COLOURS

:''This article discusses military ceremony and regalia. For other uses, see Color (disambiguation).

Contents

Ceremonies

Royal Navy

Procedure

United States Navy

Yacht Clubs

Flags

References

Ceremonies

Royal Navy

The British Royal Navy and other navies of the Commonwealth of Nations call the flag-raising ceremony that happens every morning when a ship is in harbour 'Colours'. Colours is conducted at 0800 (eight bells in the morning watch) from 15 February to 31 October inclusive, and at 0900 (two bells in the forenoon watch) during the winter.
When sunset is at or before 2100, flags are lowered at sunset at the ceremony of 'Sunset'. When sunset is after 2100, the evening flag lowering ceremony is called 'Evening Colours' and carried out at 2100.

Procedure

The general procedure for Colours in the Royal Navy is as follows. Note that in most ships Colours and Evening Colours/Sunset are usually conducted without a bugler, band or guard, except on special occasions.

★ Five minutes before Colours the controlling authority hoists the PREP and other ships repeat. The rating manning the ensign salutes and reports "Five minutes to Colours, sir" to the Officer of the Day.

★ Although this is not provided for in BR1834, one minute before Colours, the PREP is commonly moved up and down two to three times, and the rating on the ensign staff salutes and reports "One minute to Colours" to the Officer of the Day. Around this time, the Officer of the Day brings the Colour Party to attention. If a guard is present, the guard commander brings it to attention and orders "Slope arms".

★ At Colours the controlling authority dips the PREP halfway, and the rating on the ensign staff salutes and reports "Eight (or nine) o'clock, sir" (this is the report stipulated by BR1834, but the report is more commonly simply "Colours, sir"). The Officer of the Day orders "Make it so" and the bell is struck eight times (if at 0800), or twice (if at 0900).

★ The Officer of the Day orders the "Alert" to be sounded (or the "Still" to be piped, if no bugler is present). If a guard is present, the guard commander orders "General salute – present arms". The upper deck broadcasts "Attention on the upper deck, face aft and salute – Colours".

★ The ensign and jack are then hoisted in silence, or to the "General Salute" (if a bugler is present) or the National Anthem (if a band is present).

★ On completion, if a guard is present, the guard commander orders "Slope arms". The Officer of the Day in the controlling authority orders the 'Carry on' to be sounded/piped and the PREP is hauled down. In other ships, the PREP is hauled down in conformity, and the rating on the ensign staff reports "PREP hauled down, sir", and the Officer of the Day then orders the "Carry On" to be sounded/piped. The upper deck broadcasts "Carry on".

★ If a guard is present, the guard commander marches it off. The Officer of the Day then dismisses the Colour Party.
The general procedure for Evening Colours/Sunset is the same as for Colours (with the replacement of "Evening Colours/Sunset" for "Colours" or "Eight/nine o'clock"), except that the bell is not rung, and the ensign and jack are lowered, in silence or to the sound of 'Sunset' if a bugler or band is present. At Ceremonial Sunset, when a band is present, Sunset is usually preceded by an Evening Hymn (e.g. 'The Day Thou Gavest Lord Is Ended').

United States Navy

The United States Navy performs the same ceremonies, called "Morning Colors" and "Evening Colors," at 0800 and sunset each day. When Colors is played aboard Navy and Marine Corps bases, those outdoors must stop to render proper courtesies by saluting if in uniform or, if out of uniform, by standing at attention, until "Carry On" is sounded. Marines and sailors driving on base during this time are expected to stop their vehicles and sit at attention until the ceremony is over. The Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 occurred as the fleet was preparing for Morning Colors, though this had no bearing on the success or outcome of the attack.

Yacht Clubs

Many traditional Yacht Clubs worldwide also conduct morning and evening color ceremonies. At 0800 each morning and at sunset during the club's active sailing season the ceremony is performed by the launchmen or harbormaster.

★ First, a bell is sounded as an alert for all members and guests present to stand at attention.

★ A cannon is then shot and the national ensign hoisted (or lowered if sunset).

★ At the conclusion of the ceremony the most senior officer present says: "As you were" and members and guests may carry on.

Flags

Main articles: Colours, standards and guidons

In British Army usage, the colours refer to either the flags carried by infantry units and which carry the unit's name, badges, achievements and battle honours. (In the case of cavalry units one speaks of standards or of guidons). Military personnel always accord the colours the greatest respect and salute them when carried uncased. British, Australian, Canadian, and New Zealand infantry battalions (except Rifle Regiments) normally have two colours: the Queen's Colour (the senior) carrying the battle honours from the two World Wars; and the Regimental Colour carrying all other battle honours. One unit, 1st Battalion The Royal Highland Fusiliers carries a third colour, the Assaye Colour, to commemorate participation in the battle of Assaye (1803) in India. The Royal Artillery regards its Guns as its colours and the are accorded commensurate compliments and respect. The Honourable Artillery Company has two sets of colours it has Queen's and Regimental Colours and also Guns.
Modern United States Army battalions carry a regimental color as well as the National Flag. The regimental color is a bald eagle with the regimental crest charged upon the eagle on a dark blue background. However, for United States units, the color which receives honors is the National Flag.
Colours represent the pride of a regimental unit, whether in the army, air force or navy. The concept of colours originated from the Middle Ages, when lords and barons would lead their men to battle. In large-scale military encounters the need arose to establish a rallying point, so commanders used coloured flags to denote rallying points, hence the term "Colours". The concept was carried over into the British Army, where regimental colours were done in the same hue and shade as the "facing colour" (the colour in which uniform jackets were lined, which differed from regiment to regiment) to aid in recognition.
The bravest subaltern carried the colours in battle (the subaltern tradition still continues today) and since the falling of the colours represented defeat of the forces, troops would often attack them. Hence arose a need for escorts, originally pikemen. In modern days, although colours no longer appear on the battlefield, they remain objects of respect, and many of the traditions started during the Middle Ages still exist today.

References

★ BR1834 – ''Royal Naval Handbook of Ceremonial and Drill''