The Honourable Artillery Company Regimental Colours

The HAC is the oldest British Army regiment, having been incorporated by King Henry VIII in 1537 ‘for better defense of the realm’.

The City of London based headquarters has many objects that document its’ centuries-long history, including pairs of Regimental Colours, the earliest of which date to the mid-nineteenth century.

The 1864 pair were recently conserved: a full support was implemented around a previous adhesive treatment that could not be removed, despite the degraded condition of the material. For the Queen’s Colour, the burgundy silk crepeline to which the shattered silk had been adhered, created a pink hue throughout the banner which distorted appreciation of the Union flag.

Appropriately matched silks were placed behind the cream, red and navy blue bands of the flag to enable the design to be easily interpreted. A protective overlay of colour matched conservation-grade net was attached over each strip using conservation stitching.

A prepared mount board was created and covered with a pale fabric on which the conserved Regimental Colour was secured. The metal-thread fringe was reattached on three sides.