The procedure for awarding battle honours was originally extremely arbitrary. For example, the victories of the
Duke of Wellington in the
Napoleonic Wars were copiously honoured, but those of the
Duke of Marlborough in the
War of Spanish Succession were entirely ignored. By the mid-19th Century, honours were being awarded for contemporary actions that were little more than skirmishes compared with the great European battles of the 18th Century. Much, too, depended on the persistence (or lack thereof) of successive individual colonels in badgering
Horse Guards for honours for their regiments: to give but one example, the honour for
Corunna was first awarded (to three battalions) in 1811; between then and 1842, it was awarded to a further 27 regiments and battalions. A committee was therefore set up under
Major-General Sir Archibald Alison in 1881 to determine the honours that should be awarded to the various regiments for past battles. Although the Alison Committee remedied the worst of the injustices when it reported in 1882 (by,
inter alia, awarding the honours
Blenheim,
Ramillies,
Oudenarde and
Malplaquet), another committee had to be set up in 1909 under the chairmanship of Lieutenant General
Sir Spencer Ewart to continue the work. , of the period 1908 to 1917. Since this is the badge of a Territorial battalion, the scrolls which, on the badge of the regular battalions, carried the battle honours
Gibraltar and
Talavera are here blank. Until 1832, battle honours were awarded to a specific unit and, if it was disbanded, the honour was lost. After this date, honours were awarded to the parent regiment of the battalion whose actions led to the award. During the
Second Boer War, however, some honours were awarded to the Militia battalions of infantry regiments in their own right. Also, the honours
Mediterranean 1901–02 and
St Helena were awarded to the Militia battalions of several regiments for garrison and prisoner-of-war camp duty. When the Militia was disbanded, these honours (and the earlier
Mediterranean, earned for similar service during the
Crimean War) were allowed to lapse. In 1917, in recognition of their sacrifice in the
Great War, the battalions of the
Territorial Force were permitted to carry the honours of their parent regular battalions on their badges, a practice that had previously been forbidden. Also in 1832, the motto
Ubique (Everywhere) was awarded by
King William IV to the
Royal Artillery and the
Royal Engineers in recognition of their universal service. It was stipulated that this was considered to be a battle honour, substituting for all other prior and future distinctions. As such, it did not initially appear on the badges or appointments of the Territorial, Militia or Volunteer regiments of these Corps. Despite it being the sole battle honour of the Royal Artillery, a number of Artillery officers who served in the
First China War were awarded the personal honour
China. This honour was displayed on their appointments and was not extended to other ranks or to the regiment as a whole. It was a unique award which was allowed to lapse in time, and the procedure was never repeated. King William IV was also responsible for a most peculiar
guidon-shaped standard presented to the
Royal Horse Guards on 13 August 1832, which, in addition to carrying the battle honours
Peninsula and
Waterloo, bore the words
Dettingen, Minden, Warbourg and
Cateau. None of these last four were battle honours to which the Royal Horse Guards were entitled at the time the standard was presented. The regiment was awarded
Dettingen (with 1st and 2nd Life Guards) in 1882 and
Warburg (so spelled) in 1909.
Cateau was never awarded as such, but
Beaumont was awarded for the same battle, again in 1909. No cavalry regiment was ever honoured for
Minden because of the cavalry's conspicuous lack of activity in that battle. In 1834, the guidons of the light cavalry (Light Dragoons, Lancers and Hussars) were withdrawn in order to improve the mobility of these regiments. Until they were restored (in a purely ceremonial role) by
King George VI in 1952, these regiments displayed their honours on their officers' saddle cloths, their drums, drum banners and other appointments. . In contrast with those of the line infantry regiments, the Queen's Colours of Foot Guards regiments are crimson, and it is their Regimental Colours that are based on the
Union Flag. Foot Guards regiments also emblazon the same honours (from all conflicts, including both World Wars) on both colours. In 1844, the display of honours and badges on the infantry's colours was standardized. Embellishments that had previously been borne on either, or both, of a battalion's colours were, after this, only permitted to appear on the Second Colour, which was renamed the
Regimental Colour. The First Colour was renamed the
Royal Colour and was to be free of decoration other than for the Royal Crown and the regimental number. The
Foot Guards, however, continued to display their awards on all their colours (as they do, with some variation between the regiments, to this day). In addition, the 1857 Dress Regulations ordered that the blades of the Foot Guards officers' swords be embossed with the regiment's device and battle honours. ==The Boer War==