Battle honour
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A battle honour is a military tradition practiced in the Commonwealth countries of the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand and is an official acknowledgement rewarded to military units for their achievements in specific wars or operations of a military campaign.
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. It is comparable to a unit citation in other national traditions.
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[edit] The origin of battle honours
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. 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 oldest battle honour, 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 battle honour is still held by the successor regiment of the 2nd Regiment of Foot, the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment [1]. During these early years of a British standing army, however, a regiment needed only to engage the enemy with musketry before it was eligible for a battle honour.
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 British Empire. Thus in 1882, a committee was formed to adjudicate applications of battle honour claims. This committee, later called the Battles Nomenclature Committee in the Second World War, still maintains its functions in the British Army today.
[edit] Entitlement
A battle honour may be granted to infantry/cavalry regiments or battalions, but with the exception of Royal Navy ships and Royal Air Force squadrons, they are rarely granted to sub-units such as companies, platoons and sections in the 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). 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." The Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry likewise received an honour for both "Kapyong" and "Korea 1951-1953".
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.
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. This is worn on the cap badge of both corps. The practice was later extended to these same corps in the successor Commonwealth armed forces.
[edit] The granting of battle honours in the Second World War
A special committee known as the Battles Nomenclature Committee was formed in Britain during the Second World War, composed of military representatives from all Commonwealth nations. The committee's responsibility was to advise the Army Headquarters 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:
- The definitions of war theatre, battle, action and engagement
- A detail list of all theatres, battles, actions and engagements throughout the entire war for which regiments could be granted battle honours
A copy of this document was then forwarded to each regiments' honours committee. By army orders a regimental honours committee woukd 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.
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 proove 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.
[edit] Display
In British and Commonwealth armies a unit's battle honours can normally be found engraved, painted or embroidered on:
- The Queen's Colour or King's Colour (in regiments of Foot Guards)
- The Regimental Colour (for infantry units) or the Regimental Guidon (for cavalry regiments)
- The Queen's Truncheon of the Royal Gurkha Rifles
- Drums of the regimental band and/or pipes and drums
- The baldric worn by the Drum Major of the regimental band/pipes and drums
- The Drum Major's mace
- A regimental pipes and drums' pipe banners
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. 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.
[edit] The Significance of Battle Honours
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. 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. 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-cultural by means of imprinting shared history.
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. 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. 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.[1]
Other uniform distinctions include:
- Oakleaf Shoulder Badge (The Calgary Highlanders, The Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary's) and The Winnipeg Light Infantry), awarded for "Kitcheners' Wood" in April 1915. No battle honour had been granted and the units petitioned for a special badge.[2]
- Sphinx: Several British regiments have a sphinx on their regimental colour as well as cap badges and belt buckles to commemorate service in Egypt, specifically the Battle of Alexandria in 1801.
- Eagle: The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards have an eagle on their cap badge to commemorate the capture of a French Imperial Eagle at Waterloo by the Royal Scots Greys.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Dancocks, Daniel G. Gallant Canadians: The Story of the 10th Canadian Infantry Battalion. (Calgary Highlanders Regimental Funds Foundation, Calgary, AB) Appendix A. See also canadiansoldiers.com article
- A list of British, Imperial and Commonwealth battlehonours at [2]
