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A battle honour is a military tradition practiced in the Commonwealth countries of the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and India and is an official acknowledgement awarded to military units for their achievements in specific wars or operations of a military campaign. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country This article describes three distinct but related terms military operations Operations as military events and operational level of war In the Military sciences a military campaign is a term applied to large scale, long duration significant Military strategy plan incorporating [1]

This tradition also occurs in Sweden. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation.

A theatre honour is similar to a battle honour, except that it is given in the case of units distinguishing themselves in a campaign in a particular theatre of war rather than in a specific battle.

A battle honour is granted through the Royal Prerogative of the monarch of Great Britain and the Commonwealth, and by the 20th century was granted only after lengthy historical review of a particular conflict. The Royal Prerogative is a body of customary authority privilege and immunity recognised in Common law and sometimes in Civil law jurisdictions possessing a monarchy It is comparable to a unit citation in other national traditions. A citation is a reference to a source (not always the original source published or unpublished(citation needed In India, battle and theatre honours are granted by the Government of India.

Contents

Origins

For the British Army, the need to adopt a system to recognize military units' battlefield accomplishments was apparent since its formation as a standing army in the later part of the 17th century. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. A standing army is an Army composed of full time career Soldiers who 'stand over' in other words who do not disband during times of peace Although the granting of battle honours had already been in place at the time, it was not until 1784 that infantry units were authorized to bear battle honours on their colours. Before then, a regiment's colours were practical tools for rallying troops in the battle field and not quite something for displaying the unit's past distinctions.

The first Battle Honour was granted to the 15th Hussars for the Battle of Emsdorf in 1760. The Battle of Emsdorf was fought on 14 July 1760 during the Seven Years' War at Emsdorf in present-day Hesse, Germany Thereafter, other Regiments received battle honours for some of their previous engagements.

The earliest battle honour in the British Army, chronologically, is Tangier 1662-80, granted to the 2nd Regiment of Foot, or The Tangier Regiment, the senior English regiment in the Union (after the Royal Scots, the senior Scottish and British Regiment), for their protracted 23-year defence of the Tangier Garrison. The Tangier Regiment served as part of the British Army in the Tangier Garrison from 1662 until its evacution in 1684 The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment, once known as the Royal Regiment of Foot, was the oldest and therefore most senior Infantry Regiment of the line Tangier Garrison was a military installation in Tangier held by the English from 1661 to 6 February 1684 when it returned to being part of The battle honour is still held by the successor regiment, the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment. "PWRR" redirects here For the railroad with these reporting marks see Portland and Western Railroad. [2] During these early years of the British standing army a regiment needed only to engage the enemy with musketry before it was eligible for a battle honour. However, older battle honours are carried on the standards of the Yeomen of the Guard and the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms, neither of which are part of the army, but are instead the Sovereign's Bodyguard, in the personal service of the Sovereign. For the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta see The Yeomen of the Guard The Queen's Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard Her Majesty's Bodyguard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms is a bodyguard to the British Monarch. Sovereign's Bodyguard is the name given to three ceremonial units in the United Kingdom who are tasked with guarding the Sovereign.

The need to develop a centralized system to oversee the selection and granting of battle honours arose in the 19th century following the increase of British military engagements during the expansion of the Empire. The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for over a century was the foremost global power. Thus in 1882, a committee was formed to adjudicate applications of battle honour claims. This committee, later called the Battles Nomenclature Committee, still maintains its function in the British Army today.

Entitlement

A battle honour may be granted to infantry/cavalry regiments or battalions, as well as Royal Navy ships and Royal Air Force squadrons; they are rarely granted to sub-units such as companies, platoons and sections in the army. The Infantry is the oldest and most numerous of the Combat Arms in the Armed forces, and consists The Cavalry (from French cavalerie) is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as Soldiers or Warriors who fought mounted on A regiment is a Military unit, composed of a variable number of Battalions – commanded by a Colonel. A battalion is a Military unit of around 500-1500 men usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) A squadron is a small unit or formation of Cavalry, armour, Aircraft (including Balloons) or Warships Army A company is a Military unit, typically consisting of 75-200 Soldiers Most companies are formed of three to five Platoons although the exact number may vary A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or Squads and containing about 30 to 50 soldiers A section is a small Infantry unit first introduced in the British Army. Battle honours are usually presented in the form of a name of a country, a region or a city where the regiment's distinguished act took place, together with the year when it occurred.

Not every battle fought will automatically result in the granting of a battle honour. Conversely, a regiment or a battalion might obtain more than one battle honour over the course of a larger operation. During the Falklands War in 1982, for instance, the 2nd Battalion of the Scots Guards had played a crucial role in the capturing of Mount Tumbledown (see Battle of Mount Tumbledown). The Falklands War (Guerra de las Malvinas/Guerra del Atlántico Sur also called the Falklands Conflict/Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the The Scots Guards (SG form part of the Guards Division of the British Army, whose origins lie in the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and The Battle of Mount Tumbledown was an engagement in the Falklands War, one of a series of battles that took place during the British advance towards Stanley. As a result, the battalion was awarded two battle honours for the same war, one for a specific action "Tumbledown Mountain" and one for the overall conflict "Falkland Islands 1982. " Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry likewise received an honour for both "Kapyong" and "Korea 1951–1953". Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI is an infantry regiment in the Canadian Forces (CF belonging to 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (1 CMBG

A unit need not have defeated an adversary in order to earn a battle honour. For instance, although the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps were unable to stop the invading Japanese army from capturing Hong Kong in 1941 (see also the Battle of Hong Kong), the unit was nevertheless awarded the battle honour "Hong Kong" for its actions. The Royal Hong Kong Regiment (The Volunteers ( RHKR(V) ( formed in May 1854 was a local auxiliary Militia force funded entirely by the colonial government The, or JSDF, are the military forces in Japan that were established after the end of the post- World War II American occupation of Japan Hong Kong ( officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located on China 's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, and borders The Battle of Hong Kong took place during the Pacific campaign of World War II.

Supporting corps/branches such as medical, service, ordnance, artillery, engineer, or transport do not receive battle honours. Commonwealth artillery does not maintain battle honours as they carry neither colours nor guidons--though their guns by tradition are afforded many of the same respects and courtesies. However, both the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers were in 1832 granted by King William IV the right to use the Latin Ubique, meaning everywhere, as a battle honour. William IV (William Henry 21 August 1765 &ndash 20 June 1837 was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until This is worn on the cap badge of both corps. Likewise the Royal Marines, although a colours-carrying service, was granted, along with the conventional battle honour of "Gibraltar", the "Great Globe itself" by King George IV for its very numerous battle honours around the world. The Royal Marines ( RM) are the marine corps and amphibious Infantry of the United Kingdom and along with the Royal Navy This article details the history of Gibraltar. Prehistoric Evidence of hominid inhabitation of the Rock dates back to the Neanderthals A

The practice was later extended to these same corps in the successor Commonwealth armed forces.

Battle honours for the Second World War

The Battles Nomenclature Committee's responsibility was to advise the operational Army Headquarters staff on matters pertaining to the granting of battle honours.

At the end of the war, the committee submitted a report to the Army Headquarters containing:

A copy of this document was then forwarded to each regiments' honours committee. In Warfare a theater or theatre is defined as a specific geographical area of conduct of armed conflict bordered by areas where no combat is taking place War is an international relations Dispute, characterized by organized Violence between National Military units A military engagement is a Combat between two forces neither larger than a division and not smaller than a company, in which each has an assigned or perceived By army orders a regimental honours committee would comprise at least five officers of the regiment. These officers should include the regiment's past and present commanding officers as well as Honorary Colonel and Lieutenant Colonel. Lieutenant Colonel ( Lieutenant-Colonel in English from the French grade 's spelling is a rank of Commissioned officer in the armies

Upon a review of this list, and based on the actions undertaken by the regiment during the war, the regimental honours committee could then submit an application to the Army Headquarters to claim their corresponding battle honours. In cases where regiments took part in actions which were not listed, the honours committees could also submit additional claims in their applications. Whatever the situation, it was the regimental honour committee's responsibility to submit evidence to prove that the regiment concerned was worthy of the battle honours they claimed.

Once the final approval was granted in Britain, a public announcement would be made. The ceremonial granting of new battle honours would be made in the form of the presentation of new Regimental and Sovereign's Colours to the regiment by the British monarch or an agent of the Crown, such as the Governor General of a commonwealth dominion. The term governor general or governor-general refers to a vice-regal representative of a Monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription

Display

Main article: Regimental colours
Main article: Colours, standards and guidons
The Guidon of the Canadian reserve regiment, the 1st Hussars, showing the regiment's Battle Honours.
The Guidon of the Canadian reserve regiment, the 1st Hussars, showing the regiment's Battle Honours. Regimental Colours is the name for the ceremonial flags bearing the symbol of a military Infantry Regiment. In military organizations the practice of carrying colours standards or Guidons, to act both as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander is thought The 1st Hussars is an armoured Primary Reserve Regiment of the Canadian Forces, currently based in London Ontario and Sarnia Ontario

In British and Commonwealth armies a unit's battle honours can normally be found engraved, painted or embroidered on:

Battle honours are listed in choronological order, either in a single list, or in multiple even numbers of columns, reading left to right, and top to bottom. In military organizations the practice of carrying colours standards or Guidons, to act both as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander is thought In military organizations the practice of carrying colours standards or Guidons, to act both as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander is thought Foot guards is a term used to describe elite Infantry Regiments British Army The Foot Guards are the Infantry Regiments of the The Queen's Truncheon is a ceremonial staff carried by the Royal Gurkha Rifles that serves as the equivalent of and is carried as the Colour. The Royal Gurkha Rifles (RGR is a Regiment of the British Army, forming part of the Brigade of Gurkhas. A pipe band is a musical ensemble consisting of pipers and Drummers The term used by military pipe bands Pipes and Drums, is also common A baldric (also baldrick, bawdrick, bauldrick as well as some other mostly rare or obsolete variations is a belt worn over one Shoulder A Sergeant Major of the Drums or drum major is the leader of a Marching band, Drum and bugle corps, or Pipe band. The ceremonial mace is a highly ornamented staff of metal and wood carried before a sovereign or other high official in civic ceremonies by a Mace-bearer, intended A pipe banner is a decorative flag for the Scottish Highland Bagpipes. On drums, the honours are listed on scrolls, usually with the cap badge central, and other unit devices present (such as a representation of a unit distinction or motto. )

The honours for the First and Second World War were restricted in that only a certain number of honours could be selected for emblazonment - ie appear on colours or drums. This was due to the large number of Battle Honours awarded. It is often the case that battle honours not carried on the colours (limited by space and design) will be emblazoned on drum major's baldric.

Significance

While Regimental colours and guidons are no longer carried on operations in British and Commonwealth military, as was their initial military function, customs the battle honours they carry are held in high esteem by military personnel. Regiments take pride in their battle honours, and the winning of further battle honours, as these are seen to enhance a unit's reputation.

It remains a tradition that whenever military personnel meet a colour or guidon, it must be saluted. This is not only because it is an object which represents the authority of the Crown, but also because the colours contain a regiment's battle honours, and thus represent the regiment's history and its dead. Throughout the Commonwealth realms The Crown is an abstract metonymic concept which represents the legal authority for the existence of any government Saluting a colour or guidon is thus a pivotal act in retaining an awareness of regimental history and traditions--key in the functioning of the regimental system. A regiment is a Military unit, composed of a variable number of Battalions – commanded by a Colonel. It remains common for army instructors to ensure that their recruits have memorized and are able to recite all of their regiment's battle honours. Such methods are meant to bring the new soldier into the regimental ethos and sub-culture by means of imprinting shared history. Ethos (ˈiːθɒs (grc ἦθος ἔθος plurals ethe (ἤθη ethea (ἤθεα is a Greek word originally meaning "accustomed

In some cases where a battle honour was not granted, a special uniform distinction has been substituted. For example soldiers of the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment wear a cap badge on both the front and the rear of their hats. The Royal Gloucestershire Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry was an Infantry Regiment of the British Army. A cap badge, also known as head badge or hat badge, is a badge worn on Uniform headgear and distinguishes the wearer's nationality and/or organisation This so-called "back badge" is unique in the British Army and was awarded to the 28th Regiment of Foot for their actions at the Battle of Alexandria in 1801. The 28th (North Gloucestershire Regiment of Foot was a British infantry regiment from 1782 to 1881. The Egyptian city of Alexandria figured prominently in the military operations of Napoleon 's expedition of 1798. Knowledge of that battle honour, represented by the back badge, is said to have encouraged the soldiers of the Gloucestershire Regiment in the defence of Gloster Hill during the Battle of the Imjin River in April 1951 during the Korean War. The Gloucestershire Regiment was an Infantry Regiment of the British Army. The hill designated Hill 235 during the Korean War is remembered as Gloster Hill because of the actions of the Gloucestershire Regiment (the Glorious For the similarly named battle during the Seven-Year War, see Battle of Imjin River (1592. The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korean and South Korean regimes with major hostilities lasting from June 25 1950 until the [3]

Other uniform distinctions include:

Overseas Awards

Subject to approval by the Sovereign, awards made by other allied nations may be permitted to be worn or carried. For example, several units have been awarded the French Croix de Guerre, the ribbon of which can be worn on the uniform. The Croix de Guerre (sometimes lowercase in French Croix de guerre, meaning "Cross of War" is a military decoration of both France and The US Presidential Unit Citation, as with other similar citations, is similarly worn on the uniform (usually on the arm), but is also carried on the colour or guidon of the unit it has been awarded to. Please see " Presidential Unit Citation " for other nations' versions of this award The Presidential Unit Citation is awarded to units In the Commonwealth, three units are permitted to carry this award on their Regimental Colour:

The 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry and the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment received their awards for their actions at Kapyong during the Korean War. Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI is an infantry regiment in the Canadian Forces (CF belonging to 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (1 CMBG The 3rd Battalion Royal Australian Regiment (3 RAR is an Australian parachute battalion based in Sydney. 6th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment (6 RAR is part of the Australian Army. Although their regiments carry the honour "Kapyong" as a whole, only these specific battalions are permitted to carry the PUC streamer that denotes the award by the United States and wear the ribbon on the uniform. D Company, 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment were awarded their Presidential Unit Citation for their actions during the Battle of Long Tan in the Vietnam War. Although awarded to D Company, it is carried on the 6th Battalion's Colours and worn on the uniform of all members of the battalion.

Battle and theatre honours in India

The battle honours and theatre honours continue to be awarded to the regiments and corps of the Indian Army after independence in 1947. The Indian Army (Bharatiya Thalsena भारतीय थाल्सेना is one of the armed forces of India and has the responsibility for land-based The battle and theatre honours continue to be listed, emblazoned on the President's Colours with battle honour days being celebrated by a few units or regiments. Some battle honours, granted to the units for battles or campaigns in India against the local rulers or nationalist forces, have been declared as 'repugnant' and are not celebrated or held in esteem.

Unusual awards of battle honours

La Martinere College in Lucknow, India is one of two school in the world to be awarded a battle honour by the British Empire. La Martinière College is a premiere educational institution located in Lucknow, the capital of the Indian State of Uttar Pradesh. La Martiniere for the role played by its students and faculty during the mutiny of 1857. [7] and McGill University in Canada for their contingents bravery at Arras in 1917 during the First World War. WikipediaHow to fix bunched-up edit links --> WikipediaHow World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All [8]

References

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ^ Battle Honours, website of the Ministry of Defence
  2. ^ British and Imperial Battle Honours
  3. ^ The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment: History
  4. ^ Dancocks, Daniel G. The Ministry of Defence ( MoD) is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters Gallant Canadians: The Story of the 10th Canadian Infantry Battalion. (Calgary Highlanders Regimental Funds Foundation, Calgary, AB) Appendix A. See also canadiansoldiers.com article
  5. ^ 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
  6. ^ United States Distinguished Unit Citation to D Company, Sixth Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment
  7. ^ Deefholts, Margaret. 'History's ghosts in Old Lucknow'
  8. ^ McGill University at regiments.org
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