Last modified: 2005-04-02 by jonathan dixon
Keywords: australia | stars: southern cross | royal western australia regiment 28th batallion | queens colours | guidon |
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For the most part, Australian military colors parallel the British usage.
Joe McMillan, 25 Jan 2002
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The Queen's Colour for infantry regiments is the Australian national flag, 36 x 45 inches, with a
red circlet on the center of the Union in the canton, inscribed around the
rim with the regimental name and with its number or initials in the center,
all in gold. Battle honors are inscribed in black letters on yellow scrolls
arrayed near the bottom edge of the flag..
Joe McMillan, 25 Jan 2002
Most infantry regiments are still using the old Union Jack model; when they
are worn out they will be replaced by the new version.
Miles Li, 25 Jan 2002
2. Regimental Colour. The regiment's facing color, 36 x 45 inches, with
the regimental badge in the center, surrounded by a wreath of wattle, and
the battle honors in black letters on yellow scrolls.
Joe McMillan, 25 Jan 2002
'Royal' Regiments use royal blue facing; other regiments (University
regiments and regional force) use green.
Miles Li, 25 Jan 2002
Regimental Colours follow the same rules as the British, with a wreath of wattle leaves substituting for the Union Wreath (roses, thistles and shamrocks).
T.F. Mills, 24 Apr 1999
According to Joe McMillan's notes, Australian rifle regiments, unlike most British-origin rifle
units, do have colours, but Miles Li points out that there are no such regiments left in Australia.
25 Jan 2002
In British usage, these flags have 2-inch fringe, of mixed gold
and crimson thread in the case of the Queen's Colour and mixed gold and
facing-color thread for the regimental. This is the same in the Australian case.
Joe McMillan and Miles Li , 25 Jan 2002
Cavalry Regiments carry a guidon, almost identical to that used by British
cavalry. Crimson silk, 27 x 41 inches, curving to the fly and with a
swallowtail. The fringe is gold and the cord and tassels of gold crimson.
The regimental badge appears in the center of a gold-edged red circlet
inscribed with the name of the unit in gold, surrounded by a wreath of
wattle in gold, and ensigned with the royal crown. In the upper hoist is
the regimental number (as a Roman numeral) in gold. Battle honors are
arrayed in vertical rows of small gold scrolls on either side of the badge.
The regimental motto appears in gold on a gold-edged crimson scroll below
the wreath. The finial is the crest of England (a lion statant guardant
royally crowned, standing upon a crown, all cast in gilt brass.
Joe McMillan, 25 Jan 2002
The other difference [from British guidons] is that cavalry regiments descended from those
regiments of Light Horse which served in the First World War bear a
small representation of the original unit's flash (cloth arm patch)
below the motto. That of the 10th Light Horse, for example, is divided
diagonally top left - bottom right, black over yellow.
Ian Sumner, 25 Jan 2002
Are there any Australian cavalry units that carry standards
(rectangular) rather than guidons (rounded swallowtail)? In the UK,
Household Cavalry and units designated "dragoon guards" get
standards, other cavalry have guidons. Same in Canada (Governor
General's Horse Guards have standard, others guidons). I don't know
of any equivalent regiment in the Australian Army, but in the Indian
Army there are regiments other than the President's Body Guard that
are authorized standards--as I understand it, those that were
considered "heavy" cavalry in the era of horse cavalry, plus some
that have been upgraded from guidon to standard for distinguished
service.
Joe McMillan, 25 Jan 2002
All calvalry units in the Australian Army have always been light cavalry
(or, as we like to call them, 'Light Horse'), therefore there has never been
any standard-carrying unit in the Army.
Miles Li, 26 Jan 2002
My previous claim that Australian cavalry regiments
all used guidons is wrong - at least one particular regiment uses a standard,
although it did use a guidon in the past. See the standard of the 1st Armoured Regiment standard at http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-flags/standards.htm
Miles Li, 22 Sep 2004
![[Royal Western Australia Infantry Regiment, 28th Battalion]](../images/a/au^28.gif)
by T.F. Mills
The example is the 28th Battalion of The Royal Western Australia Regiment. Since 1960 the Reserves consist of one infantry regiment in each State, with a varying number of battalions. The battalions perpetuate old numbered battalions which fought in two world wars. The Queen's Colour uses the UJ in the canton as an almost identical replica of the British Queen's Colour. A gold-edged circle fills the center of the St. George Cross. Inside the circle is the regiment's name. Enclosed in the circle is the battalion number. Normally the battalion number is in Roman numerals, but XXVIII would not fit aesthetically so it is rendered in arabic numerals. The Regimental Colour, on the other hand, has the Roman numeral in the canton. The circle is surmounted by a Crown. The Regimental Colour contains eleven battle honour scrolls (South Africa, and ten selected honours from WWI). The Queen's Colour contains ten selected battle honour scrolls from WWII. These are arranged at the bottom of the flag where they interfere the least with the stars and balance the UJ in the canton.
The flag should be fringed.
T.F. Mills, 24 Apr 1999
The custom of presenting banners to Australian army units started with the presentation of twenty King's banners in 1904 for service in the Boer War. The banners were presented by King Edward VII to 18 Light Horse regiments, RAA and the Australian Army Medical Corps. A further 23 were presented to infantry units in 1911. It was stipulated that the banners presented to the non-infantry units were not King's colours but
"...honourable insignia presented (by King Edward VII) as a special mark of favour in recognition of valuable services rendered in South Africa during the 1899-1902 war and that honorary distinctions are not to be borne on the banners."There are currently three types of banners within the Australian Army:
I believe that when David Cohen quoted that banners of a military unit, in regards to different types, are accorded high respect and compliment, he meant that they are treated with similar care, and saluted duly whilst being paraded.
They are not, however, accorded the same level of respect. A Queen's Colour belongs to an operational unit and is often won in battle, and thus accorded for great bravery or service. A Governor General's Banner is the domain of a Support Unit, awarded for great service or efficiency. This banner was created so that support units might have some form of lesser equivalent to aspire to. Therefore the Queen's Colour is accorded higher respects than that of a Governor General's Banner.
A.J.P. Scanlon, 13 Feb 2000
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Earlier today (March 10) a ceremony was held in Canberra to mark to centenary of the Australian army. The colours, guidons and banners of every unit of the Army took part - the first time since the Queen's silver jubilee almost 25 years ago. The highlight of the day was the presentation of a banner to the Army by the Governor-General. The banner is scarlet, with gold fringes, cords and tassels. The obverse of the banner bears the coat-of-arms of Australia. The reverse bears the 'rising sun' badge of the Australian Army, flanked by several battle honours commemorating every major conflict the Army has involved in for the last 100 years (example: World War I). This was the first time a ceremonial banner truly representive of the Army as a whole was presented to the Army.
Miles Li, 10 March 2001
I would guess that it's just a one-off ceremonial item, not intended to replace any of the forces' flags, or the tri-service flag.
David Cohen, 10 March 2001
This flag is officially simply called the Army Banner, and several photos of it (obverse only, showing the coat-of-arms, not the
reverse with the 'rising sun' badge) can be found in the photo gallery of
the official Australian Army website
Miles Li, 7 May 2001
The Times (London) has in today's edition (Saturday 24 May 2003) a photo of an Australian soldier in Iraq during a ceremony in Baghdad to mark the re-opening of the Australian diplomatic mission.
The flag on his shoulder is a very light shade of blue:
Andrê Coutanche, 24 May 2003
Several people suggested possible reasons. Christopher Southworth and Miles Li point out that it is probably deliberate, since using the blue in the union jack is normal dark blue, so it is not due to fading, and using twoshades of blue would be more expensive. Ralph Kelly suggests that the lighter shade of blue is for camouflage reasons, and Christopher Southworth confirms that the lighter blue seems to be less visible against sand. However, Joe McMillan asks why, if that were the reason, do the colours in the canton have their normal shades? Al Kirsch wonders whether it may be an Air Force Ensign, with the roundel missing possbily because the patch is too small.
FOTW Discussion, 26 May 2003