Trooping the Colour marks army's 37th anniversary

Almost 200 soldiers yesterday took part in the Trooping the Colour parade at Luqa Barracks to mark the 37th anniversary of the Armed Forces of Malta.

Prior to the ceremony, the colours were blessed by Archbishop Paul Cremona during Mass at St John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta.

The parade was last held in 1995 during the celebration marking the 25th anniversary of the forces under the Maltese government.

This year, the parade consisted of seven officers, the AFM sergeant major, 34 soldiers in the four guards, a colour party of three soldiers, the AFM band, made up of 43 members, and 192 orderlies.

A flypast was performed over the parade ground marking the AFM Air Wing's 35th anniversary.

The event, which is steeped in history and is performed by regiments across the Commonwealth, dates back to the 17th century when the colours were used as a rallying point on battlefields for soldiers.

The colour represented a regiment's direct link and service to the sovereign and to the fallen soldiers and officers of that regiment.

Its loss was considered a shameful event, whereas the capture of an enemy colour was seen as the greatest glory attained on a battlefield.

Colours come in pairs: The national colour and the regimental colour, with the second bearing the regimental badge or emblem and battle honours bestowed on the regiment.

The history of the colours used by Maltese regiments of the British army dates back to the time when the Maltese rose against the French occupation in 1798.