The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-08-28 00:00:00

FRENCH AND ENGLISH BATTLE
FLAGS.

The Daily News has an article- -on regimental emblems in
the French and English armies, from which make the
following extracts:—

It is not a little noteworthy that at the moment
France has given new battle flags to her soldiers
England should be discussing the abolition of regimen-
tal colours altogether. This peculiarity of the military
mind is made the more conspicuous by the proposed
abolition of the drum in the French army, not long
after the cult of the bagpipe has reached a lofty pitch
in our own Highland regiments. It is not sur-
prising that the advocates of abolition in either
cake) base their arguments on practical grounds.
Since the last war with Germany keen criticism
has been directed towards the French army, one re-
sult of which is an opinion that the percentage of
fighting power invested in drummers can ill be spared.
The inspiriting effect of the drum has been decided to
be less valuable than the bayonet. Yet, while this at-
tack was being made on the drum, the banner, for-
Fotten since the eagles of Magenta and Solferino sank
in the collapse at Sedan, was revived. Not only
were new flags given solemnly to the French army
by the President of the Republic, but the
arrival of every regimental colour at its station was
made the occasion of a grand parade and demon-
stration akin to our own pretty ceremony of
trooping the colours. There is no doubt about the
feeling of France towards the national flag. Those
who have seen men sob as Rachel knelt on the stage
with the tricolour falling around her, and recollect
how the flag stood between Henry V. and the throne
of France, can understand that to the French soldier
it is the image of his native land. But it is worthy of
remembrance that it is also the emblem of the honour
and glory of his regiment, a fact at present far more
etrongly accentuated in our own army than in that of
the French Republic.
In the French army, although many regiments
have glorious traditions, no halo of fame surrounds
the mere numerals by which they are identified. Our
own army, on the other hand, perhaps in conse-
quence of no revolution having occurred in England
for nearly two centuries, has preserved an almost
federal character. Each regiment retains its own
individuality territorial or traditional, specified
by peculiarities of costume, or by certain rights
and privileges. Uniformity in buttons has
been attained, but there are things " above
buttons" in the army. In the colours especially
there is a marked distinction between our infantry
regiments and those of many foreign countries. With
us each regiment has not only its " Queen's colour,"
or national ensign, the flag which alone is "trooped,,,
but its regimental colour as well, gemplly of the hne
of its "facings." and inscribed with its battle roll, or
at least with the most famous victories in which it
has taken part. Thus the Grenadier Guards and
the Coldstreams commence their record with
Tangier—Pepys's Tangier campaign—and close it
with Sevastopol, as the Royal S'cots date from
Maestricht in 1673, to Pekin in 1860. Other
regiments have territorial designations, such as
existed in the army of the old French Monarchy.
Thus the 42nd Highla,nders is further known as the
" Black Watch," the 66th as the "Berkshire Regi-
ment," the 70th as the "Queen's Own Cameron High-
landers," the 81st as the "Loyal Lincoln," the 88th
as the "Connaught Rangers," and the 23rd as the
"Royal Welsh Fusiliers." These titles, as well
as the nicknames attached to almost every dis-
tinguished regiment, are treasured by officers and
rank and file. Such mottoes as " Übique," borne by
the Royal Artillery, and "Primus in Indis," by
the 39th, or Dorsetshire Regiment, are looked on
with no common pride. Almost every peculiarly
distinctive mark is equally prized. The " Black
Watch" clings to the red heckle worn in the bonnet
for its conduct at the battle of Guildermalsen in 1795,
as the " Buffs " esteem their privilege to march through
the City of London with bayonets fixed, and the
Royal Welsh Fusiliers delight in the "flash "—a few
strips of ribbon sewed OR the collar of the
tunic, a " survival " of the old bag-wig. The sth, or
Northumberland Fusiliers, are equally tenacious of
their right to wear a red and white pompon, a memo-
rial of St. Lucia in 1778, as the 13th, or First Somerset.
shire, of the black " worm " in their lace for gallantry
at Culloden. Any attempt to remove these records
of great deeds of arms would be bitterly resented by
the corps on which the deprivation fell. . . .