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").

Boer War

South Africa 1901-1902

WW1

Messines 1914

Armentieres 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.