WAIKATO REGIMENT

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXX, Issue 4845, 14 May 1936, Page 5

WAIKATO REGIMENT

PRESENTATION OF COLOURS. On Sunday afternoon, the 24th inst., the Waikato Regiment with full ceremonial will receive its new colours which will be presented by His Excellency the Governor-General, Lord Galway. As Te Kuiti is an important training centre of the Regiment, and as a number of local residents and ex-members of the Regiment intend visiting Hamilton to witness the'ceremony, the following brief summary of the procedure will no doubt be of interest. The Regiment organised as four Guards with band and drums leading, will move along the inspection line and halt in line facing the saluting base. The old colours will be carried uncased by the colour party between Nos. 2 and 3 Guards. The new colours will be carried cased by two sergeants in the rear of the battalion. On the arrival of His Excellency, he will be received by a Royal Salute. The old colours will then be trooped with full military ceremonial and then marched to the rear of the battalion to the tune of "Auld Lang Syne" and cased. Consecration and Presentation of New Colours. The battalion then forms a hollow square. The drums are piled in a diamond formation. The new colours are encased and placed on top of the drums. The new colours will then be consecrated by Archbishop Averill and presented to the Regiment by His Excellency the Governor-Gen-eral. The battalion then reforms line, the new colours being marched to their correct position to the tune of the National Anthem. The battalion with its new colours then marches past His Excellency and advances in review order. The whole ceremony takes approximately 2£ hours. Rehearsal at Te Kuiti Next Sunday. The major portion of the ceremony connected with the trooping of the old colours is performed by No. 1 Guard. This Guard, assisted by the full Regimental Band, will hold a rehearsal on the Te Kuiti Domain commencing at 2.30 p.m. on Sunday next, the 17th inst., when the full ceremony of the trooping of the old colours will be carried out. The general public are cordially invited to attend and witness this rehearsal. At the conclusion of the parade the Band will play a few items. As the Regimental Band will be journeying from Hamilton for the purpose of the rehearsal, a silver collection will be taken up to defray the expenses.