This page is created to give Young Officers and idea of some of the Customs to look out for on joining his unit. The visitor to this page will no doubt find it of interest as it sets out the many customs of the JDF.

It is important to realise that there are many customs in the JDF, some stranger than others, that are not included on this page.

Section I

• Conduct of an Officer
• Social and Official Relations
• Loyalty
• Attitude to Orders
• Marrying Young
• Parade Ground
• Punctuality
• Current Events
• Financial Matters
• Dress – Plain Clothes

Saluting

• On Parade
• Off Parade
• Returning Salutes
• Dismissing Troops
• Offices
• General
• Other Services
• Other compliments

Section III

• Joining the Regiment

Section IV

The Officers’ Mess

• Mess Rules
• Behaviour in the Mess
• Mess Procedure
• Honorary Membership of Messes

Section V

• Relationship with Warrant and Non-Commissioned Officers

 Section VI

• The Sergeants’ Mess

Section VII

• Duties of the Orderly Officer
• General
• Duties

Section VIII

• Orders
• Orderly Room Procedure
• Unit Clerks Office

Section IX

Correspondence and Calling

Section X

Customs In The JDF Coast Guard

• General
• Ceremonial
• Quarterdeck
• Colours and Sunset
• Piping the Side
• Dipping the Ensigns
• Messes
• The Ships Bell
• Embarking and Disembarking
• Christening

Annexes

• Regimental Silver
• Standards, Guidons and Colours
• Laid up Colours

• Allied Regiments

CUSTOMS OF THE JAMAICA DEFENCE FORCE

CONDUCT OF AN OFFICER

• A very high standard of behavior and bearing is expected of an Officer at all times and wherever he may be.

• It must be remembered that the JDF is judged by the behaviour of all its members, and that other ranks follow the example of their Officers.

SOCIAL AND OFFICIAL RELATIONS

The contrast between social and official relations may at first seem paradoxical. If reprimanded for a fault an Officer must not brood over it, and must never allow himself to become a man "with a grievance."

The Commanding Officer, the Adjutant, or the Officer’s Sub-Unit Commander may be severe on parade, but this is always forgotten in the Mess.

• Off parade and in the Mess Senior Officers should be treated with natural courtesy due to their rank, age, experience and responsibility, but the young Officer must not be frightened of them. The normal polite behaviour of a gentleman is all that is required.

• It is an old custom of the Service to say "Good morning," or "Good morning sir," as the case may be, to other officers when met for the first time that day. It is for the junior to speak first.

• It is usual for Subalterns when addressing Captains or other Subalterns to use only their name, not their rank. When speaking to a Senior Officer, however, and referring to a Captain, the rank should be included, i.e., "Captain Smith gave instructions, etc."

LOYALTY

• Own regiment or Unit

An Officer must never run down his regiment or corps in the hearing of outsiders. This is being disloyal.

• Any other Unit with which he may serve

An officer may have to serve in Units than his own and his behaviour should be the same as in his own Unit.

• Courtesy to other regiments or Units

Esprit de corps must not tempt the Officer into running down other regiments or units; it is bad manners and does harm. A junior officer should keep his opinions and criticisms to himself until asked for them.

• The JDF

ATTITUDE TO ORDERS

• An Officer must never apologise for an order. To apologise for an order given by him is weak; for that given by a superior is disloyal. An Officer must always carry out an order to the best of his ability: if he disagrees with an order or thinks it wrong, criticism should be made to the Adjutant or Sub-Unit Commander afterwards.

• If a Junior Officer has to implement an order, given by his superiors, which he knows will be unpopular with his subordinates he must give it out as his own order and take full responsibility for it.

• It is disloyal to pass on such orders in the form "The CO., or Company Commander, wants us to, do, etc., etc., "as this implies disagreement onthe part of a junior with the policy of his superiors. Such orders must always start with the phrase "I want, etc., etc, or "You will, etc., etc."

MARRYING YOUNG

• The JDF does not officially recognise the marriage of an Officer until he is 21 years of age and

  spent two years in an Officers’ Mess. The reason for this is that a young officer has much to learn before he becomes fully proficient. This includes the bookwork of technical and tactical subjects as well as the practical side of soldiering and man management. Man management is best learnt by being with the men as much as possible, both on parade and off parade, playing games, or organising their sports and recreation. If an Officer marries young he is bound to have extra interest outside his Army life and his work and learning will suffer.

• A young officer must take into consideration the financial difficulties which he will encounter if he marries young.

• An officer is entitled to marriage allowance at the age of 21, but few officers will have the means or the ability to consider marriage at such an early age and still be able to give the service to their regiment which the holding of a commission must imply.

PARADE GROUND

• The parade ground of most units is "sacred." An officer should never smoke whilst on it, nor walk

  across it in plain clothes during working hours. This is usually laid down, but if it is not, the Adjutant or Regimental Sergeant Major should be asked.

• An officer should never go between a squad on parade and its commander, or, indeed, between it and any person who is connected with that parade.

PUNCTUALITY

• It is the duty of every officer to be punctual for a parade or duty and it is bad manners to be late for an appointment. If he makes a practice of always being five minutes early an officer will save himself many embarrassments.

• It is the officer’s duty, however, to ensure that the men are not paraded unnecessarily early just to ensure punctuality.

CURRENT EVENTS

• It is essential that an officer keeps himself in touch at all times with the international, political and military situation. This is expected of any intelligent and educated person, and the officer is also responsible for keeping his men in touch with these matters. To keep himself up to date an officer should read a good newspaper daily and as many periodicals as possible.

• An officer is also responsible for participating in or watching as many regimental activities as

  possible and giving them his wholehearted support even to the extent of putting them, however dull, before his personal amusements.

FINANCIAL MATTERS

• Cheques

• For an officer to write a cheque or demand on a field cashier for more than he has in the bank, without prior arrangement with the bank, is not only dishonest but also disgraceful.

• A dishonoured cheque may lead to a Court martial.

• Never, under any circumstances, write a "blank" cheque for anyone.

• Accounts

• All Officers should keep a record of their private accounts, especially on first joining. To assist in this, cheque counterfoils should be filled in.

• An arrangement should be made with the officer as agent and/or bank for a monthly statement to be forwarded to him. This should be very carefully checked with the counterfoils and statement of account.

• An Officer should regulate his expenditure in order to avoid being "hard up." Should he find himself very hard up, he should consult his Unit or Sub-Unit Commander.

• Cash. An officer should never leave money or valuables lying loose in his quarter. To do so puts his batmen in an unfair position.

• Receipt

• The receipt of any money should always be acknowledged. When an officer hands over any money or store he should always obtain a receipt.

• In this way he will ensure that he is free from blame in case of any loss or deficiency.

• Letters about money matters should be answered promptly.

• Financial Responsibility. When an officer is put in charge of public funds or stores he is entirely responsible for their safekeeping, and he will be required to make good any deficiencies or loss due to his negligence.

• Subscriptions

• All Mess Bills, bills and subscriptions should be paid punctually. If an officer is slack about payments it causes inconvenience to treasurers and secretaries of clubs and business firms, besides being a discredit to the officer, to the Unit and to the JDF.

DRESS – PLAIN CLOTHES

• An officer should be smart and well turned out at all times. This is most important in plain

  clothes.

• Old clothes do not prevent an officer from being cleanly and tidily dressed.

• When buying plain clothes it will pay the officer to go to a good tailor, as the clothes will last very much longer. They look better than cheap clothes when old, and can therefore be worn longer. Above all, an officer must avoid buying flashy or highly coloured clothes.

ON PARADE

• The practice of saluting must be carried out most punctiliously, whether on or off parade. On

  parade a Senior Officer, or even one who is of equal rank but higher in the Seniority roll, must be addressed as "Sir" and saluted. This is the custom of the JDF and an officer must be meticulous in complying with it.

OFF PARADE

• In many regiments and units, when in uniform, Captains and Subalterns always salute Field Officers (i.e., Major and above) and address them as "Sir". The Adjutant should be saluted on first meeting him in the morning. An officer should find out the regimental or unit customs on this matter.

• When an officer in plain clothes meets a Field Officer, whom he recognises, he will take off his hat to him.

RETURNING SALUTES

• It is an officer’s duty to return a salute smartly, with the correct hand and without a cigarette or

  pipe in the mouth.

• When returning a salute an officer should look towards the person whose salute he is returning. An officer must remember to "return" a salute and not merely acknowledge it.

DISMISSING TROOPS

• An officer must always return punctiliously, salutes paid to him by bodies of troops when dismissing. He should stand still, facing the dismissing body of troops, and should salute when they do so. If a Senior Officer is watching a parade, the officer, warrant or non-commissioned officer in charge of the squad should ask permission from the officer concerned before dismissing the parade.

OFFICES

• When entering and leaving unit offices an officer should always salute any officer in there at the time whether senior or junior.

• When an officer, senior to the one occupying an office, enters that office the junior officer should stand up.

GENERAL

• It is the duty of every officer to ensure that all orders regarding saluting are enforced at all times both in and out of barracks. An officer must not be self-conscious about checking other ranks.

• In all units saluting should be a source of natural pride shared by all ranks.

OTHER SERVICES

• Junior officers must salute senior officers of Military Services of countries accredited to Jamaica of a equivalent rank of Major and above.

• When visiting any of Her Majesty’s ships of the JDF CG Establishments the Quarterdeck must be saluted both on arrival and departure.

• An officer must always salute on boarding or leaving any of Her Majesty’s ships, or foreign men-of-war.

OTHER COMPLIMENTS

• When in uniform an officer will always salute uncased Colours, funerals and when passing the Cenotaph. When in plain clothes he should raise his hat.

• When the National Anthem is played, an officer in uniform should stand to attention and salute; if in plain clothes he should remove his hat. When indoor an officer should only stand to attention. If attending an outdoor Church parade at which head-dress is worn an officer will not, however, salute when the National Anthem is played.

• When the Guard turns out to a General Officer or the Commanding Officer, all personnel near by should stand to attention, but not salute.

• Reporting to Adjutant or Duty Officer on Arrival. On first joining the regiment or any other

  unit, an officer should immediately report to the Adjutant or Duty Officer.

• Interview by Commanding Officer. An officer will be interviewed by his Commanding Officer shortly after his arrival in a new unit. The officer will be told by the Adjutant when to report. If an officer requires an interview with his Commanding Officer at any other time he should apply in writing, giving reasons.

• Calling. It is sometimes expected of an officer, on first joining a unit, to call on the Commanding Officer and officers and also married officers and their wives. Enquires on the custom prevailing should be made on arrival. (See Section IX).

MESS RULES

• In different Messes the Mess rules vary, and an officer should make himself acquainted with them. Any such rules should be strictly observed. They are made to ensure the smooth running of the Mess and are not merely there to cause restrictions.

BEHAVIOUR IN THE MESS

• General

• The Officers’ Mess is not only the home of individual officers, but it is the home of the unit

  officers as a group. It is essential, therefore, that an officer should behave, as he would wish others to behave in his own home. A great number of personal likes and dislikes must be put aside for the benefit of the Mess as a whole.

• Noisy behaviour, raging, clinking of glasses, and other forms of rowdyism in the Mess, should be avoided, especially at the Mess table. The forming of Mess "cliques" should be avoided at all costs. They kill the family spirit in the Mess, besides causing a lot of bad feeling, which is very quickly evident to visitors and to the rest of the unit.

• An Officer must realise that the habit of drinking too much is not clever, nor is it amusing for other members of the Mess; it sets a very bad example. Behaviour in an Officers’ Mess should be exemplary, as it has a direct bearing on the discipline throughout a unit.

• Courtesy to Senior Officers

• When visitors come to the Mess, whether an officer knows or not, he must act as their host. The whole Mess is judged by the way strangers are received.

• An Officer should offer them tea or drinks, etc, depending on the time of the visit. If they

  have come to call on the Mess, or are members of a visiting team, the Mess staff should be instructed afterwards to put the drinks down to "Mess Guests." This is the duty of any host, and an officer is not expected to bear the cost of entertaining visitors or guests of the unit, except as a general charge to all members of the Mess.

• When an officer brings a visitor into the Mess, whether his own guest or not, he should introduce him to the Commanding Officer, if present, otherwise the Senior Officer in the Mess at the time. If an officer invites a very Senior Officer to his Mess he should warn the Mess President and the Commanding Officer beforehand. It must be realised that when he invites a "private" guest to the Mess it is his duty to entertain and pay for him. He must not expect this to be done by other members. He must also remember that he is responsible for the good behaviour of his guest.

• Tidiness

• The Mess staff should be assisted in keeping the Mess in order. Newspapers and magazines should be returned to the tables provided for this purpose, and cigarette ends should be put in the ashtrays provided and not thrown carelessly around.

• Messes are now usually understaffed, and consideration of this sort is particularly important and will help to keep the officer’s home more comfortable.

• Senior Subaltern. The Senior Subaltern is responsible for the behaviour of all Subalterns both in and out of the Mess. It is his job to give advise to all Subaltern officers and to put them right when they make mistakes. A young officer should go to him when in doubt about procedure or Mess customs.

• Mess Entertainment

• Members of a Mess will certainly be invited to entertainments by other Messes and by civilians in the neighbourhood. This hospitality will be returned by the Mess, and on these

  occasions all officers will have to act as hosts. This means spending time and money.

• In most Messes subscriptions to entertainments are made on a pro rata basis. Should an officer feel he cannot afford to pay the amount he is asked to, he should not be afraid to say so.

• It should be remembered that a party in the Mess, as it would be in his own home, is for the enjoyment of the guests and not solely for the officer himself; he should, therefore, act accordingly and see that the guest do enjoy themselves.

• Complaints

• An Officer should not find fault with, or complain to, the Mess staff unless he is a member of the Mess Committee.

• If he has a complaint to make he should approach one of the members of the Mess Committee or the Mess Secretary.

• The suggestion book is not the place for complaints; should be used for constructive suggestions to assist the Mess Committee.

• In making suggestions in the book, attempts at humour should be avoided.

MESS PROCEDURE

• Dinner

• When an officer enters the ante-room before dinner he should say "good evening sir" to the Senior Officer present.

• When bringing a guest to dinner, and officer should introduce him to the President. It is usual for the President, if he has no guests, or if Mess guests are not present, to ask the officer to bring his guest to sit next to him.

• When going in to dinner it is normal to allow the guests and their hosts to go first.

• If an Officer is late for dinner he should go and apologise to the President. Should he wish to leave the table at any time before the coffee has been round, he should ask the President’s permission. There should be no smoking at dinner until the Port and/or coffee has been passed round and if the President or Senior Officer does not smoke he will inform the other officers when they may do so.

• Guests or Band Nights

• The procedure up to the passing round of the port is similar in most units.

• After the port has been passed round the usual procedure is for the President to stand up and say "Mr Vice, The Queen." The Vice-President then rises and gives the toast "Gentlemen, the Queen." Then All remaining Officers and guests rise and drink the Queen’s health.

• If the band is present, then, after the Vice-President has given the toast and everyone is standing, the band will play the National Anthem before the toast is drunk.

• Many regiments and corps, however, have different customs, so an officer should always ask what the procedure in when dining in another unit’s Mess. This is particularly relevant when overseas.

• It is normal for officers not to leave the Mess on a "guest’ night until all the Mess guests have departed and/or until permission has been obtained from the Senior Officer present.

• When an officer asks a guest to a "guest" or "band" night he should warn his guest of any particular customs.

• Supper

• When supper is served in Mess, as opposed to dinner, there are normally no special formalities.

HONOURARY MEMBERSHIP OF MESSES

• When an officer is made an honorary member of another Mess he should write and thank the officers of that Mess in the following manner:

• General

• An officer should be very careful not to allow himself to be imposed upon by Warrant officers or non-commissioned officers.

• In all his dealings with them he should be courteous, just, and consistent, but never familiar.

• The RSM

• In some units it is customary to address the Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) as "Mr ……," while in others he is addressed as "Sergeant Major." An Officer on joining his regiment or new unit should find out which custom is in use by asking the Adjutant or some other officer of the unit.

• It must be realised by a young officer that a warrant officer, Class I, particularly the Regiment Sergeant Major, holds an important position in the unit. It requires great ability and considerable service to obtain this rank and the RSM should be accorded the respect which is due to his particular appointment.

• He can be of the greatest assistance to a young officer in helping him when first joining, especially with regard to drill, regimental customs and matters of uniform dress.

• Most officers, shortly after joining their regiment, will find themselves being drilled on the square by the RSM. This is a very normal procedure, and it is up to the officer to give of his best and to co-operate in every way possible.

• The RSM is the Commanding Officer’s and the Adjutant’s direct link with the other ranks of the unit. At the same time it is his duty to report to the Adjutant any irregularities which he may note on the part of the officers of the unit in the course of their duties.

• The CSM

• The Company Sergeant Major (CSM) can be of the greatest assistance to all young

  officers on joining their units.

• He can assist the officer in matters of discipline, office routine and orderly room and parade procedure.

• It must be realised that the Company Sergeant Major is a man of considerable service and experience. In view of this the officer should not hesitate to ask for advice on matters to do with the routine of the unit or sub-unit. Furthermore, when offered advice by the Company Sergeant Major the officer should accept it in the spirit in which it given. Although the officer holds the Queen’s Commission, whereas the Warrant Officer does not, the latter has both service and experience behind him.

• It is the Company Sergeant Major’s duty to report to his sub-unit commander any failings he may discover on the part of the young officers in their dealings and treatment of the other ranks.

• Corporals’ Mess

• It should be realised that when a soldier is appointed Lance Corporal he starts on one of the most difficult periods in his service. He is bound to have to give up some friends and make some new ones; furthermore, on his showing as a member oft he Corporals’ Mess, depends, very considerably, his future chances of promotion. It is therefore absolutely essential that an officer’s behaviour in the Corporals’ Mess should at all times be of the very highest standards, and an example to the non-commissioned officers.

• An Officer should only visit the Corporals’ Mess on occasions when there is some social function to which he has been formally invited, or when as duty officer he makes the daily inspection of barracks.

• Address by rank

• When addressing a warrant officer, an officer should do so by using his military rank or appointment. That is to say a Company Sergeant Major. For procedure when addressing a Regimental Sergeant Major see above.

• When addressing a non-commissioned officer, an officer should do so by using the NCO’s rank and name. For example, a corporal should be addressed as "Corporal SNOOKS."

• Warrant and Non-Commissioned Officers Instructing Officers. When an officer is being instructed by a warrant Officer or non-commissioned officer he should remember that the instructor is in a difficult position, and he should therefore assist his instructor by considerate behaviour. The student should not be averse to asking questions of his instructor, bearing in mind that it is the instructor’s job to teach him correctly.

• Reproof. Warrant Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers should never be reproved within the hearing of any junior ranks, as in this way their authority becomes under-minded. This does not mean that there should be any question of a senior rank "getting away with it." If a senior rank merits a reproof it is the duty of the officer to see that he gets it.

• Leave to Dismiss

• It is the custom for any Warrant Officer or Non-Commissioned Officer, commanding a

  body of troops on parade, to ask permission from the senior officer watching the parade, or in the immediate vicinity, to dismiss or march off.

 SECTION VI
THE SERGEANTS’ MESS

GENERAL

• Prestige and Importance

• The prestige of a regiment or unit depends to a great extent upon the tone of the Sergeants’ Mess. A well-run Mess will ensure contented and hardworking members. A slack and bad Mess leads to general slackness and inefficiency amongst its members as well as getting the regiment a bad name outside from people who come as visitors.

• A great deal can be done by all officers of a regiment or unit to foster the right spirit in the

  Sergeants’ Mess. When officers go to the Mess a lot depends on their manners and general behaviour. It is sometimes supposed to be the "thing" to try and give young officers too much to drink when they visit the Mess. This is entirely wrong, and it is up to the officer to see that it is not allowed to happen.

• Behaviour

• The behaviour of an officer in the Sergeants’ Mess, as has already been stressed, is of the utmost importance and has a direct bearing on the members of that Mess and their own behaviour.

• The RSM is the main host, and when invited to the Mess and officer, on arrival, should look for the RSM and say "Good evening." Before departing the RSM should be seen and thanked for the evening’s entertainment.

• It is most important that an officer should bear in mind that he is a guest, and he should

  behave as he would like to see guest behaving in his own Mess.

• Under no circumstances should officers allow members of the Sergeants’ Mess to become familiar with them: at the same time an officer should not stand on his dignity.

WHEN VISITED

• The Sergeants’ Mess should only be visited by officers on duty or when formally invited to a Mess function. An officer will always remove his hat on entering the Sergeants’ Mess even when on duty.

• It is strictly against the rules of etiquette in the JDF for an officer to use the Sergeants’ Mess as a place to go when he feels like it. This will only lead to familiarity between the officers and senior non-commissioned officers.

SERGEANTS’ MESS DANCES

• When attending Sergeants’ Mess dances it is customary and good manners to ask the RSM’s wife and the wives of the senior warrant Officers and sergeants to dance. Officers should avoid spending their whole time at the bar or monopolising the attention of the prettiest girls in the room.

• Taking Guests. The rules for taking a guest to the Sergeants’ Mess are the same as those for invitation. If the invitation includes a guest, there is no reason why one should not be taken. It is extremely bad manners to take a guest when one has not been asked unless it is a special occasion and then the RSM should be approached.

• When to leave

• It is the custom in some regiments or unit that, when officers attend a Sergeants’ Mess

  dance, it may not end until all officers have left. Officers should be quite clear about this before attending the Sergeants’ Mess.

SECTION VII
DUTIES OF THE ORDERLY OFFICER

• He must understand these duties thoroughly and perform them with keenness, for the way in which he carries them out will undoubtedly be carefully noted by his Commanding Officer.

• This office is invariably "sacred." Officers junior to the Adjutant must obtain his permission before going there and officers equal in rank or senior to the Adjutant do so as a matter of courtesy.

• The best guide as to which form of letter should be used when writing a reply is to reply in the same form as the original.

• When calling on a Mess an officer should take with him two cards. On one he should write the name of the Commanding Officer and the regiment as follows:

• Official entertainment. It is customary to call on or write a thank you note to the hosts after attending an "Official" occasion, dinner or dance. In certain circumstances a telephone call may be admissable. This should be done the next day if possible.

• Children of JDF Coast Guard personnel are allowed the privilege of being christened onboard HMJ Ships.

Regimental Silver

Of great pride to all messes are its priceless items of silver. The JDF officers’ messes are no exception and boast several beautiful pieces of silver. Some items date back to early 19^th Century. All items were donated by officers of the respective messes. The infantry regiments have a wide selection that have been passed on from regiments that have historical links to the present day Jamaica Regiment and indeed the JDF. The various battles in which so many brave West Indians participated are proudly inscribed on many pieces.

The JDF only displays these items on rare occasions, such as Regimental Dinner Nights and Force functions. These items are regarded as a proud part of our heritage and indeed history.

Click below to view the various types of silver:

Standards, Guidons and Colours

Origin of Colours

The origin of the customs of carrying Colours goes back to the days of early man, who fixed his family badge to a pole and held it aloft in battle for the dual purpose of indicating his position and acting as a rallying point should the occasion arise. Medieval chivalry followed the same idea when armorial bearings were placed on their banners so that these could be seen well above the melee. When armies were beginning to adopt a system of regimentation at the beginning of the 17^th century each company was allotted a Colour, a custom, which persisted for about a hundred years.

Standards and Guidons

These have evolved from the banners of the knights of the Middle Ages. The Standard (a square banner) was then carried by a knight; the Guidon (an ensign or standard ending with a tail or point, now swallow-tailed) being carried by a banneret. When a banneret was created a knight the point of his Guidon was cut off, thus transforming it into a Standard.

Symbolism

Colours have become the symbol of the spirit of a regiment, for they bear the battle honours and badges granted to the regiment in commemoration of the gallant deeds performed by its members from the time it was raised. This association of Colours with heroic deeds has caused them to be regarded with veneration. The fact that Colours are consecrated before being taken into use, and after service are laid up in sacred or public buildings, helps to maintain the atmosphere of veneration with which they are surrounded.

Occasions when carried

Regimental Colours are carried on all ceremonial parades by all Regiments who have been granted Colours.

The Queen’s Colour is carried only when a guard is mounted over:

• Her Majesty the Queen, His Royal Highness Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, or a member of the Royal Family.
• A governor-general, governor, high commissioner, lieutenant governor or officer administering the government in his capacity as Her Majesty’s representative within the area of his jurisdiction.
• A foreign sovereign, the president of a republican state or a member of a reigning foreign Imperial or Royal Family.

The Queen’s Colour will not be trooped except in the case of:

• A Guard mounted over Her Majesty The Queen, His Royal Highness Prince Phillip Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and members of the Royal Family.
• A Guard mounted over Her Majesty’s chief representative in British Dependent Territories.
• A ceremonial parade held in honour of the Queen’s birthday.
• The occasion of Presentation of Colours.

Laid up Colours

Old colours are laid up in sacred buildings.    These colours of the various West India Regiments have been laid up in the Garrison Chapel at Up Park Camp.   They can never, under any circumstances, again be carried on parade.