The Grenadier Guards have three flags, known as the Colonel’s, the Lieutenant-Colonel’s, and the Major’s colours, which are used as the King’s colour in the first, second and third battalions respectively.
17. King’s Colour of the Grenadier Guards (1st Battalion). |
18. Regimental Colour of the Grenadier Guards (15th Company). |
19. King’s Colour of the Coldstream Guards (1st Battalion). |
20. Regimental Colour of the Coldstream Guards (1st Company). |
21. King’s Colour of the Scots Guards (1st Battalion). |
22. Regimental Colour of the Scots Guards (9th Company). |
23. King’s Colour of the Irish Guards. |
24. King’s Colour of the Welsh Guards. |
| Plate 3. Colours of the Foot Guards | |
The Colonel’s or King’s first battalion colour consists of a crimson silk banner bearing an imperial crown above a flaming grenade. (Fig. 17.) On either side is a column of twelve tablets in gold, each inscribed with the name of one of the following battle distinctions:—
Tangier, 1680; Namur, 1695; Gibraltar, 1704-5; Blenheim; Ramillies; Oudenarde; Malplaquet; Dettingen; Lincelles; Egmont-op-Zee; Corunna; Barrosa; Nive; Peninsula; Waterloo; Alma; Inkerman; Sevastopol; Egypt, 1882; Tel-el-Kebir; Suakin, 1885; Khartoum; South Africa, 1899-1902; Modder River.
The Lieutenant-Colonel’s or the King’s colour of the second battalion consists of a crimson silk banner bearing in the dexter canton, a small Union Jack, whilst in the centre of the crimson field is the Royal Cypher, reversed and interlaced, having above it an imperial crown, and, below, a flaming grenade. Battle honours also appear.
The Major’s colour, which serves as that of the King’s for the third battalion, is like the above, but from the sinister or bottom right hand corner of the small Jack issues a pile-wavy or, that is, a tongue of flame worked in gold.
In addition to the foregoing, there are three regimental colours, one for each of the three battalions. These flags bear the device of the Union Jack, full size, upon the four red centre limbs of which figure the Royal Crown, a flaming grenade, certain battle distinctions, and a special badge.
The special badge varies not only with each battalion, but with every new flag that is supplied to replace a discarded one. There is a series of thirty of these badges, each one of which is a company badge of the Grenadier Guards. They are as follows:—
1st Company.—A golden lion wearing a crown and standing upon another crown (i.e., the Royal crest as given on the current sixpenny piece). In the upper staff corner of the colour is placed in all these flags the company number in Roman numerals.
2nd Company.—A red Tudor rose with a white centre.