Composition
The posting strength of "the Guard" varies; although a Royal Guard consists of 32 members from each service, one left marker, one right marker, two flag bearers and one parade officer. The Navy contingent of the Guard always appears on the left hand side of a parade, with Army in the centre and RAAF on the right. This is a tribute to the seniority of the services.
Every member enlists into a specific trade in either the navy, army or air force, but puts those trades on hold for the duration of their service in the Guard. Although formed initially for the celebrations of the centenary, the standard of the Guard was such that it was kept on as a showcase for the ceremonial capabilities of the Australian Defence Force, serving in various public duties capacities.
For administrative purposes the unit is divided into four sub-units, a Head-Quarter element and three single service "Divisions". Each Division is commanded by an Officer from that service.
Read more about this topic: Australia's Federation Guard
Famous quotes containing the word composition:
“The composition of a tragedy requires testicles.”
—Voltaire [François Marie Arouet] (1694–1778)
“Since body and soul are radically different from one another and belong to different worlds, the destruction of the body cannot mean the destruction of the soul, any more than a musical composition can be destroyed when the instrument is destroyed.”
—Oscar Cullman. Immortality of the Soul or Resurrection of the Dead? The Witness of the New Testament, ch. 1, Epworth Press (1958)
“At painful times, when composition is impossible and reading is not enough, grammars and dictionaries are excellent for distraction.”
—Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806–1861)