 1899 - 1902	2nd
FIRST WORLD WAR
Mons	1st
Le Cateau	1st
Retreat from Mons	1st
Marne 1914	1st
Aisne 1914 – 18	1st, 2nd
La Bassee 1914	2nd
Messines 1914-17	1st , 6th
Armentieres 1914	1st
Ypres 1914,17	1st , 2nd
Langemarck 1914	N/K
None Bosschen	N/K
Neuve Chapelle	1st , 2nd
Aubers	N/K
Festubert 1915	2nd
Loos	1st , 2nd , 6th
Somme 1916-18	1st , 2nd, 6th
Albert 1916 – 18	N/K
Bazentin	N/K
Pozieres	N/K
Le transloy	N/K
Ancre heights	N/K
Ancre 1916	N/K
Arras 1917	2nd
Scarpe 1917	N/K
Pilckem	N/K
Menin road	N/K
Polygon wood	N/K
Broodseinde	N/K
Poelcapelle	N/K
Passchendale	N/K
St Quentin	2nd
Lys	1st
Bailleul	N/K
Kemmell	1st
Scherpenberg	N/K
Bapaume 1918	1st
Hindenburg line	1st , 2nd
Epehy	7th
Canal du Nord	N/K
St Quintin canal	N/K
Beaurevoir	1st
Cambrai 1918	N/K
Selle	N/K
Sambre	1st
France and Flanders 1914-18	1st, 2nd, 6th, 7th
Doiran 1917	7th
Macedonia 1915 – 18	7th
Sulva	5th
Sari bair	5th
Gallipoli 1915-16	5th
Gaza	1st/4th
Nebi samwil	1st/4th
Jerusalem	1st/4th
Megiddo	1st/4th
Sharon	1st/4th
Palestine 1917-18	1st/4th
Tigris1916	5th
Kut al amara 1917	5th
Baghdad	5th
Mesopotamia 1916-18	5th
SECOND WORLD WAR
Defence of Arras	2nd
Ypres-Comines Canal	2nd
Oden	4th, 5th
Caen	4th,5th
Hill 112	4th, 5th
Bourgeubus Ridge	4th,5th
Maltot	4th,5th
Mont Pincon	4th,5th
La Variniere	4th,5th
Seine 1944	4th,5th
Nederrijn	4th,5th
Roer	4th,5th
Rhineland	4th,5th
Cleve	4th,5th
Goch	4th,5th
Xanten	4th,5th
Rhine	4th,5th
Bremen	2nd, 4th, 5th
North West Europe 1940, 44,45	2nd,4th,5th
Solarino	2nd
Simeto Bridgehead	2nd
Sicily 1943	2nd
Garigliano Crossing	2nd
Minturno	2nd
Anzio	2nd
Rome	2nd
Advance to Tiber	2nd
Italy 1943 – 44	2nd
Middle East 1942	2nd
North Arakan	1st
Point 551	1st
Mayu Tunnels	1st
Ngakyedauk Pass	1st
Burma 1943 - 44	1st

62nd – 1st Battalion
(Date of presentation where known)

1st Stand 1758-1770

An Army inspection report of 1769 states that these colours were presented in 1757, when the 62nd were still the 2nd/4th. These colours are now laid up in the King's Own (4th Foot) memorial chapel at Lancaster.
 

2nd Stand – 1770 - 1780

Presented in Ireland and were carried in the American War of Independence. Carried at the battle of Saratoga in 1777, and hidden to prevent capture by the Americans when the British Force, under General Burgoyne, had to capitulate. The remands of the King's Colour are in the Regimental Museum (As in 1959 – check today).
 

3rd Stand – 1781 – 1805

Presented in 1781 at Lincoln they were carried in the West Indies in operations against the French at San Domingo in 1794.
 

NB (i) in 1801 there came the act of union with Ireland; St Patrick’s Cross was added to the Union flag and therefore to the Colours, and shamrocks joined the wreath of roses and thistles.
 

(ii) In 1804 there was a 2nd Battalion of the 62nd Foot who were presented with Colours at Devizes, and carried them in the Peninsula War in north-west Spain and in France, in 1813 and 1814, for which service they were granted a laurel wreath on their colours, as were all such regiments. They won the Battle Honours ‘Peninsula’ and ‘Nive’, which were subsequently borne on the Colours of the 1st/62nd, when eventually awarded in 1829 and 1844 respectively.
 

The 2nd/62nd was initially formed in 1799 and was later disbanded in 1802. We have no record of colours being presented during this time. They were reformed at Devizes in 1804 to meet the new threat from Napoleon and new colours were presented. We have no record of when or where. They were disbanded in 1817 and no trace of their colours remains.
 

4th Stand 1805 – 1842

The 62nd were presented with new colours in Ireland, subsequently carried in the campaigns in Egypt, Sicily and Italy between 1806 and 1813, and later in action in America in 1814. In 1842 the Regiment was going by boat on the River Ganges from Calcutta to Dinapore. The Colours were in the commanding officer's boat (Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Reed) when a storm blew up, the boat capsized and the Colours were lost. They were recovered from the river, badly damaged, seven months later, by a party from the Regiment. They are now in Salisbury Cathedral.
 

5th Stand 1844 – 1847

Presented in Dinapore by the Commanding Officer's wife, Mrs Thomas Reed, to replace those lost in the Ganges. They were carried through the 1st Sikh War of 1845-46, including the battles of Ferozeshah and Sobraon. In 1847 the Regiment were completing the last stage of their journey to Calcutta prior to embarking for England. They were again on the river Ganges. Lieutenant- Colonel Short was temporarily in command. A fire broke out in the straw roof of his boat and the colours were destroyed, only a few miles from where the previous set was lost in 1842. Part of a Queen's Colour, now in the Regimental Museum, is all that is known to survive.
 

6th Stand 1848 – 1865

Presented on the 6th April 1848 by Lady Augusta FitzClarence, wife of the District Commander, Major-General Lord Frederick FitzClarance, at Winchester, on the Regiment's return from India. They were carried throughout the Crimean War, and were laid up in All Saints Church, Aldershot on the 19th May 1865. After hanging for 98 years, the remnants of the colours were removed in May 1962 and returned to Wiltshire. Arrangments were made for them to be placed in Salisbury Cathedral.
 

7th Stand 1865 – 1939

Presented by Lieutenant-General Sir W T Knollys, Comptroller of the Prince of Wale’s Household and Colonel of the Regiment, in Aldershot. Colours ceased to be carried in action after the Zulu War of 1879, but this stand accompanied the 1st Battalion all over the world for 74 years. During the Second World War they were lodged in Fort St George, Madras. They were brought home in 1946, and laid up in St James Church, Devizes.
 

8th Stand 1939 - 1959

Presented by H.E. The Viceroy of India, The Marquis of Linlithgow, in Bangalore. Carried on the parade in Krefeld, Germany with the 2nd Battalion’s Colours, on the 1st January 1949 when the 1st and 2nd Battalions were amalgamated. The new 1st (Amalgamated) Battalion then kept both stands of colours, which were laid up together in Salisbury Cathedral on the 4th May 1959.
 

99th – 2nd Battalion

1st Stand 1824 or 1825 – 1841

The 99th were raised in Glasgow in 1824 with the first stand of colours being presented there. Carried by the Regiment in Mauritius for thirteen years and then in Ireland. Laid up in St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh but later returned to the regiment and they are now in the Regimental Museum at Salisbury.
 

2nd Stand – 1841 – 1871

Presented at Chatham on the 20th October 1841 by Miss Douglas, daughter of Lieutenant-General Sir Howard Douglas, GCB, GCMG, Colonel of the Regiment. The Colours were given by Lieutenant-General Sir Hugh Gough, the late Colonel of the Regiment. At the same time embroidered Colour belts were presented by the commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Sir John Gaspard Le Marchant, having been given by his wife. They were received by Ensigns Montgomerie, R de Winton, G de Winton and Blackburn. The Regiment had just started sailing to Australia by detachments, serving as convict guards on the voyage. The Colours remained in Australia and Tasmania with the regiment till 1856 and were carried in action in China in 1860.
 

In 1874, three years after their replacement, these colours were presented to the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh at Ballanter railway station in Scotland by the commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel J Hart Dunne, in the presence of the Queen’s Guard formed by the 99th, prior to the Duke and Duchess’s departure for London. The colours were hung on the Grand Staircase at Clarence House until the Duke's death in 1900, and were laid up in St James Church, Devizes in 1901.
 

3rd Stand 1871 – 1926

Presented by H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh, KG in the Guards' Enclosure at Aldershot on the 7th August 1871, thus fulfilling a promise he had made at the Cape of Good Hope two years previously. These Colours were carried in action for the last time in the Zulu War of 1879. During the Boer War they were lodged at the Regimental Depot at Devizes. They were brought home from India in 1926 after 55 years with the Battalion and laid up in Salisbury Cathedral.
 

4th Stand – 1926-1959

Presented by Field Marshal Lord Birdwood, GCB, GCSI, GCMG, GBE, CIE, DSO, Commander-in-Chief of the British Indian Army, at Kamptee. The Colonel of the Regiment, Major-General F C Beatson was present. These colours remained with those of the old 1st Battalion on amalgamation in 1949, and were laid up with them in Salisbury Cathedral on the 4th May 1959.
 

4th Battalion

In 1925 the battalion was officially recognised a Battalion of the Line, although it ceased to have a ‘Rifle Battalion’ connection in 1908. They were presented with their Colours at Lighton Camp, Westbury on the 3rd August 1927, by their Honorary Colonel Lord Radnor, a Brigadier-General and Lord Lieutenant of the County. These colours were laid up in 1967 when the battalion was merged into the Wessex Regiment.
 

3rd (Militia) Bn

A stand of colours were made by the Ladies of the County and presented in 1853.
 

Presented 15th July 1913 by Field Marshall Lord Methuen. This was the first set of Militia Colours to bear the battle honours of the Regular Battalions. After the Battalion's disbandment in 1919 the colours were laid up in the officers' mess of Le Marchant Barracks, Devizes, remaining there for thirteen nine years. On the 23rd November 1958 they were laid up in St James Church, Devizes. In 2006 they were returned to the Regimental Museum in Salisbury. The colours were last carried on parade in 1941 on the occasion of a guard of honour provided by the Regimental Depot for Field Marshal The Lord Birdwood.
 

5th (Service) Battalion

A King's Colour was presented in 1919 and later laid up in St James Church, Devizes.
 

6th (Service) Battalion

A King's Colour was presented in 1919 and later laid up in St James Church, Devizes.
 

7th (Service) Battalion

A King's Colour was presented in 1919 and later laid up in St James Church, Devizes.
 

Duke of Edinburgh’s Royal Regiment
(Berkshire and Wiltshire)

Battle Honours Duke of Edinburgh’s Royal Regiment (49th, 62nd, 66th, 99th)
Battle Honour (Bold type carried on colours)	Participating Unit
Louisburg	62nd
St Lucia 1778	49th
Egmont-op-Zee	49th
Copenhagen	49th
Douro	2nd/66th
Talavera	2nd/66th
Albuhera	2nd/66th
Queenstown	49th
Vittoria	2nd/66th
Pyrenees	2nd/66th
Nivelle	2nd/66th
Nive	2nd/66th 2nd/ 62nd
Orthes	2nd/66th
Peninsula	2nd/66th 2nd/62nd
New Zealand	99th
Ferozeshah	62nd
Sobraon	62nd
Alma	49th
Inkerman	49th
Sevastopol	49th 62nd
Pekin 1860	99th
Kandahar 1880	66th
Afghanistan 1879 -80	66th
Egypt 1882	Berks
Tofrek	Berks
Suakin 1885	Berks
South Africa 1879, 1899-1902	Berks/Wilts
First World War
Mons	Berks/Wilts
Le Cateau	Wilts
Retreat from Mons	Berks/Wilts
Marne 1914	Berks/Wilts
Asine 1914, 1918	Berks/Wilts
La Bassee 1914	Wilts
Messines 1914, 1917, 1918	Berks/Wilts
Armentieres 1914	Wilts
Ypres 1914, 1917	Berks/Wilts
Langemarck 1914, 1917	Berks/Wilts
Gheluvelt	Berks
Nonne Bosschen	Berks/Wilts
Neuve Chapelle	Berks
Aubers	Berks
Festubert 1915	Berks
Loos	Berks/Wilts
Somme 1916, 1918	Berks/Wilts
Albert 1916 1918	Berks/Wilts
Bazentin	Berks/Wilts
Delville Wood	Berks
Pozieres	Wilts
Flers-Corcelette	Berks
Morval	Berks
Thiepval	Berks
Le Transloy	Berks/Wilts
Ancre Heights	Wilts
Ancre 1916 – 18	Berks/Wilts
Arras 1917-18	Berks/Wilts
Scarpe 1917 -18	Berks/Wilts
Arleux	Berks
Pilckem	Berks/Wilts
Menin road	Wilts
polygon wood	Berks/Wilts
Broodseinde	Berks/Wilts
Poelcapelle	Berks/Wilts
Passchendale	Berks/Wilts
Cambrai 1917, 18	Berks
St Quentin	Berks/Wilts
Bapaume 1918	Berks/Wilts
Rosieres	Berks
Avre	Berks
Villers-Bretonneux	Berks
Lys	Berks/Wilts
Hazebrouck	Berks
Bailleul	Wilts
Kemmel	Wilts
Bethune	Berks
Scherpenberg	Wilts
Amiens	Berks/Wilts
Hindenburg Line	Berks/Wilts
Havrincourt	Berks
Epehy	Berks/Wilts
Canal du Nord	Berks/Wilts
St Quentin Canal	Berks/Wilts
Beaurevoir	Wilts
Selle	Berks/Wilts
Valenciennes	Berks
Sambre	Berks/Wilts
France and Flanders 1914 - 18	Berks/Wilts
Piave	Berks
Vittorio Veneto	Berks
Italy 1917-18	Berks
Doiran 1917-1918	Wilts
Macedonia, 1915 1918.	Berks/Wilts
Sulva	Wilts
Sari bair	Wilts
Gallipoli 1915-16	Wilts
Gaza	Wilts
Nebi samwil	Wilts
Jerusalem	Wilts
Megiddo	Wilts
Sharon	Wilts
Palestine 1917-18	Wilts
Tigris1916	Wilts
Kut al amara 1917	Wilts
Baghdad	Wilts
Mesopotamia 1916-18	Wilts
Second World War
Dyle	Berks
Defence of Arras	Wilts
St Omer-La Bassee	Berks
Ypres-Comines Canal	Wilts
Dunkirk 1940	Berks
Normandy Landing	Berks
Oden	Wilts
Caen	Wilts
Hill 112	Wilts
Bourgeubus Ridge	Wilts
Maltot	Wilts
Mont Pincon	Wilts
La Variniere	Wilts
Seine 1944	Wilts
Nederrijn	Wilts
Roer	Wilts
Rhineland	Wilts
Cleve	Wilts
Goch	Wilts
Xanten	Wilts
Rhine	Berks
Bremen	Wilts
North West Europe 1940, 44,45	Berks/Wilts
Solarino	Wilts
Simeto Bridgehead	Wilts
Pursuit to Messina	Berks
Sicily 1943	Berks
Monte Camino	Berks
Calabritto	Berks
Garigliano Crossing	Berks/Wilts
Minturno	Wilts
Anzio	Berks/Wilts
Carroceto	Berks
Rome	Wilts
Advance to Tiber	Wilts
Italy 1943 – 45	Berks/Wilts
Middle East 1942	Berks/Wilts
Donbaik	Berks
North Arakan	Wilts
Point 551	Wilts
Mayu Tunnels	Wilts
Ngakyedauk Pass	Wilts
Kohima	Berks
Mao Songsang	Berks
Shwebo	Berks
Kyaukmyaung Bridgehead	Berks
Mandalay	Berks
Fort Dufferin	Berks
Rangoon Road	Berks
Toungoo	Berks
Burma 1942-1945	Berks/Wilts

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Royal Regiment (49th, 62nd, 66th, 99th)
1959	The first stand of colours were presented by the Duke of Edinburgh on the 9th June 1959 at Parkhurst on the Isle of Wight. These were carried until 1984 when they were replaced and laid up in Salisbury Cathedral.
1984	The second stand was presented at Canterbury on the 8th June 1984 and carried until 1994 when the Regiment merged with the Gloucestershire Regiment. The second stand is laid up in the Regimental Museum at Salisbury.

Royal Gloucestershire Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment

Battle Honours Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment (28th,49th,61st, 62nd ,66th, 99th ) (Those shown in bold type are carried on the colours)
Battle Honour (Bold type carried on colours)	Participating Unit
Ramillies	28th
Louisburg	28th 62nd
Guadaloupe 1759	61st
Quebec 1759	28th
Martinque 1762	28th
St Lucia 1778	28th 49th
Egmont-op-Zee	49th
Copenhagen	49th
Maida	61st
Corunna	28th
Douro	2nd/66th
Talavera	61st 2nd/66th
Busaco	61st
Barrosa	28th
Albuhera	28th 2nd/66th
Queenstown	49th
Salamanca	61st
Vittoria	28th
Pyrenees	28th 61st
Nivelle	28th 61st
Nive	28th 61st 2nd/62nd
Orthes	28th 61st
Toulouse	28th 61st
Peninsula	28th 61st 62nd 2nd/66th
Waterloo	28th
New Zealand	99th
Ferozeshah	62nd
Sobraon	62nd
Chillanwallah	61st
Goojerat	61st
Punjaub	61st
Alma	28th 49th
Inkerman	28th 49th
Sevastopol	28th 49th 62nd
Delhi	61st
Pekin 1860	99th
Kandahar 1880	66th
Afghanistan 1879 -80	66th
Egypt 1882	49th
Tofrek	Berks
Suakin 1885	Berks
Defence of Ladysmith	Glos
Relief of Kimberly	Glos
Paardeberg	Glos
South Africa 1879, 1899-1902	Glos/Berks/Wilts
First World War
Mons	Glos/Berks/Wilts
Retreat from Mons	Glos/Berks/Wilts
Le Cateau	Wilts
Marne 1914	Glos/Berks/Wilts
Asine 1914, 1918	Glos/Berks/Wilts
La Bassee 1914	Wilts
Messines 1914, 1917, 1918	Glos/Wilts
Armentieres 1914	Wilts
Ypres 1914, 1915, 1917	Glos/Berks/Wilts
Langemarck 1914, 1917	Glos/Berks/Wilts
Gheluvelt	Glos/Berks
Nonne Bosschen	Glos/Berks/Wilts
Givenchy 1914	Glos
Neuve Chapelle	Berks/Wilts
Gravenstafel	Glos
St Julian	Glos
Frezenberg	Glos
Bellewaarde	Glos
Aubers	Glos/Berks/Wilts
Festubert 1915	Berks/Wilts
Loos	Glos/Berks/Wilts
Somme 1916, 1918	Glos/Berks/Wilts
Albert 1916 1918	Glos/Berks/Wilts
Bazentin	Glos/Berks/Wilts
Delville Wood	Glos/Berks
Poziers	Glos/Berks/Wilts
Guillemomnt	Glos
Flers-Corcelette	Glos/Berks
Morval	Glos/Berks
Thiepval	Berks
Le Transloy	Berks/Wilts
Ancre Heights	Glos/Berks/Wilts
Ancre 1916 – 18	Glos/Berks/Wilts
Arras 1917-18	Glos/Berks/Wilts
Vimy 1917	Glos
Scarpe 1917 -18	Glos/Berks/Wilts
Messines 1917,1918	Glos/Berks/Wilts
Arleux	Berks
Pilckem	Glos/Berks/Wilts
Menin road	Glos/Wilts
Polygon wood	Glos/Berks/Wilts
Broodseinde	Glos/Berks/Wilts
Poelcapelle	Glos/Berks/Wilts
Passchendale	Glos/Berks/Wilts
Cambrai 1917, 18	Glos/Berks
St Quentin	Glos/Berks/Wilts
Bapaume 1918	Glos/Berks/Wilts
Rosieres	Glos/Berks
Avre	Glos/Berks
Villers-Bretonneux	Berks
Lys	Glos/Berks/Wilts
Estaires	Glos
Hazebrouck	Glos/Berks
Bailleul	Glos/Wilts
Kemmel	Glos/Wilts
Bethune	Glos/Berks
Scherpenberg	Wilts
Amiens	Berks
Drocourt Queant	Glos
Hindenburg Line	Glos/Berks/Wilts
Havrincourt	Berks
Epehy	Glos/Berks/Wilts
Canal du Nord	Glos/Berks/Wilts
St Quentin Canal	Glos/Berks/Wilts
Beaurevoir	Glos/Wilts
Selle	Glos/Berks/Wilts
Valenciennes	Glos/Berks
Sambre	Glos/Berks/Wilts
France and Flanders 1914 - 18	Glos/Berks/Wilts
Piave	Glos/Berks
Vittorio Veneto	Glos/Berks
Italy 1917-18	Glos/Berks
Struma	Glos
Doiran 1917-1918	Glos/Berks/Wilts
Macedonia, 1915 1918.	Glos/Berks/Wilts
Sulva	Glos/Wilts
Sari Bair	Glos/Wilts
Scimitar Hill	Glos
Gallipoli 1915-16	Glos//Wilts
Egypt 1916	Glos
Gaza	Wilts
Nebi Samwil	Wilts
Jerusalem	Wilts
Megiddo	Wilts
Sharon	Wilts
Palestine 1917-18	Glos
Tigris1916	Glos/Wilts
Kut al Amara 1917	Glos/Wilts
Baghdad	Glos/Wilts
Mesopotamia 1916-18	Glos/Wilts
Persia 1918	Glos
Second World War
Dyle	Berks
Defence of Escaut	Glos
Defence of Arras	Wilts
St Omer-La Bassee	Glos/Berks
Wormboudt	Glos
Cassel	Glos
Ypres-Comines Canal	Wilts
Dunkirk 1940	Berks
Normandy Landing	Berks
Villers Bocage	Glos
Oden	Wilts
Caen	Wilts
Hill 112	Wilts
Bourgeubus Ridge	Wilts
Maltot	Wilts
Mont Pincon	Glos/Wilts
La Variniere	Wilts
Falaise	Glos
Risle Crossing	Glos
Seine 1944	Wilts
La Havre	Glos
Nederrijn	Wilts
Roer	Wilts
Zetten	Glos
Rhineland	Wilts
Cleve	Wilts
Goch	Wilts
Xanten	Wilts
Rhine	Berks
Bremen	Wilts
North West Europe 1940, 44,45	Glos/Berks/Wilts
Solarino	Wilts
Simeto Bridgehead	Wilts
Pursuit to Messina	Berks
Sicily 1943	Berks/Wilts
Monte Camino	Berks
Calabritto	Berks
Carigliano Crossing	Berks/Wilts
Minturno	Wilts
Damiano	Berks
Anzio	Berks/Wilts
Carroceto	Berks
Rome	Wilts
Advance to Tiber	Wilts
Italy 1943 – 45	Berks/Wilts
Middle East 1942	Wilts
Taukyan	Glos
Paungde	Glos
Monywa 1942	Glos
Donbaik	Berks
North Arakan	Glos/Wilts
Point 551	Wilts
Mayu Tunnels	Glos/Wilts
Ngakyedauk Pass	Wilts
Kohima	Berks
Mao Songsang	Berks
Pinwe	Glos
Shweli	Glos
Shwebo	Berks
Kyaukmyaung Bridgehead	Berks
Mandalay	Berks
Fort Dufferin	Berks
Rangoon Road	Berks
Myitson	Glos
Toungoo	Berks
Burma 1942-1945	Glos/Berks/Wilts
Korean War
Hill 327	Glos
Imjin	Glos
Korea 1950 - 1951	Glos

1st Bn, Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment
1994	The colours were presented at Windsor Castle on the 8th June 1994 by Field Marshal HRH The Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, KG, KT, OM, GBE, AC, QSO, Colonel-in-Chief. On the same occasion, there was a re- presentation of the United States Presidential Unit Citation by General G R Sullivan, Chief of Staff United States Army.
2007	When the Regiment was merged into The Rifles in 2007, colours were no longer carried. The 1st Battalion Colours were laid up in Gloucester.

2nd (Volunteer) Bn, Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment
1998	The 2nd (Volunteer) Battalion were presented with new colours at Windsor Castle on the 5th June 1998 by the Duke of Edinburgh, after the merger of the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the Wessex Regiment. They carried the same Battle Honours as the 1st Battalion.
2007	The colours were laid up in the Regimental Museum at Salisbury in 2007 when the Regiment merged into the Rifles.

The Wessex Regiment

 

The Wessex  Regiment

1st Battalion Wessex Regiment (Rifle Volunteers) colours were presented at Knook Camp, Heytesbury, near Warminster, June 1973, by General Sir Basil Eugster. Laid up in the Hythe Mess of the Combined Arms Training Centre at Warminster on 17 May 1998. [As of 2009 consideration was being given to see if a removal to a church in or near Devizes would be appropriate as the mess in question is not being used on a regular basis].

 

2nd Battalion Wessex Regiment colours were presented at the Royal Marine Barracks, Eastney, Portsmouth by Brigadier The Duke of Wellington on the morning of Saturday the 30 June 1979. That afternoon, the Regiment  paraded their Colours in the Guildhall Square, Portsmouth. 

 

The Rifles

Rifle regiments traditionally do not carry colours; this goes back to their formation, when they were used as skirmishers and sharpshooters. While individual units may have had banners or pennants to distinguish themselves from other units, regiments as a whole never needed a full stand of colours. Battle honours are instead inscribed on cap badges or cross belt plates. Due to the large number of honours brought forward by the formation of The Rifles in 2007 from four previously merged regiments with substantial battle honours a selected number were chosen to represent all the forming Regiments on the cross-belt plate. These are listed below, showing the Battle or Campaign honour, the participating unit and the designation of the unit that brought it forward to The Rifles.

 

Rifles Battle honours carried on the cross belt plate (These were selected from a total of 913)
Battle Honour	Units engaged We will show the original unit engaged and its modern title in italics at the time of the merger in 2007
Gibraltar	13th (Somerset LI) Light Infantry 32nd (Duke of Cornwall’s LI) Light Infantry
Dettingen	13th (Somerset LI) Light Infantry 32nd (Duke of Cornwall’s LI) Light Infantry
Plassey	39th (Dorset) – Devon and Dorset Regiment
Minden	51(Kings own Yorkshire LI) Light Infantry
Quebec	28th (Gloucestershire) Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment 43rd (Oxford and Bucks LI) Royal Green Jackets 60th (Kings Royal Rifle Corps) Royal Green Jackets
Martinique	28th (Gloucestershire) Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment 43rd (Oxford and Bucks LI) Royal Green Jackets 60th (Kings Royal Rifle Corps) Royal Green Jackets
Marabout	54 (Dorset) – Devon and Dorset Regiment
Peninsula	11th (Devon) Devon and Dorset Regiment 28th (Gloucestershire) Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment 32nd (Duke of Cornwall’s LI) Light Infantry 39th (Dorset) Devon and Dorset Regiment 43rd Oxford and Bucks LI) Royal Green Jackets 51st (Kings own Yorkshire LI) Light Infantry 52 (Oxfordshire LI) Royal Green Jackets 60th (Kings Royal Rifle Corps) Royal Green Jackets 62nd (Wiltshire) Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment 66th (Berkshire) Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment 68th (Durham LI) Light Infantry 95th (Rifle Brigade) Royal Green Jackets
Waterloo
Afghanistan (includes campaigns 1842 1880 & 1919)	32nd (Somerset LI - 1839) Light Infantry 51st (Kings own Yorkshire LI) Light Infantry 60th (Kings Royal Rifle Corps) Royal Green Jackets 95th (Rifle Brigade) Royal Green Jackets 59th (Kings own Shropshire LI) Light Infantry 66th (Berkshire) – Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment Durham Light Infantry (1919) Light Infantry
Jellalabad	13th (Somerset LI) Light Infantry
Ferozeshah	62nd (Wiltshire) - Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment
Delhi	28th (Gloucestershire) - Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment 42nd (Oxford and Bucks LI) Royal Green Jackets 60th (Kings Royal Rifle Corps) Royal Green Jackets
Lucknow	32nd (Duke of Cornwall’s LI) Light Infantry 53rd (Kings Shropshire LI) Light Infantry
New Zealand (Includes campaigns 1863 & 1845)	43rd (Oxford and Bucks LI - 1863) Royal Green Jackets 68th (Durham LI - 1863) Light Infantry 99th (Wiltshire - 1845) Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment
Pekin	60th (Kings Royal Rifle Corps) Royal Green Jackets 99th (Wiltshire) - Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment
South Africa (includes campaigns 1879 & 1899 – 1902)	11th (Devonshire – 1899) Devon and Dorset Regiment 13th (Somerset LI - 1899 & 1879) Light Infantry 28th (Gloucestershire – 1899) Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment 32nd (Duke of Cornwall’s LI – 1899) Light Infantry 43rd (Oxford and Bucks LI – 1851 & 1899) Royal Green Jackets 54th (Dorset - 1899) Devon and Dorset Regiment 60th (Kings Royal Rifle Corps -1851, 1879 & 1899) Royal Green Jackets 66th (Royal Berkshire – 1899) Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment Kings Own Yorkshire LI – 1899) Light Infantry Kings Shropshire LI – 1899) Light Infantry 99th (Wiltshire Regiment – 1879 &1899) Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment 68th Durham LI – 1899) Light Infantry 95th (Rifle Brigade – 1851 &1899) Royal Green Jackets
Inkerman	28th (Gloucestershire) Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment 49th (Royal Berkshire) Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment 68th (Durham LI) Light Infantry 95th (Rifle Brigade) Royal Green Jackets
Nonne Boschen	28th (Gloucestershire) Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment 43rd (Oxford and Bucks LI) Royal Green Jackets 49th (Royal Berkshire) Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment 62nd (Wiltshire) Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment
Ypres (Includes campaigns 1914 -1915 – 1917 – 1918)	All units took part in this battle honour
Somme dates	All units took part in this battle honour
Vittorio Vento	28th (Gloucestershire) Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment 43rd (Oxfordshire and Bucks LI) Royal Green Jackets 49th (Royal Berkshire) Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment 51st (Kings Own Yorkshire LI) Light Infantry
Megiddo	13th (Somerset LI) Light Infantry 32nd (Duke of Cornwall’s LI) Light Infantry 39th (Dorset) Devon and Dorset Regiment 62nd (Wiltshire) Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment
Calais	60th (Kings Royal Rifle Corps) Royal Green Jackets 95th (Rifle Brigade) Royal Green Jackets
El Alamein	60th (Kings Royal Rifle Corps) Royal Green Jackets 68th (Durham LI) Light Infantry RB (Rifle Brigade) Royal Green Jackets
Kohima	39th (Dorset) Devon and Dorset Regiment 49th (Royal Berkshire) Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment 68th (Durham LI) Light Infantry
Pegasus Bridge	43rd (Oxfordshire and Bucks LI) Royal Green Jackets
Normandy	39th (Dorset) Devon and Dorset Regiment 43rd (Oxford and Bucks LI) Royal Green Jackets 49th (Royal Berkshire) Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment 53rd (Kings Shropshire LI) Light Infantry Italy 1943 - 45 11th (Devon’s) Devon and Dorset Regiment 13th (Somerset LI) Light Infantry 32nd (Duke of Cornwall’s LI) Light Infantry 39th (Dorset) Devon and Dorset Regiment 43rd (Oxford and Bucks LI) Royal Green Jackets 49th (Royal Berkshire) Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment 51st (Kings Own Yorkshire LI) Light Infantry 60th (Kings Royal Rifle Corps) Royal Green Jackets 62nd (Wiltshire) Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment 68th (Durham LI) Light Infantry RB (Rifle Brigade) Royal Green Jackets
Anzio	43rd (Oxford and Bucks LI) Royal Green Jackets 49th (Royal Berkshire) Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment 51st (Kings Own Yorkshire LI) Light Infantry 53rd (Kings Shropshire LI) Light Infantry 62nd (Wiltshire) Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment
Imjin	28th (Gloucestershire) Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment
Korea	28th (Gloucestershire) Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment 53rd (Kings Shropshire LI) Light Infantry
Iraq 2003	Light Infantry

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