The West India Regiment raised in 1795 disbanded in 1927, had their Regimental Standard shipped back to England and presented to King George V. It now forms part of the Royal Collection Trust.
The West India Regiment was reformed in 1958 following the formation of the Federation of the West Indies.
A new Strand of colours incorporating all the insignias, battle honours, traditions and history of previous West India Regiments were commissioned.
A plaque dedicated to Briish & Commonwealth Veterans, hangs in the Peace Gardens, Bath Row, Birmingham, England.
"No greater gift can one man give, than to lay his life down for another"
Six vessels of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Jamaica, after the Island of Jamaica.
A cost cutting exercise saw the amalgamation of the 1st & 2nd West India Regiments. In total, the amalgamated 1st & 2nd WIR had eight sets of Colours presented between 1840 and 1913. The above Regimental Standard is the last of those Colours.
The Regiment paraded for the last time on 31st January 1927 at Up Park Camp, Jamaica. The Regimental Colours were trooped for the last time before being shipped back to England.
George Lushington Powell was born in Manchester, Jamaica on 26th September 1934. He spent his childhood and youth in St Elizabeth with his family and became inseparable from his cousin Clifton Mahon, two years his senior.
When Clifton applied to work in the USA in agriculture, it was natural for George to apply, however he failed the farm work test. Upset that his friend had left, he asked the family to pay his passage to England where he could embark of a new career of his own.
The first mention of black drummers in history is in 1759, when 8 or 10 boys taken at the surrender of Guadeloupe were presented by Admiral Boscawen to his brother who was commanding the 29th at that time.
However, it appears that even if these drummers arrived as slaves, they enjoyed a respectable standing within the regiment and retired as free men.
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Empire Day was first introduced in Canadian schools in 1898 and celebrated on the last school day before 24th May, Queen Victoria's birthday.
Empire Day was adopted by the UK in 1904 and extended throughout the countries of the Commonwealth.
In 1958 Empire Day was renamed Commonwealth Day, in accordance with the new post-colonial relationship with the nations of the former Empire.
The Commonwealth of Nations consists of 54 countries across all six inhabited continents.
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