Drum Banner 1902

The Tenth paraded at the Coronation of King Edward VII on 9 Aug 1902. For this they prepared new drum banners which were radically different from the previous ones. They were of dark blue velvet, covered in gold embroidery and carrying the battle honours to date. But they were in such a hurry to have them ready that the honour for the Boer War was incorrect. It should have been SOUTH AFRICA 1899-1902. They could also have added RELIEF OF KIMBERLEY and PAARDEBERG. The Prince of Wales’s Plume is surrounded by the full title of the regiment and surmounted by the King’s crown. On either side of the banner are two royal symbols dating back to Tudor times, the rising sun and a red griffin, or dragon. The amount of needlework involved indicates that work on these banners started soon after the death of Queen Victoria in Jan 1901, which would explain the mistake with the South African battle honour.

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