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United Kingdom: Regimental Colours

by Martin Grieve

Regimental colours
Historical colours

See also:

Regimental colours

Called the 'Great Union' if I remember correctly, and commissioned by the military (from the College of Arms) specifically for use on colours. David Prothero will, however, be able to confirm this. The saltires of St Andrew and St Patrick are of the same width with a fimbriation added as in the original of the 1801 pattern Union Flag.

This Union forms the basis of the Queen's Colour, and the canton of the Regimental Colour (except for Guards Regiments where the system is reversed), and the regulation size was, and as far as I know still is, 3'.0" x 3'9"
Christopher Southworth, 24 February 2003

Martin's illustration shown at the top of this page is not of a flag as such, but of a 'base', to which badges and battle honours can be added to construct the Queen's colour of line regiment battalions, and the regimental colour of Foot Guards.

Answering a question, asked in Parliament by Mr Dundas White on 20 May 1909, Secretary of State at the War Office, R.B. Haldane said:

"The amended design for the Queen's (now King's) colour was approved by Her late Majesty Queen Victoria in 1900. All Queen's and King's colours issued since have been in conformity with the amended design. The previous design was in use since 1801. It was approved by Queen Victoria only as a standard, to govern dimensions of flag as represented in Queen's colour of line battalions and regimental colours of Foot Guards. The War Office has not adopted the design for any other purpose than that for which it was expressly sanctioned. The change was made on heraldic grounds in order to bring the Regimental Union into closer accord with the description of the Union Flag given in the Royal Proclamation of 1 Jan 1801, and at the same time to create a standard pattern for the colour."

Dimensions.
36 inches on the staff, 45 inches flying, fringe 2 inches.
St George 9 inches wide
St Andrew and St Patrick 4.5 inches wide.
All fimbriations half an inch.
David Prothero, 24 February 2003

As I understand it, every battalion in a regiment has its own Queen's colour ? But does each battalion also have a regimental colour, or is there only one regimental colour per regiment?
David Prothero, 26 February 2003

Each battalion has a pair of colo(u)rs. In the line regiments--i.e., not regiments of guards--which battalion the "regimental" colour belonged to was formerly indicated by a union jack canton added to the same field (2nd battalion), and a small pile wavy issuing from the lower fly corner of the canton (in different colors for 3rd and succeeding battalions). The 1st battal