Infanteers bid farewell to battalion's Colours after 1 Scots became 1 Ranger
Colours from the Army's senior line infantry regiment have been laid up, marking the final chapter in the transition of 1st Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland into 1st Battalion, The Ranger Regiment.
The Colours of 1 Scots were paraded through Edinburgh for the last time before being formally retired at Canongate Kirk.
Soldiers, veterans and families from across The Royal Regiment of Scotland and The Ranger Regiment attended proceedings, with the Princess Royal, as Deputy Colonel-in-Chief, being present at the kirk.
Remembering the past
The battalion was redesignated on 1 December 2021, with its personnel forming 1st Battalion of the then-new Ranger Regiment – 1 Ranger.
On their last parade from Edinburgh Castle Esplanade down the Royal Mile, the Colours were accompanied by three guards and the Band of The Royal Regiment of Scotland, including the Pipes and Drums.
Each of the guards accompanying the Colours represented the current and former regiments of 1 Scots – one for The Royal Regiment of Scotland itself and two representing its history, The Royal Scots and The King's Own Scottish Borderers.
The two regiments had previously combined in March 2006 when the battalion was formed.
Colours are a regiment's ceremonial flags, representing its identity and battle honours. Traditionally these were carried on the battlefield and served as a rallying point behind which an army would fight.
The colours paraded in Edinburgh had been in service since their presentation by the late Queen Elizabeth II in July 2011 and laying them up marked the formal end of their active use.
The present – and the future
Colours are laid up when they are too worn and old for active service and are replaced by a new set, or in this case when a battalion or regiment is disbanded and they are no longer required.
However, 1 Scots was not disbanded, instead being redesignated into 1 Ranger, which has its own colours.
This transformation was part of the Army's Future Soldier transformation, which sees the battalion taking on a new role deploying alongside partner forces overseas.
The Ranger Regiment forms part of the Land Special Operations Force, and was established to deploy alongside partner forces around the world to counter extremist organisations and hostile state threats, with 1 Scots being chosen to help pioneer this new role.
The Ranger Regiment operates across four battalions and is routinely deployed alongside partner forces in regions including Oman and Kenya, however 1 Ranger's designated area of operations is southern Europe.
The Ranger Regiment's cap badge takes its inspiration from the Peregrine falcon, and is worn by all ranks.
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