Royal Australian Artillery - Traditions

Traditions

  • Battle Honour – "UBIQUE" – Latin :meaning "Everywhere".
  • Head of Regiment – Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II – Captain General of the Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery.
  • Motto – "QUO FAS ET GLORIA DUCUNT" – Meaning 'Whither right and glory lead'. Earlier Australian badges depicted the words 'Consensu Stabilies Australie', meaning "Australia Strong and True".
  • The Regimental Colours – The guns, colours serve as rallying points in battle. The rallying point in battle for Gunners is their guns. Thus the guns are the Colours.
  • Australian guns symbolically have the national Coat of Arms engraved on the barrels.
  • Troops stand to attention when being passed by the guns when on parade as the guns are the ceremonial colours of Artillery.
  • It is considered rude and insulting to the colours to lean on or rest against a gun.
  • Patron Saint – Saint Barbara, Protector from fire and explosion.
  • Regimental Birthday – 1 August.
  • Regimental Marching Tune – "The British Grenadiers".
  • Always first in the order of march when on parade as troops on the march are always led by their highest commander. The Queen holds the highest command rank in the Army and is also head of the Regiment of Artillery.
  • When addressed or referring to the group always referred to as "The Gentlemen of Artillery".
  • Officers wear a bursting grenade on lapels on ceremonial uniforms signifying them as Artillery personnel. Other ranks wear a cypher with the letters 'RAA' scrolled.
  • Ceremonial colours – Red over blue.
  • Regimental lanyard colour – White, signifying it as the first corps of the British Armies to wear lanyards. The story of the reason behind the colour white is said to have been derived from the Battle of Colenso at which the members of the 14th and 66th Field Batteries RA were "bled white" while serving their guns, having deployed too close to the enemy positions, and in trying to recover them together with the Devonshire Regiment and the Scots Fusiliers despite Boers’ heavy fire. The lanyard was adopted by the Australian 'A' Battery which also served in the Campaign, and later by the Corps after Federation.

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