What are the traditions of the British Army?

Answer 1

The hundred years of military tradition and service produces a number of customs and traditions typical of a strong family orientated regiment. A small selection of the regiment's unique appearance and practices can be seen below.

The White Horse of HanoverIn 1759 the 14th Foot was quartered at Windsor where, as a mark of royal favour from George III, it gained permission to wear the White Horse of Hanover on the cap of the grenadiers and drummers (the symbol of King George's family - The House of Hanover). The badge is now the collar badge of the Yorkshire Regiment and is also borne on the Regimental Colour.

The Regimental Quick March - 'Ca Ira'

In 1793 at the Battle of Famars against the French Republic, the 14th Foot's advance had been checked when the Regimental Colonel ordered his drummers to strike up the marching air 'Ca Ira', which the French were then playing as symbolic to the revolution, and called out "Come on lads; we'll break them to their own tune' which they duly did. This was then adopted as the Regimental quick march, the only march in the British Army to be gained in action.

The Colour Black in Regimental DressIn the Seven Years War the 15th Foot was part of General Wolfe's force which scaled the Heights of Abraham and captured Quebec on 13th September 1759. Wolfe was killed at the moment of victory and his loss was marked in the black background to the Regiment's collar badges. This is reflected in the Yorkshire Regiment's ceremonial shoulder boards and the black stripes in the Regimental stable belt and Tactical Recognition Flash.

The Colour Brunswick Green in Regimental DressIn 1744, during the Wars of the Austrian Succession, the 19th Foot first became known as 'The Green Howards'. At that time, the Regimental Colonel was the Honourable Charles Howard and, following the convention at the time, the Regiment was known as 'Howard's Regiment'. It was also brigaded with another regiment whose Colonel was also called Howard and some distinction between the two regiments had to be made. As the Regiment wore green facings to its uniform, it became known as 'The Green Howards'. The other regiment wore buff facings, and became 'The Buff Howards'. The nickname 'The Green Howards' stuck, and survived until 1920 when it became the official title of the Regiment. This very dark version of green was used by the Royal House of Hanover and originates from the area around Braunschweig (Brunswick in English) Germany.

The Regimental ButtonsThe 19th Foot cap badge was personally designed by Queen Alexandra, when she was Princess of Wales, and incorporated the Dannebrog (the Cross of Denmark) and her personal cipher (the A with a Princess's coronet above it). The date 1875 commemorates the year the Regiment became the Princess of Wales's Own and the roman numerals 'XIX' denote the 19th Regiment of Foot. The badge continues to be worn on The Yorkshire Regiment's buttons and borne on the Regimental Colour.

The Honorary Colours

The Yorkshire Regiment is the only Regiment to have an additional set of Colours on parade, two Regulation Colours and two larger Honorary 'Battle' Colours awarded to the 76th of Foot in recognition of their distinguished service in India. The 3rd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment continues, uniquely, to carry four colours.

RugbyThe 33rd/76th Foot were the winners of the first Army Rugby Competition in 1907 and since then the Regiment has won the Army Rugby Cup fourteen times and been runners up eight times, a record unmatched anywhere else in the Army.

The Lion Rampant in the Regimental Cap Badge & Regimental MottoIn 1783 Arthur Wellesley, later to become the Duke of Wellington, joined the Regiment and subsequently commanded it in the Netherlands and India where he learnt his 'trade' as a military commander. He was Colonel of the Regiment from 1806 until 1813 and the 33rd Foot fought under him at the Battle of Waterloo. Following his death in 1852, and in recognition of his especially close ties to the 33rd, Queen Victoria commanded that the Regiment be known as The Duke of Wellington's Regiment. The Regiment adopted his crest, a lion rampant carrying the cross of St George, as its cap-badge and his motto of 'Fortune Favours the Brave'. Both have been continued in The Yorkshire Regiment cap badge, motto and borne on the Regimental Colour.

The Elephant on the Regimental ColourThe 76th Foot was formed in 1787 for service in India where it particularly distinguished itself in the campaign of 1803-4 to capture the major northern Indian cities of Dehli, Agra, Leswaree and Ally Ghur. The success of these campaigns laid the foundations upon which the Indian Empire could be built. In recognition of the part the Regiment played the was granted the badge of an elephant circumscribed with the word 'Hindoostan' and a pair of of Honorary Colours. The Honorary Colours continue to be carried by the 3rd Battalion and the elephant borne of the Regimental Colour.

Answer 2

The US Army is filled with traditions. One definition of tradition is "a customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior held by an identifiable group of people." A well-known tradition is the action of a lower-ranking person saluting a higher-ranking military officer. Another common tradition is the wearing of distinctive unit insignia, such as crests and patches.

Answer 3

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