Colours

'Colours' is the name given to the flags carried by a regiment into battle to indicate the position of the regimental HQ. In battle, the General directing operations could tell, at a distance, where his regiments were. The colours were carried by ensigns, the most junior officers, and guarded by two colour sergeants.

In the early regiments, each company had it's own Colour. The Captain of each company put his device in the centre of the Colour. The Captains would be of any rank including the Colonel who commanded the senior company. In the 1st Guards, the senior company was the King's company who's Colour was plain crimson with the crown and cypher in the middle in gold. King Charles II presented Royal badges for each of the other companies. This did not happen in the other two Guards regiments until 1750. In time, the Company Colours were basically the Union Flag with the device in the middle and the company number in the 'canton' (upper corner nearest the pole or pike). By mid 19th century, there were 30 companies in all, their badges were as follows:

1st or King's/Queen's Company	The Royal Crest of England
2nd	Red & white rose incorporated, seeded gold, barbed green
3rd	Golden fleur-de-lys
4th	Golden portcullis
5th	White rose, seeded gold, barbed green within golden sun
6th	Thistle
7th	Golden harp with silver strings
8th	Red dragon of Cadwallader on green mount
9th	White greyhound on green mount, with gold collar
10th	Golden sun with sunbeams and human face
11th	Silver unicorn statant on green mount, with gold collar, chain, horn, mane & hoofs
12th	Silver antelope statant with gold collar, chain, horns and hoofs on green mount
13th	Kneeling White hart with gold crown,chain, horns etc on green mount
14th	Silver falcon within gold fetterlock
15th	Red rose of Lancaster
16th	Silver swan with gold crown and chain on green mount
17th	White falcon crowned, holding a sceptre, standing on the root of a tree between two branches of white and red roses
18th	Root of a tree with branches sprouting
19th	Sword and sceptre crossed
20th	Royal oak with the head of King Charles II among branches
21st	Sun rising out of clouds
22nd	Burning beacon
23rd	Two crossed ostrich feathers
24th	Royal crest of Ireland
25th	St George's cross on silver shield
26th	A blue shield upon which is a rampant gold lion with ducal coronet. The shield is sprinkled with golden 'billets'. (Arms of Nassau)
27th	Badge of the Order of the Bath
28th	Crest of Brunswick or Hanover
29th	Shamrock leaf
30th	Crest of the Prince Consort

In 1747, infantry colours were regulated and in most regiments the First or King's Colour was the Union Flag and the Second, or Regimental Colour was basically the colour of their facings with a small Union Flag in the canton. The Guards regiments kept to the old system and have continued to this day. Their King's Colour is the basic crimson while the Regimental Colour is the Union Flag. But it was always more complicated than that because they had up to 30 Company colours instead of one regimental Colour. On top of this they had three battalions so there had to be a set of Colours for each one. The Regimental Colour was one of the Company Colours which were used in rotation.

Size of Colours
1684	6ft 9in wide x 6ft 6in deep
1747	6ft 6in wide x 6ft 2in deep
1768	6ft 6in wide x 6ft deep
1855	6ft wide x 5ft 6in deep
1858	4ft 6in wide x 4ft deep
1868	3ft 9in x 3ft deep

Colours, 1685 Colours, 1745

2nd Battalion Colours, 1812

Colours, 1751 14th Company Colour c1820

1st Battalion Colours c1870

Regimental details


Colours, 1685		Colours, 1745

	2nd Battalion Colours, 1812

Colours, 1751		14th Company Colour c1820

	1st Battalion Colours c1870