Standard

 The Standard was the flag that you rallied to in battle.  Once the ranks had broken the fighting was hand to hand and it was important to have something to rally to, so that the soldiers were not lost.  They could rally to their flag or standard.  They were better able to maintain their group and continue to fight together.  It was an alarming place to be exposed and fighting alone in battle.  After the first few hours men become detached from the others and needed a point to concentrate on.  Their leaders would be there giving encouragement and direction to their men.

 At the beginning it was important for each man to know the colors that he was fighting under.  There were no uniforms.  The only control was that each regiment had their own standard, so that the men knew where they were supposed to be fighting.  It was often a bloody affair and men had no other way to see who they were fighting and to gauge how the battle was going.  There may have been a Royal Standard that would show where the King was with his bodyguards.  It was an honor to be named as the Standard Bearer and if it should fall than another had to pick it up and keep it flying for all the troops to see.

 In times of war abroad there could be longish difficulties and just because a man spoke a different language didn’t necessarily mean that he was fighting on a different side.  It became standard procedure for the colors to be shown for all fighting men to see and after the battle it was given as approval for the regiment to be presented with the colors as an adornment to the trophy room and on ceremonial occasions, they would parade them in front of their marching troops. 

 Fighting men needed something to fight for and by honoring them it shown their courage and those who died in the battle were remembered and honored for their actions and remembered by their comrades. It is a sad thing to fight and to put one's life on the line for a cause that may be in vain.  But one's family and friends would be able to show their appreciation and to be proud of the actions of these fighting men.  Twice in history there have been world wars and men have been trained to kill.  Those who came home were never the same, as they relived the horrors of death and destruction.

 Saturday, 17^th April 2021