Regimental colours Regimental colours are the ceremonial flags of military regiment s . Historically , their roots can be traced back at least as far as the Roman Empire . In many countries , regiment s may have two colours , rather than one . One is called the " king ' s colour " or the " national colour " representing the military ' s loyalty towards a king or a nation , with a design typically based on the king ' s heraldic attributes or a national flag . The second colour is then designated the " regimental colour " representing the regiment itself . Countries which follow ( or have historically followed ) this system include Canada , Prussia , Poland , Spain , and the United Kingdom . Colours are members of the class of military flags which also include standards and guidons . British Army . In the British Army colours are mainly carried by infantry regiments , equivalent items for armoured and cavalry regiments are standards and guidon s , and for the Royal Artillery their guns are their colours . A " stand of colours " normally comprises Both are 3 ′ 0 ″ ×3 ′ 9 ″ ( 914mm×1143mm ) . Variations to the above do exist ; several infantry regiments carry a third colour that is permitted to be paraded on special occasions , usually those specific to the regiment : Not all regiments follow the system of having just a stand of colours : In general British and Commonwealth infantry or line regiments embellish only their Regimental Colours with battle honour s . The practice of adding a regiment ' s or a battalion ' s battle honours onto its Regimental Colours came into existence around 1784 . Exception is made to regiments of the Foot Guards where battle honours can be seen on both their Regimental and Queen ' s Colours . Additionally specific regiments may have other devices on either of their colours . Colours are normally presented to a regiment or a battalion by the head of state or another important personage ( e . g . a Governor - General ) in a high - profile military parade ceremony . The presentation of a new colour ( or colours ) to a regiment is normally performed once every few decades , and the old or retired colours are formally kept in the regiment ' s church or chapel where they are left to decay . A regiment ' s colours are highly revered , and salutes must be given to them . The term " regimental colour " ( in the sense of not being the Queen ' s Colour ) was first mentioned ca . 1747 , stating that regimental colours are While colours remain important for ceremonial use , they are no longer carried into battle . The last occasion on which they were present in action was in 1881 at Laing ' s Nek , when they were carried by the 58th Foot . Canada . Canadian military units also utilize colours . Poland . During the September Campaign , Polish troops had " Honor i Ojczyzna " ( Honour and Fatherland ) motto on all their banners . In communist Poland , the motto was changed to " Za naszą Ojczyznę Polską Rzeczpospolitą Ludową " ( For our fatherland The People ' s Republic of Poland ) . In 1993 , the motto was changed to " Bóg , Honor , Ojczyzna " ( God , Honour , Fatherland ) . Russia and Soviet Union . From the late 1930s onwards , each regiment in the armed forces of the Soviet Union ( especially the Army and Air Force ) had its own colour , which was produced to a standard design : The Soviet Navy colours had the 1935 official design with them ( it was later revised in 1950 ) , with the exception being to units honored with the Order of the Red Banner , Naval Headquarters Commands and Naval Air Forces , plus even the Defense Minister ' s own naval colour , and that of the Navy Minister until 1964 ( and later of the Navy Commander - in - Chief ) , which had different designs , with the addition of the Armed Forces General Staff ' s own naval colour . Early flags even had the WPKA Naval Command insignia ( official , Inspector General ' s , and the Army General Staff , represented by crossed blue rifles ) beside the hammer and sickle , even the flags of the People ' s Commissar for National Defense and the People ' s Commissar for Naval Affairs had different designs , plus that of the Navy General Staff , the WPRA Navy honorary colour and the various flags of naval officers and ship ensigns . The cruiser Aurora since 1978 has had a different version of the 1950 ensign , flanked by the Orders of the Red Banner and of the October Revolution on the top sides of the star , as the Aurora was the only naval recipient of the latter order in 1967 while in 1918 , the Military Red Banner Order was conferred to the ship . Regimental colours of the Guards units The colours of those regiments that were classed as " Guards " was slightly different . These had the portrait of Lenin , the " Za nashu " motto and the abbreviation " USSR " ( " СССР " , " SSSR " ) on the obverse and the small star with hammer and sickle in its centre , unit ' s name and a motto on the reverse of the colour . The mottoes were different for every regiment ( for example , those regiments made Guards in the Great Patriotic War bore the motto " Death to the German invaders " , " Смерть Немецким захватчикам " , " Smyert ' Nyemyetskim zahvatchikam " ) . In some Guards units , early flags had different designs on the obverse and reverse . Even the Lenin portrait was different in some flags . The Navy Guards units still had the 1935 design , with the addition of the Guards ribbon below , except for units which were honored with the Order of the Red Banner and became Guard units later . The difference is in the red five - pointed star , in which Red Banner Guard unit flags had applied the Guards ribbon below aside from the Order of the Red Banner on the star .