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Battle honour

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This article is about a military award in British tradition. For the American equivalent, seeCampaign streamer.
Theregimental coloursof the5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards,displaying the battle honours awarded to the regiment.

Abattle honouris an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle oroperationon its flags ( "colours" ), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible.

In European military tradition, military units may be acknowledged for their achievements in specific wars or operations of amilitary campaign.In Great Britain and those countries of the Commonwealth which share a common military legacy with the British, battle honours are awarded to selected military units as official acknowledgement for their achievements in specific wars or operations of a military campaign. These honours usually take the form of a place and a date (e.g. "Cambrai 1917").

Theatre honours,a type of recognition in the British tradition closely allied to battle honours, were introduced to honour units which provided sterling service in a campaign but were not part of specific battles for which separate battle honours were awarded. Theatre honours could be listed and displayed on regimental property but not emblazoned on the colours.

Since battle honours are primarily emblazoned on colours, artillery units, which do not have colours in the British military tradition, were awardedhonour titlesinstead. These honour titles were permitted to be used as part of their official nomenclature, for example13 Field Regiment (Chushul).

Similar honours in the same tenor includeunit citations.

Battle honours, theatre honours, honour titles and their ilk form a part of the wider variety of distinctions which serve to distinguish military units from each other.

In the British military tradition

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Origins

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For theBritish Army,the need to adopt a system to recognise military units' battlefield accomplishments was apparent since its formation as astanding armyin 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 authorised to bear battle honours on theircolours.Before then, a regiment's colours were practical tools for rallying troops in the battlefield and not quite something for displaying the unit's past distinctions.

The first battle honour to be awarded in the British Army was granted to the15th Hussarsfor theBattle of Emsdorfin 1760. Thereafter, other regiments received battle honours for some of their previous engagements.

The earliest battle honour in the British Army is Tangier 1662–80, granted to the Tangier Horse (later known as the 1st Royal Dragoons), the oldest line cavalry regiment of the British army, who in 1969 amalgamated with the Royal Horse Guards to become The Blues and Royals. Also awarded the honour was the 2nd Regiment of Foot, or the Tangier Regiment now The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, the senior English regiment in the Union (after theRoyal Scots,the senior Scottish and British Regiment), for their protracted 23-year defence of theColony of Tangier.The battle honour is still held by the successor regiment, thePrincess of Wales's Royal Regiment.[1]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 theYeomen of the Guardand theHonourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms,neither of which are part of the army, but are instead theSovereign's Bodyguard,in the personal service of the sovereign.

The need to develop a centralised 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 theEmpire.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

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A battle honour may be granted toinfantry/cavalryregimentsorbattalions,as well as ships (seeNaval battle honoursbelow) andsquadrons;they are rarely granted to sub-units such ascompanies,platoonsandsectionsin the army. Battle honours are usually presented in the form of a name of a country, region, or city where the unit's distinguished act took place, usually 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. For example, the 2nd Battalion of theScots Guardswere awarded two battle honours for their role in theFalklands War;"Tumbledown Mountain" specifically for theBattle of Mount Tumbledown,and "Falkland Islands 1982" for the overall conflict. Similarly, while in Korea,Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantryearned both "Kapyong" (for theBattle of Kapyong) and "Korea 1951–1953" (for the overall war). Victory is not required to earn a battle honour: theHong Kong Volunteer Defence Corpsreceived the battle honour "Hong Kong" despite the defeat and capture of most of the force during theJapanese invasion of Hong Kong,while the cruiserHMASSydneywas awarded thenaval engagement honour"Kormoran1941 "after beingsunk with all aboardby the German raiderKormoran.

Supporting corps/branches such as medical, service, ordnance, or transport do not currently receive battle honours. However, and uniquely theRoyal Logistic Corpshas five battle honours inherited from its previous transport elements, such asthe Royal Waggon Train.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 theRoyal ArtilleryandRoyal Engineerswere in 1832 granted byKing William IVthe right to use the Latin "Ubique",meaningeverywhere,as a battle honour. This is worn on the cap badge of both the Corps of Royal Engineers and the Royal Regiment of Artillery (but not theRoyal Horse Artillery). Likewise theRoyal Marines,although a colours-carrying service, was granted, along with the conventional battle honour of"Gibraltar",the "Great Globe itself" byKing George IVfor its very numerous battle honours around the world.

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

Battle honours for the Second World War

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The Battles Nomenclature Committee advised operational Army Headquarters on the granting of battle honours. At the end of the war, the army received a report from the committee containing:

  • The definitions ofwar theatre,battle,actionandengagement
  • A detailed list of all theatres, battles, actions and engagements throughout the entire war for which regiments could be granted battle honours

The army ordered regiments to form honours committees comprising at least five regimental officers, including past and present commanding officers, and the honorary colonel andlieutenant colonel.The regimental committee reviewed the report to determine which battle honours were claimable based on the unit's wartime service. The regiment submitted an application of claims to the army with evidence showing that the unit was worthy of the battle honours. Claims could also be made for actions not listed in the report. In Britain, public announcements followed the final approval of claims. 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 theGovernor Generalof a commonwealth dominion.

Display

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Main articles:Military colours, standards and guidonsandPresentation of Colours

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

As there is noorder of precedencefor battle honours, they are listed in chronological order,[2]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 Wars were restricted in that only a certain number of honours (up to ten each for the First and Second World Wars) could be selected foremblazonment,that is 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 the drum major's baldric.

Significance

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While regimental colours and guidons are no longer carried on operations by British and Commonwealth military, as was their initial military function, 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 ofthe Crown,but also because the colours contain a regiment's battle honours, and thus represent the regiment's history and its deeds. Saluting a colour or guidon is thus a pivotal act in retaining an awareness of regimental history and traditions—key in the functioning of theregimental system.It remains common for army instructors to ensure that their recruits have memorised and are able to recite all of their regiment's battle honours. Such methods are meant to bring the new soldier into the regimentalethosand sub-culture by means of imprinting shared history.

In some cases where a battle honour was not granted, a special distinction has been substituted. For example, soldiers ofThe Rifleswear acap badgeon both the front and the rear of their hats. This so-called "back badge" is unique in the British Army and was awarded to the28th Regiment of Footfor their actions at theBattle of Alexandriain 1801. Knowledge of that battle honour, represented by the back badge, is said to have encouraged the soldiers of theGloucestershire Regimentin the defence ofGloster Hillduring theBattle of the Imjin Riverin April 1951 during theKorean War.[3]

Other uniform distinctions include:

Overseas awards to British military units

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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 FrenchCroix de guerre 1914–1918andCroix de guerre 1939–1945,the ribbon of which can be worn on the uniform. The United StatesPresidential 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. 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 theBattle of Kapyongduring the Korean War. 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 theBattle of Long Tanin 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. The PUC was awarded to the 1st Battalion,Gloucestershire Regimentfor its actions at theBattle of Imjin Riverin 1951, with the tradition continued by its successor, theRoyal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment,until its amalgamation intoThe Rifles.

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A carved board displaying the battle honours carried by the cruiserHMASHobart.The battle honours (and the campaigns they were earned for) are:
• MEDITERRANEAN 1941 (Battle of the Mediterranean)
• SAVO ISLAND 1942 (Battle of Savo Island)
• PACIFIC 1945 (Pacific War)
• GUADALCANAL 1942-3 (Guadalcanal Campaign)
• CORAL SEA 1942 (Battle of the Coral Sea)

Naval battle honoursare battle honours awarded to warships. There are two types of naval battle honours: those awarded to ships that participate in a battle or campaign, or those forsingle-ship actions.[7]Honours for battles take their name from the location of the battle, while honours for actions are named for the opposing ship.[7]These are rendered differently, in order to distinguish between the two types and to limit confusion between battle honours with the same name (for example, between the multi-shipBattle of the Chesapeakein 1781, and thecapture of USSChesapeakeby HMSShannonin 1813).[7]In older sources and on battle honour boards, battles are written in all capitals, while actions are capitalised normally and surrounded by single quotation marks (CHESAPEAKE 1781 and 'Chesapeake' 1813).[7]Newer sources display battles with normal capitalisation, and italicise actions in the same way ships' names are italicised; both may or may not be contained in double quotation marks ( "Chesapeake 1781" and "Chesapeake1813 "). The battle honours awarded to a ship are inherited by all subsequent warships of the same name.[8]

Battle honours for Commonwealth warships were initially awarded and controlled by theBritish Admiralty,under the "Commonwealth Battle Honours List".[2]Warships of Commonwealth navies would also inherit the honours of any preceding British warship of the name.[2][9]Commonwealth navies later moved to independent but parallel systems. Australia began moving away by instituting a battle honour for the ships that served in the Vietnam War, then moved to a completely independent system before 1993, to avoidHMASNewcastleinheriting the battle honours of theBritishNewcastles.[9]TheRoyal Canadian Navybegan displaying battle honours in the 1950s, but after theUnification of the Canadian Forcesin 1968, new units entering service would only carry those honours earned by Canadian ships.[2]

The earliest recorded naval battle honour is ARMADA 1588, the defeat of theSpanish Armadaat Gravelines by a combined British-Dutch fleet.[7]Because of the significant number of ships sunk duringWorld War IandWorld War II,only three battle honours have been awarded for single-ship actions since the start of the 20th century: to theTown-classcruiserHMASSydneyfor sinking the German light cruiserSMSEmdenduring theBattle of Cocosin November 1914 ('Emden' 1914), to the Commonwealth warships involved in thepursuit and last battleof theGerman battleshipBismarckin May 1941 ('Bismarck' 1941), and to theLeander-classcruiserHMASSydneyfor themutually destructive engagementwith theGerman auxiliary cruiserKormoranin November 1941 ('Kormoran' 1941).[7]

Battle honour board

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As warships do not carryregimental colours,battle honours are instead displayed on a battle honour board.[7]This is usually a solid wooden board (traditionallyteak) mounted on the ship's superstructure, carved with theship's badgeand scrolls naming the ship and the associated honours, and either left completely unpainted, or with the lettering painted gold.[9]The size of the board and number of scrolls is dependent on the number of honours earned by a ship and her predecessors, although it is common for blank scrolls to be included in a design.[9]Other designs are also in use: these include plaques for the ship and honours mounted on a backing board, or the details painted onto a flat board.

TheBritish Admiraltyset honour board sizes for various types of ship: 10 by 6 feet (3.0 by 1.8 m) for capital ships and shore bases, 6 by 5 feet (1.8 by 1.5 m) for cruisers and large auxiliary ships, 4 by 3 feet (1.22 by 0.91 m) for all other surface ships, and 21 by 17 inches (53 by 43 cm) for submarines (the size restriction is so the board can be moved through the submarine's hatches, as it is only displayed when the submarine is on the surface).[9]

Unusual awards of battle honours

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Two educational institutions have been awarded battle honours.La Martinere CollegeinLucknow,India was awarded a battle honour,Defence of Lucknow 1857,[10]for the role played by its students and teachers during the mutiny of 1857.[11]McGill Universityin Canada received the award for their contingent's bravery atArrasin 1917 during theFirst World War.[12]

TheRoyal Canadian Mounted Police,although a civilian police force, was awarded the status of adragoonregiment byKing George Vfollowing the service of many of its members during theFirst World War.As a consequence, it then became entitled to display the many honours it had won dating back to 1885:[13]

In addition, the RCMP received the honorary distinction of the badge of theCanadian Provost Corps,in recognition of the fact that the first Canadian military police unit was formed from volunteers from the RCMP.

The Army Post Office Corps (APOC) was the first British Volunteer unit to be awarded a battle honour for their participation in the1882 Anglo-Egyptian War.The honour (Egypt 1882) was displayed on the regimental flag of 24 Middlesex Rifle Volunteer Corps (Post Office Rifles).

The only cadet unit to receive a battle honour is 1st Cadet Battalion,King's Royal Rifle Corps(KRRC). Around 100 older cadets, principally non-commissioned officers, served in theSouth African Warwith the KRRC, the City Imperial Volunteers and theRoyal Army Medical Corps(RAMC). Four cadets were killed in action.[14]In recognition of this service, King Edward VII granted the battalion the Battle Honour "South Africa 1900-1902".[15]They are permitted to wear a miniature KRRC cap badge with this single battle honour, and call their members "riflemen"rather than cadets.

France

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Flag of1st Marine Infantry Regiment.The regiment has been awarded fifteen battle honours.

In France, Battle honours, known officially asinscriptions des noms de batailles au drapeau,were created during theWars of the French Revolution.The first honour such awarded isValmy, 1792,the last one to date isKoweït, 1991.The honours are sewn in gold letters on the regiment's flag or standard under the formbattle name, date(such asAusterlitz, 1805). In some cases, the honour refers to a whole conflict and take the formgeographical designation, date(such asAFN, 1952–1962) or simplywar, date(such asGrande guerre, 1914–1918). Some military schools and academies have their motto sewn on their flags as a battle honour, such asÉcole polytechnique'sPour la Patrie, les sciences et la gloire('for Fatherland, sciences and glory') in addition to the "true" battle honourParis, 1814.[16]

During the 19th century, honours were limited to eight on a regiment's flag, leading to the removal of some honours to make room for newer ones. This limitation was upped to twelve honours after the Second World War. Some units, such as the2nd Marine Infantry Regiment,have been awarded more than twelve honours, but their flag displays only the twelve considered the most important in the history of the regiment. Other units, such as the1st Marine Infantry Regiment,have been granted a dispensation allowing them to emblazon all their battle honours, regardless of their number.[16]

In addition to battle honours, military units can be awarded collective military decorations and collectivementions-in-dispatches,leading eventually to thefourragèreaward.

Battle and theatre honours in India

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Main articles:Battle and theatre honours of the Indian ArmyandRepugnant battle honours of the Indian Army

Prior toindependence,battle honours were awarded toBritish Indian Armyas part of the British military tradition. Awards prior to the takeover of thePresidency Armiesby the Crown in 1858 were done by theGovernor General in Indiaor the respective Presidency government that the units belonged to.

The practice of awardingbattle honours and theatre honours to theIndian Armycontinued after independence in 1947 and these honours continue to be listed against a regiment's achievements. Battle honours, but not theatre honours, are permitted to be emblazoned on thePresident's Colours,which have replaced the King's colours after independence.

Battle honour days are celebrated by a few units or regiments. Present battle honour days however pertain to battles for which honours have been won post-independence.

Some battle honours, granted prior to independence to 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.[10]

The earliest battle to be commemorated in the history of theBritish Indian ArmywasPlasseyin 1757 which was awarded in 1829 vide Gazette of the Governor General No 43.

La Martinièreis the only school in the world to have been awarded royal battle honours for its role in the defence ofLucknowduring theMutiny of 1857.In the honour of this institution, ThePresident of Indiaalso launched a stamp post in its name.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^"Chronological Index of British and Imperial Battle Honours to 1945".Regiments.org. 5 December 2005. Archived fromthe originalon 24 January 2008.Retrieved8 December2013.
  2. ^abcd"DHH Volume 2, Part 1: Extant Commissioned Ships".Official Lineages.Directorate of History and Heritage, Canadian Forces. 7 July 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 1 February 2014.Retrieved8 January2014.
  3. ^"The History: The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment".British Army. Archived fromthe originalon 9 January 2007.Retrieved8 December2013.
  4. ^Dancocks, Daniel G. "Appendix A".Gallant Canadians: The Story of the 10th Canadian Infantry Battalion.Calgary, Alberta: Calgary Highlanders Regimental Funds Foundation.
  5. ^"2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry".1 May 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 2 April 2010.
  6. ^"United States Distinguished Unit Citation to D Company, Sixth Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment".Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia.
  7. ^abcdefgCassells,The Destroyers,p. 233
  8. ^Cassells,The Destroyers,p. 1
  9. ^abcdeCassells,The Destroyers,pp. 233–4
  10. ^abSingh, Sarbans (1993)Battle Honours of the Indian Army 1757 – 1971.Vision Books (New Delhi)ISBN81-7094-115-6
  11. ^Deefholts, Margaret."History's ghosts in Old Lucknow".Retrieved8 December2013.
  12. ^"McGill University Contingent, CEF".Regiments.org. Archived fromthe originalon 21 December 2007.Retrieved8 December2013.
  13. ^Office of the Secretary to the Governor General."Royal Canadian Mounted Police".The Governor General of Canada.Retrieved2023-05-30.
  14. ^Wallace, Lt.-Gen. Sir Christopher (2005). "Appendix D: Territorials, Militia and Cadets".The King's Royal Rifle Corps... the 60th Rifles - A Brief History: 1755 to 1965.Winchester: Royal Green Jackets Museum Trust. pp. 235–236.
  15. ^Army Order AO 151 of 1905
  16. ^ab(in French)DÉCISION N° 12350/SGA/DMPA/SHD/DAT relative aux inscriptions de noms de batailles sur les drapeaux et étendards des corps de troupe de l'armée de terre, du service de santé des armées et du service des essences des armées

References

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  • Cassells, Vic (2000).The Destroyers: their battles and their badges.East Roseville, NSW: Simon & Schuster.ISBN0-7318-0893-2.OCLC46829686.
  • Cook, Hugh. 1987.The Battle Honours of the British and Indian Armies, 1662–1982,Leo Cooper.ISBN0-85052-082-7
  • Rodger, Alexander. 2003Battle Honours of the British Empire and Commonwealth Land Forces 1662–1991,The Crowood Press.ISBN1-86126-637-5
  • Singh, SarbansBattle Honours of the Indian Army 1757 – 1971.(1993) Vision Books (New Delhi)ISBN81-7094-115-6
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