Seaforth Highlanders Centennial and Presentation of New Colours

[RB51]

Very interesting...thanks for the links. I'm curious though - I'd always understood that flags/colours should never touch the ground, but noticed that they did so during one part of the ceremony. Are they allowed to do so only during certain proscribed situations, or have I misunderstood how they are to be handled?

Laurie

[xena]

Very interesting...thanks for the links. I'm curious though - I'd always understood that flags/colours should never touch the ground, but noticed that they did so during one part of the ceremony. Are they allowed to do so only during certain proscribed situations, or have I misunderstood how they are to be handled?

Laurie

Yes, there are certain ceremonial situations where they are lowered, and actually touch the ground. Outside of those specific ceremonial situations, however, they most certainly may not! So, in a general way you're right, but there are certain specific exceptions.

[RB51]

Thanks for the clarification. When we were at our local St. Andrew's dinner on Friday night one of our table-mates was the C/O of the Rocky Mountain Rangers from here in Kamloops, and he was off to the ceremony and dinner the next night. Looks like a fabulous event.

Laurie

[xman]

Very interesting...thanks for the links. I'm curious though - I'd always understood that flags/colours should never touch the ground, but noticed that they did so during one part of the ceremony. Are they allowed to do so only during certain proscribed situations, or have I misunderstood how they are to be handled?

Laurie

Yeah, that "Flag can't touch the ground" thing is primarily a preoccupation of the United States (no offense intended my friends). Although here, not being grounded is generally true, it's really part of a larger, less specific directive to not soil the flag in any way. At least that's how it was taught to me.

[Seaforth Piper]

Very interesting...thanks for the links. I'm curious though - I'd always understood that flags/colours should never touch the ground, but noticed that they did so during one part of the ceremony. Are they allowed to do so only during certain proscribed situations, or have I misunderstood how they are to be handled?

Laurie

There are two types of parade salute given by a formed body of soldiers when 'under arms' (which is to say, 'when carrying a rifle or a sword');

-The General Salute given to a reviewing officer of the rank of Brigadier or above, in which the troops 'present arms' and the officers salute with their swords but the Colours stand fast, and

-The Royal Salute, in which all ranks present including the Escort to the Colours present arms and the Colours are dipped to the ground in submission to the Sovereign.

The Royal Salute is only given in the presence of HM or Her designated representative, in this case the Lieutenant-Governor.

You'll notice at a couple of points in the ceremony when the Colours are relatively unguarded that the Escort to the Colours are carrying their rifles at the 'ready' or 'en guarde' position and that regardless of whatever the other soldiers are doing, the Escort remains at attention with bayonets fixed.

Both the 'present arms' with the rifle (in which the weapon is being ritually offered to the superior officer) and the full salute with the sword (in which the sword hilt is brought to the lips* and then brought down and back into a position from which one cannot defend oneself) are gestures of ritual submission.

When a junior officer salutes a superior he does the full salute that I've just described, but the senior officer does a 'short salute'; up to the lips and back to the 'carry'.

The Colours are ritually laid on the ground for the same reason: a declaration of loyalty to Her Majesty - and a subtle reminder that we swear allegiance to Her and Her alone...

*Since the Crusades, this has been interpreted as kissing the Cross, but the custom is far older - the cross represents 'uncertaintly' or 'potential outcome' (think of a crossroads - there are at least 4 potential paths)