Trooping the Civil Defence Corps Colour

Trooping the C.D. Colour

London. 8^th April 1961

Today in 2020, the Trooping the Colours ceremony has been severely curtailed by the Coronavirus Crisis, but in times past the CD Standards were officially displayed at many events each year.

Wimbledon Unit (sub. Area 53D (1)) C.D. Corps rehearsing the ceremony of Trooping the Colour which they carried out for the second time at the N.F.C.D.A. Rally, London.

 (Left to right) Mrs. E. Collis (Welfare), Rescue Officer H. Peers, Mrs. D. Colman (Ambulance) 

& Chief Officer G. Woods, A.F.I.C.O. (HQ).

The Creation of the Civil Defence Standard.

Sir Gerald W. Wollaston, Garter King of Arms, designed the C.D. flag (and the Auxiliary Fire Service flag) based on the Red Ensign of the Merchant Navy. The flag was approved by King George VI on 11th August 1943, and first used on Battle of Britain Day, 26th September 1943.  

H.M. Government issued one flag to the C.D. of each local authority in the United Kingdom (except for Northern Ireland which had no C.D. Corps). Any extra flags were to be made locally with no reimbursement from government.

After 1953, a version bearing the Queen’s Crown was produced but these are less commonly seen as unless a new Standard had been presented, the C.D. Divisions continued using their existing (King’s Crown) flags.

The Presentation of Standards.

Parades and displaying standards were a regular part of C.D.C. life and their presentation was an important official ceremony.

 In 1963, the Brighton Division was given a new Standard. Members of the Division marched to the Regency Buildings in the town, where they paraded for inspection by the Mayor.

After the parade, the Mayor handed over the new flag with the following speech:

“In recognition of the loyal and efficient work carried out by all members of the Brighton Division of the C.D. Corps I have great pleasure in presenting, on behalf of the Corporation of Brighton, this C.D. Standard.”

“May this Standard be an added inspiration to our Brighton Division to continue to train for, and carry out with their much to be admired selfless interest, the humane duties and ideals of service to our beloved country that they may be called upon at any time to perform”

Major-general C.M.F. White heading the parade with the new Standard, followed by the men of “A” Company and the women of “B” Company, marching back through the town to St. Peter’s Church where the Standard was dedicated by the Vicar of Brighton, Canon J.N. Keeling (Honorary Chaplain to the Division and Head of the Warden’s Section).

A Precedence Problem?

Associated with parades is the thorny matter of precedence in the order of march. After several letters and enquiries about this, the January 1960 edition of Civil Defence magazine carried the following reply, dated 28th October 1959, from the Director of Civil Defence:

“There are no hard and fast rules and no prescriptive rights in this matter which is essentially for local settlement, but if we are asked for advice we say that Armed forces of the Crown, which includes the Women’s Services of Her Majesty’s Forces and the pre-Service Training Organisations, take precedence over the civilian organisations. Of the latter it is customary for the police, Fire Service and C. D. Corps to precede other bodies such as the St. John’s Ambulance Brigade, the British Red Cross Society, the Women’s Voluntary Service and the Civilian Youth Organisations.”

“As between Police, Fire and C.D. Services contingents no order of precedence has been laid down; at the Remembrance Day ceremony at the Cenotaph each in turn leads the others in successive years.”

Sources:

Civil Defence Magazine Vol.12 No.1 January 1960
Civil Defence Magazine Vol.13 No.7 July 1961

Civil Defence Magazine Vol.15 No.8 August 1963