Battle Honours

A battle honour is an award of a right, by a government or sovereign, to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible.

In Great Britain and those countries of the Commonwealth which share a common military legacy with the British, battle honours are awarded to selected military units as official acknowledgement for their achievements in specific wars or operations of a military campaign. These honours usually take the form of a place and a date (e.g. "Cambrai 1917").

2nd Boer War
South Africa 1901-1902

WW1
Messines 1914
Armentières 1914
Ypres 1915
St Julien
Bellewaarde
Arras 1917
Scarpe 1917
Cambrai 1917-1918
Somme 1918
St Quentin
Lys
Hazebrouck
Amiens
Bapaume 1918
Hindenburg Line
Canal du Nord
Selle
Sambre
France & Flanders 1914-15

WW2
During WW2 the Oxfordshire Yeomanry had been re-roled into the Royal Artillery.

It had been recognised that the Royal Artillery was present in all battles and deserved most of the honours awarded to Cavalry and Infantry regiments. In 1832, King William IV awarded the motto “Ubique” (Everywhere) as a substitute for all past and future Battle Honours, this is still the case today and this motto is part of the Royal Artillery cap badge.

Unlike the Cavalry and Infantry, the Royal Artillery never carries Standards, Guidons, or Colours. The Colours of the Royal Artillery are its Guns. When on parade on Ceremonial occasions the Guns are accorded the same compliments as the Standards, Guidons, and Colours of the Cavalry and Infantry.

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