THE NEW- COLOURS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 1, 26 September 1907, Page 10

THE NEW- COLOURS.

CONSECRATION AND "TllOOPING."

The corcmonies of presenting, consecrating, and "trooping" colours a'. .Vein-town' Park to-day "will bo pelformed for tho , first- time in Yv oiling, ton, whero hitherto tho volunteer, (except Nos. 1 and 4 infantry bat talions, avith> headquarters at Welling ton and New Plymouth respectively; havo had no colours. Every Uritisi regiment has two colours—its privat-, colours and tho King's. On the private colours every regiment has -it; own design — n harp, lion, tiger, o. other emblem. In New Zealand, CanCeroury is tue only cliscr.ct tluit li;i„ provincial regimental colours. The? were- ;; 'nmdo ; -by ■'the ladies of Christchurch nearly- fifty years ago, and are blue, with tho design of a white crane. Kot-uku, which signifies . a white crane, 'was tho/Maori -name for Canterbury, rho Canterbury volunteers havo also King's.colours, but";uot. presented liko the Wellington colours; which will bo consecrated to-day, and-which havo been awarded to" those units and battalions whioh sent twenty men to the South African ,war..., The, now colours are tho "Jack," ,tbo,'„s„aipc as upon Government , House, jind, bear the name South Africa, with thcdates of the war. OiVo volunteor rpgiment in. New Zealand, and one only, proudly bears tho liamo of an engagement on its. cofourf;., This rogimcnt distinguished it?fslf;iti tho Wai-' reka engagement in'tho;'Maori war, and was granted colours 'liy tho Queer, boaring the name \Vaireka.

• Seven mounted 'regimonts and in.fantry .battalions will have colours yrescntc;!, to them at. this afternoon's "function., - Thby are:—No. 1 Wellington 'Mounted Regiment (head■quartors.Wanganui),. W0.,2 Wellington Mmlht6d'Re'gimont '(Wairarapa), No. .'1 | Wellington . Mounted.. Regiment (Manav/atu), No. 4 Wellington Mounted .Rogniioiit, (Hav/ke-'s Bay), No. 1. Wellington Infantry Battalion (Wellington), No. 2 Wellington Infantry Battalion (Wanganui), No. 3 YfellingJnfuiitry Battalion- (Napier). The Cerdmohy. .

In the British Army there nro two forms'/laid down for the consecration of colours, according to the Anglican arid Roman Catholic services. To-day tho ceremonies 0; presentation nn-i consecration will tako. place as fol.lowAiv. opjcnr; andsix; men fror: oscli ol the ssven units to be honoured will..form a fti's. to r-r- - Colours for their st ! pa:af unit.?., The brigade, except tiio colours"party and the hand, -.till ho dram up in line .of quarter-columns, soon "after tV/o o'clock. The new coiourr. cased, will be in rear of the cor.tr: ("tin- hrirade. ii: oh of tho sercants selected. The bri;;a:ie vri:i ■ ioi-i-1 r,v«v. s.iU-i :■ .-.fju.y.. ■ V- dr.i:ur. v. ■! oe r i i!i ti;e e-jut!' .lie new colours wii! bo brought u;-

from tho rear by tho. sergeants i: charge, and placed upon tho drums Then tho Anglican Bishop of Wellington (Dr. Wallis) will lay his hands upon the colours, after they have bee: uncased, and perforin the act of con secration. Tho form of prayer employed is that_ laid down, by tli: King's Regulations. It commence with tho coileet, "Prevent us, 0 Lord, ill all our doings," from the Boo! of Common Prayer. Next comcs tin prayer for His Majesty tho Xing, beginning, "0 Lord, our lleavenl; leather, High and Mighty, King c. Kings, Lord of Lords, the only liuk: of Princes.", Then theso two prayer: conclude the simple service:—

1 ' Grant, 0 Lord, we beseech Tlicc. that the course of this world may h. so peaceably ordered by Thy governance that wo may servo Thee in al! godly quietness, through Jesus Christ' our Lord. Amen."

"0 Lord God of Easts, bless these colours, and consecrate them to the glory of Thy great Name, tho dignity of our beloved King Edward VII, and the general welfare, ol this Dominion and his Empire at large. Amen." The colours are next Jianded to hit Excellency the Governor by the. senioi ofliccr present, and Lord Plunket, a; the representative of the King, presents them to the representatives of tho seven regiments and battalions, who receive them kneeling upon out kneo. "Trooping" tho Colours. A royal salute to the colours will then be fired, and the ceremony oi "trooping" the colours will next hi. soon, followed by a march-past i« column. Tho saluto will very likely bo tho lost of seventeen guns that will bn tired in the Dominion. Th Commonwealth and Dominion of Canada have each a royal salute of tweutyoiifi guns, and New Zealand's iiighe. status may bo denoted, in the future, by a similar number. The ceremony of "trooping" tho colours was peiformcd for tho first time in 'Now Zealand at the recent- Exhibit-ion. Scci::y; that it tlisn took one and a half hours, time will not allow of its being carried out to-day with the same elaborate completeness. It will, however, be sufficiently complete to form a ncv, sight in Wellington.

The respect paid to colours dates from tho time of the old Jloniniis ; tvhosc standards were long poles wreathed . round with. Hovers an: shrubs to make them mora conspicuous Emblems were also adopted by the cohorts, such, as a swan,, a bear, a glove. Afterwards they embroidered their device on a small piece of cloth,

which was attached to a staff. Thin ras tho origin of the bannerette, 01 "colour," of the'medieval knight, ii. the British Army for 130 years "trooping" the cherished colours lias been the ceremonious part of ( iill military pageants. Before the .dfv.fs of barracks it was the duty oi every soldier, from tho greatest to the least, to know whore the "colour" was lodged, and hasten to that spot when the "assembly" was sounded. Seeing that tho Wellington volunteers now possess King's colours, it i; probable that they will also generally lequire private colours, and that i iow poetry will bo added to volunteer ' iug. •