Pàgines

dimarts, 25 d’octubre del 2011

On army banners and standards - De les banderes i estendards de l'exèrcit.

It was settled not long ago by the generalitat as to how the different flags of the army regiments should be designed. Catalan regiments display two such main flags, called Colonel's and Battalion or Regimental, colours.

Colonel's colours are to be the same for all the regiments, showing the Catalan coat of arms, with its national emblem surrounded by a crown of laurel and surmounted by a royal crown, in its centre, over a red cross of Saint George and over a white field, and on the cantons in a reduced size. Sandwiched between the emblem and the crown, a scroll bears the numerical designation (in roman numbers) of the unit, as in “I REGIMENT”.

Battalion Colours share the use and positioning of the coats of arms and the scroll with the same designation as in Colonel's colours, but over a regimental facing colour field with no cross except for the 1st, 5th and 8th regiments. These units keep the red cross of Saint George under the Catalan coat of arms and over a facing coloured field, and the 8th regiment flag has a white saltire under the cross and over a blue field. The 1st regiment flag, being this unit a full grenadier guard unit, displays golden grenade devices on the arms of the cross.

You'll see two samples below.

Va ésser decidit no fa gaire per la Generalitat com havia de ser el disseny de les diverses banderes dels regiments de l'exèrcit. Els regiments catalans porten dues banderes principals, anomenades Bandera Coronela i Bandera Batallona o Regimental.

La Bandera Coronela ha d'ésser idèntica a tots els regiments, mostrant l'escut d'armes català, amb el seu emblema nacional envoltat per una corona de llorer i coronat per una corona reial, al centre, sobre una creu de Sant Jordi vermella i sobre un fons blanc, i als cantons en tamany reduït. Situat entre l'emblema i la corona, un pergamí porta la designació numèrica (en nombres romans) de la unitat, com a “I REGIMENT”.

La Bandera Regimental comparteix amb la Coronela l'ús i posicionament de l'escut d'armes i pergamí amb la mateixa designació, però a sobre d'un fons del color de la divisa regimental sense creu excepte per als 1er, 5è i 8è regiments. Aquestes unitats mantenen la creu vermella de Sant Jordi a sota de l'escut d'armes català i sobre un fons del color de la divisa regimental, i la bandera del 8è regiment té un saltuor (una creu diagonal com la de Santa Eulàlia) blanc a sota de la creu i a sobre d'un fons blau. La bandera del 1er regiment, essent aquesta una unitat completa de granaders de la guàrdia, mostra granades daurades als braços de la creu.

Veureu dues mostres a sota.

Above- a dalt: Colonel's Colours for the 2nd Regiment - Bandera Coronela del 2on Regiment
Below- a sota: Regimental Colours for the 4th Regiment - Bandera regimental del 4rt Regiment


4 comentaris:

  1. Excellent so far!
    According to the 'laws of heraldry' (empirically intending to guarantee a good visibility through a sufficient contrast) no 'color on color', only on 'metal' (silver or gold: white or yellow). It's true that they were often ignored in 'recent' vexillology (re. the current series about Philip V's flags on 'Desperta ferro!').
    On the other hand when 'Hyborian' players tried to reproduce Conan's Aquilonian flag (red lion on black) they soon discovered that unless heavily outlined in gold the device was unidentifiable when the banner was seen at some distance on the table-top.

    ResponElimina
  2. Yes that's why only fields under the red crosses will be white and yellow. Only one exception for the "Scots" regiment because I still have not edited the flag to have the red cross outlined in white or yellow...

    I found the same problem while experimenting with flag design and so settled for a simpler pne for Regimentals. I'm still quite happy with the results. I think they will make for nice wargaming scale looking standards!

    Cheers!

    ResponElimina
  3. The choice of the 'metal' outlining the Cross of St Georges on the 'Scots' regiment could be not that innocent.
    The red cross was outlined white on the British 'Union Jack' and with its blue field and white saltire the flag would look like that of a British regiment 'on loan'. A yellow outlining would mark diplomatic 'independence' (but not 'non alignment') or /and that the regiment is mainly recruited from Jacobites in exile?

    ResponElimina
  4. Now the flag is fixed, with a yellow outlining on the red cross. looks fine!

    The background for such an unit would have to differ slightly, I'm afraid, because of the Catalan alignment with the British. I guess its recruits wuold come mainly from both Scots or/and Irish exiles without a public Jacobite allegiance, or those wishing to erase such a past.

    After all recruitment in this unit could work as that of the later French Foreign Legion. Recruits would sign with a common mark leaving all their past behind and forgotten, as orphans, and given a new name by the administrative officers of the Regiment.

    So its recruits would at end be mainly ex Jacobites wishin to start anew but surely Irish and British would come to this unit. Its training and classification would be as that of grenadiers in all but name.

    Time to think about it...

    Thanks, lots of thanks!

    ResponElimina