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Traditionally,
the colours of The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery are its guns. They
serve the same central role in pride and identity as do the guidons or
colours of armour and infantry regiments.
The
custom of the guns being the colours of the artillery has its origin in
the British practice of designating the largest piece in an artillery
train as the “flag gun”.
Use
of the flag gun has been recorded as early as 1722. Later, the guns
themselves came to be regarded as the colours of the artillery as gunners
in battle rallied to their guns in the same fashion as regiments of
cavalry and infantry rallied to their colours.
Rockets
and missiles used by the artillery are classed as “guns” and are
included as colours.
Compliments
are not paid by the troops on parade to the guns during roll pasts or
other parade movements.
The
artillery has no equivalent to the “Trooping the Colour” ceremony.
It
should be noted that spectators will pay compliments to the guns, as
colours, during a roll past or during similar movements on formal parades
and ceremonies.
Although
it may be impracticable in modern times to treat guns as colours in
nonceremonial circumstances, they must be accorded the dignity and respect
they deserve. Such practices as smoking on or near the guns, sitting or
leaning on them, decorating them for social occasions and leaving them
unprotected are intolerable. |
