As regards military flags, the cavalry standards—banners properly—are the true survivals of the knightly banners of the Middle Ages. The colour of the field repeats that of the regimental facings, and each standard bears the number, motto, and specific title of its own regiment, as well as its own heraldic badge. Upon these standards are also blazoned the regimental "honours," such as "Waterloo," "Alma," "Lucknow," thus commemorating the services rendered by that corps to their country.
Infantry regiments have their "colours," or, properly, pair of colours. One of these is the sovereign's colour, always crimson, displaying a Union Jack, charged with the regimental device; the other is the regimental colour, repeating the tincture of the facings. Upon this the "honours" and "devices" of the regiment are charged, whilst a small "jack" is cantoned on the dexter side of the flag.
The regimental "colours" of the Guards is the Union Jack.
The Royal Artillery have neither colours nor standards.
It would be curious to note the various forms of banners which have been in use since the days when the old Roman general hoisted a small truss of hay as his ensign, but surely one of the queerest flags that ever found its way into history was that displayed by our own Henry V., when, in 1420, he made his entry into Paris, riding between Charles VI. and Philippe, Duke of Burgundy. For then, we are told, that, amongst other banners, the English monarch bore a lance with a fox-tail attached to it, for being "a great hunter of foxes," this was his own personal badge.
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Here we must close our "Peeps at Heraldry," but please, dear eyes, that have been peeping with me up to this point, do not close too.
Otherwise the object with which this little book has been written—namely, to open your eyes to the rudiments of heraldry, so that, having begun with a peep, you may go on to take an exhaustive view of the art and its developments—will be sadly defeated.
For this small volume pretends to be nothing more than a simple introduction, a path-finder, to that fascinating language, in which the golden deeds of chivalry and patriotism, of science and philanthropy, are kept alive from age to age in all quarters of the civilized world.