The Colours of various Units of the Australian army
	The King's & Regimental Colours of the 3rd Pioneer Battalion, circa 1922

The Queen's & Regimental Colours of the 10th & 27th Battalions of the Royal South Australian Regiment

• Many of the Units that fought in South Africa appear not to have had Sovereign's Colours or Regimental Colours. The AIF Units had neither. They marched behind a Union Jack and/or an Australian Blue Ensign. In both cases the Units were too busy fighting a war and the intention was that the Units involved would cease to exist at the cessation of hostilities.
• After the Boer War and again after the Great War the King arranged for each Unit or AIF Battalion to be presented with a 'King's Banner' which was a silk Union Flag. Those Battalions that had been disbanded in 1918 received their Banners but in most cases they were immediately Laid Up. For example the 42nd Battalion, a Queensland Battalion with a strong northern NSW influence had it's Banner Laid Up at the Cathedral in Grafton NSW.
• In many cases the CMF Battalion that inherited the line number and the Battle Honours had the King's Banner embellished and converted to King's Colours for that Battalion. 

Colours of the 3rd Infantry Battalion, The Werriwa Regiment

The King's Banner of  3 Bn AIF which after being embellished became the King's Colour of the 3rd Inf. Bn. The Werriwa Regiment

Regimental Colour of 3 Inf Bn The Werriwa Regt which was the Battalion that inherited the Battle Honours of the 3rd Battalions from Sth Africa  and WW1.

• In many cases the CMF Battalion that inherited the line number and the Battle Honours had the Kings Banner embellished and converted to King's Colours for that Battalion. 

• A case in point is displayed above.

• It must be noted that no Regimental Colour can carry more than 10 (11) Battle Honours, regardless of how many the Regiment/Battalion has won. 

• The Unit can choose which 10 (11) of it's Battle Honours to display but they cannot be changed until the next set of Colours is presented.

Photographer; John Hamilton, Grandson to Pte John Hamilton VC of 3 Bn AIF who won his decoration at Lone Pine Gallipoli, the first Australian private soldier to be so decorated in WW1. 

4th/3rd Battalion Royal New South Wales Regiment   4/3RNSWR

• When 2 Battalions are linked (2/4 RAR, 5/7 RAR, 8/9 RAR, 57/60 ACMF, 4/3 RNSWR) no new Colours are awarded and neither set is retired. Instead the linked Battalion carries both sets of Colours. Above is the double Stand of Colours of the 4th/3rd Battalion Royal New South Wales Regiment.

photos: Alan Kitchen who records his thanks to the CO  LtCol Bell for inviting him to 4/3 Bn Headquarters to take these photo's and to Captain Nigel Earnshaw and his NCO's for for their time and assistance. Holsworthy 24.2.2003