Queen presents new Colours to Royal Regiment of Scotland
5 Jul 11
Her Majesty The Queen presented new Colours to The Royal Regiment of Scotland on Saturday 2 July 2011.
The new Colours of The Royal Regiment of Scotland are unfurled for the first time at Holyrood Park, Edinburgh
[Picture: Mark Owens, Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]
Her Majesty has been the Colonel-in-Chief of The Royal Regiment of Scotland since its formation five years ago.
Colours are incredibly important to any Army unit as they represent the spirit of the regiment. Consisting of two large brocade and embroidery flags, Colours were originally carried into battle so that soldiers of a particular regiment could see where the rest of their unit was located at all times.
The new colours were presented by the Queen during a parade at Holyrood Park, Edinburgh, which included marching contingents from six of the seven battalions of The Royal Regiment of Scotland (the 4th battalion is currently deployed on operations in Afghanistan) and their pipes and drums, along with the Band of The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
This was the first time that six battalions from any regiment have been on parade at the same time. The parade also included several hundred veterans from the regiment's antecedent units.
Her Majesty The Queen presents new Colours to The Royal Regiment of Scotland at Holyrood Park in central Edinburgh
[Picture: Mark Owens, Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]
The infantry units of the British Army each have two Colours: The Queen's Colour, which is a Union Flag; and a Regimental Colour, which has all the unit's battle honours inscribed on it.
Colours are no longer carried on the battlefield but are held in the greatest of esteem by soldiers and officers. They are brought out on important parades and regimental occasions, and are escorted by a 'Colour Party'.
When new Colours are presented, the old ones are not destroyed but laid up in a regimental museum, church, or other military building with significance to the particular unit.
Saturday was The Royal Regiment of Scotland's first ever Colours presentation. Colours are normally presented only every 20-25 years - in essence only once in a soldier's career.
Uniquely, the 2nd Battalion of The Royal Regiment of Scotland has the distinction among infantry units of carrying three Colours on parade. The third - the Assaye Colour - was originally awarded by the Governor General in India on behalf of the British East India Company to the 74th Highland Regiment [antecedent regiment] for distinguished service at the Battle of Assaye in India, in 1803, while under the command of Sir Arthur Wellesley, who later became Duke of Wellington.
Soldiers of The Royal Regiment of Scotland march onto the Parade Square at Holyrood Park, Edinburgh, for the Colours parade
[Picture: Mark Owens, Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]
The Royal Regiment of Scotland was formed on 28 March 2006, and consists of a total of seven battalions - five Regular and two Territorial Army. One of these was formed by the amalgamation of the Royal Scots and King's Own Scottish Borderers, while the others are each formed from one of the remaining single-battalion regiments of the Scottish Division.
Along with The Rifles, The Royal Regiment of Scotland is currently one of the largest infantry regiments in the British Army. There is a common regimental cap badge, tartan, tactical recognition flash, stable belt, and Glengarry headdress.
Different coloured feather hackles are also worn by each separate battalion on the Tam O' Shanter headdress when they are in combat uniform in order to maintain their individual identity.
The pipes and drums of each battalion continue to wear the dress uniform and tartans of their former regiments.