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The Royal Warrant of 1751
The Royal Warrant of 1768 The Royal Warrant of December 1768 gave details of the size of the guidons. The pole or lance was to be 9 feet long including the spear and ferril. The guidon itself was 3 feet 5 inches long, and 2 feet 3 inches deep. The number of guidons per regiment varied from one unit to another and as the size of regiments increased, as they did during the French Revolutionary Wars, so did the number of guidons. Cavalry standards were square in shape and carried by cornets, whereas dragoon regiments had guidons, at first carried by ensigns, but the title changed to cornet as dragoons became more and more like cavalry. Standards and guidons did not have the same respect that Colours were given. While infantry regiments received new Colours with a ceremony of consecration the regiments of Horse and dragoons received theirs without comment. 19th Century By the early 19th century the guidon was not carried into battle so much and at Waterloo no cavalry regiment carried its standard or guidon. In 1822 there was official acknowledgement of the reduction in status of the standards and guidons. An order from Horse Guards issued on 30 Nov 1822 commanded that in future they should be carried by Troop Sergeant-Majors instead of junior officers. Battle Honours The first battle honour to appear on the Scots Greys guidon was WATERLOO. This honour was awarded to the regiment on 8 Dec 1815 so may have appeared on the guidons in 1816. It could well have been embroidered and sewn onto existing guidons. In 1821 the regiment requested permission to wear the badge of the Eagle on officers' sabretaches but this was refused. It is not clear when they asked to have an embroidered Eagle on the guidon but permission for that was not given until March 1838. The regiment did not have the opportunity to win any more battle honours until the Crimean War so that BALAKLAVA and SEVASTOPOL were added in 1855. There were retrospective awards for the four Marlborough battles, and DETTINGEN, awarded in 1882. |
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