The last colours were made for the RGLI when it formed in 1916 and currently hang in the Town Church. They list the battle honours of the regiment, such as Ypres, Cambrai and Hazebrouck.
The men behind the RGLI Trust said that the revival of the colours would continue to highlight the island’s tradition of history and remembrance for generations to come.
‘They won’t be hung in the Town Church like the current ones, but they will be visible at every parade of remembrance going forwards,’ said RGLI trustee Chris Oliver. ‘The RGLI will now be a part of island remembrance.’
These newly made regimental colours have been constructed using traditional materials and techniques by the ‘specialised craftsmanship and skills of one of the principle flagmakers to the Crown and British armed services’, said Mr Oliver.
They will be presented in an ancient service of blessing not seen in Guernsey for more than 100 years.
On Saturday 29 November the colours will be blessed by the Dean, the Very Rev. Tim Barker, and then will be passed to the Lt-Governor on behalf of the sovereign. He will then place them into the hands of a military representative and they will be taken out of the north door of the Town Church and presented to the parade.
‘It has never been seen in our lifetime before and it will never be seen in our lifetime again,’ said Mr Oliver.
‘There are four ancient traditions that will be taking place and it is about drawing back, by osmosis, culture that belongs to Guernsey.’
The consecration service will take place on Saturday 29 November at 11am.
This Consecration of the Colours event immediately precedes the annual twinned memorial event, the following day, at noon on Sunday 30 November, which is held at the same time at the RGLI memorials in both the Sunken Gardens and in Masnieres, France each year, on the date of one of the RGLI’s most significant actions against German troops at the Battle of Le Rue Verte in the town of Masnieres.
Regimental colours
A regiment’s flag or colours are traditionally the heart and soul of the regiment. They were historically used on the battlefield as a rallying point during battles to which troops could muster or reassemble. The original RGLI colours were laid up in May 1917 in the Town Church by Lt Ingrouille only days before the regiment boarded for France, from which many would never return. They still hang there today, faded and too frail to be moved.
The new RGLI colours were created in the same way having been handmade using traditional techniques and materials by a specialist manufacturer who makes for the Crown, regiments and battalions which are often seen at well-known public events such as Trooping of the Colour in London.
You need to be logged in to comment. If you had an account on our previous site, you can migrate your old account and comment profile to this site by visiting this page and entering the email address for your old account. We'll then send you an email with a link to follow to complete the process.