TROOPING THE COLOUR

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 11 August 1928, Page 11

TROOPING THE COLOUR

/"CONTRARY to popular ’belief, the ceremony of Trooping the Colour did not have its origin in the guard mounting parade, although these two ceremonies are now closely connected, writes a correspondent of the London “oaily Telegraph.” Colours were “trooped” for o.er a century before the trooping ceremony was made a part of guard mounting formalities; in fact, they were always trooped when taken to or .rom the ensign s quarters or .ougnigs, or', in seventeenth-century language, when they were “lodged and dislodged,” .or any purpose whatever. The great reverence with which colours were regarded in the seventeenth rent..ry (.and no less now) would naturally call for some ceremonious procedure when they were brought on parade and taken oit again. Historically, this procedure was known as Lodging the colour.

'lhe earliest .printed reference on the subject is found ini Markham’s ' 'l< ive Decades of Epistles of Wirre,” pubish -il in iG22, wherein he states, regarding the ‘•Offi-e of the Ensign©” : "‘He shall never lodge or dislodge them (i.e., the colours) but with a. guard.” Here the expression “guard” reters to ••an escort,’ and not to guard mounting.” ft is not until we come to 1672 that some details regarding the ceremony are given; they are to be found in Thomas Venn’s “Military Observations or Tacticks.” In the chapter, “ilie Dignities of the Ensigne,” he states : “The ensigne hath this Dignitie to have a Guard ever about it, which no officer hath, neither is it to be lodged or unlodged, without a special guard attending upon it both of Musquetteei s and Pikes.” He then proceeds to describe in detail the formalities ‘to be observed in lodging the colour. Briefly, in modern language, these were: The captain placed himself at the head of the guard, immediately in front of the colourhearer, anil marched to the ensign’s quarters; on arrival the troops formed | Jinefi mu.squetteens in front, pikes be-

ORIGIN OF FAMOUS CEREMONY

hind; the ensign, with his colour furlfed, Lowed to the captain and entered his lodgings; as he did so the drums beat and the musquetteers fired a volley; Ihe whole then dismissed. It is not until 175-3 that lodging the colour becomes closely connected with guard mounting. The ceremony seems to have impressed the Duke of Cumberland, clien Oommander-in-Chiec of the Army, who ordered it to be performed when a guard mounted with a colour. His order ran: “If there be a guard which mounts with colours the captain is then to send for them in iorm. The details of the “form” follow, and closely resemble those of 1672, modernised, of course. In these orders it is definitely stated that the ‘‘Drummers will beat a Troop.” Lieut-General Humphrey Eland, in his “Treatise on Military Discipline',” published in 1762, gives the minutest details for Trooping the Colour and for the first time it is stated that the “Lompany of Grenadiers is to furnish the Guard of Escort.’ 'there are no grenadier companies in line regiments to-day, but the historic connection is maintained, in that the band which accompanies the escort plays the “British Grenadiers” march. The Duke of Cumberland’s orders ot 1755 formed the basis of the earliest General Orders, i.e., those of 1799, in which Bland’s rules lor Trooping the Colour were embodied. The Regulations for 1804 and 1811 were almost identical with those of 1799, and, in fact, time has made little change in the original procedure, except to modernise the details to conform with the drill of the period. Venn’-s rules of 1672 can be found in InianVy Training, 1926. The emblem of the regiment, symbolic. of its spirit, is still accorded the same honour as in former days. The Colour trooped on 4th June last was the King’s Colour of the Welsh Guards, the second King’s Colour to be issued "to the regiment. It was presented by the King at Windsor Castle on 23rd June, 1925.