^{This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website}

Battle honours on flags

See also:

A question was posed:
Did any practice for battle honors exist before these times, and were the British and French the only ones to do so? When did the practice end (I know the US Army today uses streamers instead for the regimental flags. About three or four Confederate flags had streamers during the Civil War.)?

In response, Todd Mills contributed:

Sweden used battle honours painted or embroidered on flags during the Napoleonic era. I don't recall any other countries using them, but you might check Terence Wise's "Military Flags of the World in Colour" (Blandford Press, 1977). The British still use battle honours on flags, but they have had to fine tune the rules several times in order to accommodate three centuries' worth.

The British were probably the first to use battle honours on flags, and the practice did not take hold until the Napoleonic wars. The first and only battle honour granted to cavalry before this time was "Emsdorf", granted in 1768 to the 15th Light Dragoons for an action in 1760.

The first battle honour for infantry is now considered to be the motto "Virtutis Namurcensis Proemium", recognised in the 1747 Clothing Regulations as a distinction of the 18th Regiment of Foot for bravery at the battle of Namur in 1695. But as a Latin motto referring to a battle, this honour remains unique. In 1910 fourteen regiments, including the 18th, were granted the textual honour "Namur".

Some battle honours in the British Army are actua