THE historic regimental flags inside Salisbury Cathedral have been lowered after 175 years. 

When a new set of colours (regimental flags) is presented to a regiment, the previous set is retired.

There are several reasons for this, including condition, the awarding of new battle honours, or celebrating the start of a new era for the regiment.

Once colours are laid up, they are left to hang until they have completely disintegrated, which can take a century or so, and then the remains of the colours are cremated with the staff (or pole) in consecrated ground without any markings.  

On Tuesday, March 7, a ceremony was held after Evensong in Salisbury Cathedral, at which the remains of the colours (or flags) of the 62nd Regiment of Foot (The Wiltshire Regiment) were taken down after hanging in the cathedral for more than 175 years.

The disintegrating colours were handed back to Regimental Association representatives during a ceremony conducted by The Venerable Alan Jeans, Archdeacon of Sarum.

Also present were the Dean of Salisbury, Canon Treasurer and The Revd Peter Atkinson, Minor Canon for Young People, Esther Lycett, Head Verger, and members of the Rifles Regimental Association.

The colours will be cremated before being interred in the garden of the Rifles Wiltshire and Berkshire Museum in the Cathedral Close in May.

The colours embody the honour, spirit and heritage of the regiments that proudly carried them.

In this case, the colours were carried in Sicily and Italy in 1806-14, in North America in Maine in 1814-15, lost for seven months in the Ganges in 1842 when the boat carrying them from Calcutta to Dinapore capsized, and were eventually laid up in Salisbury Cathedral in 1848.