1st Battalion, Australian Rifle RegimentPrint Page

The silver shield presented by King Edward VII to the 1st Battalion, Australian Rifle Regiment (formerly the 6th New South Wales Infantry Regiment) in recognition of services rendered during the South African (Boer) War.

The shield is located in a glass case which contains a King Edward Banner which was also presented to the regiment for service in the Boer War.  According to church information, the banner was deemed too fragile to be relocated to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra for preservation. 

A plaque located on a wall above the case commemorates the presentation of the colour (Banner) to the church by the 4th Battalion on the 17th December 1939. 

Note: The 1st Battalion Australian Rifle Regiment, formerly the 6th New South Wales Infantry Regiment, later became the 4th Battalion. 

A ceremony rarely seen in Australia was performed yesterday, when the King Edward Banner of the former Australian Rifles was "laid up" at the foot of the nave of St. Anne's Church, Strathfield. The King Edward banner was presented to the Australian Rifles (whose successor is the present 4th Battalion at Homebush) by the late King Edward VII. in recognition of services rendered by members in the Boer War. The ceremony was arranged at the request of the Old Comrades' Association of the Australian Rifle Regiment, who have done much to preserve the tradition of the regiment. In the presence of a colour party, Brigadier General J. Heane carried the banner from the chancel to the altar, where he handed it to Lieutenant-Colonel J. W. Crawford, the commanding officer of the 4th Battalion, who in turn presented it to Colonel A. P. Parsons, of the 2nd A.I.P.. The rector, the Rev. W. G. Nisbet, then installed the colour in its permanent repository, where a commemorative tablet provided by the citizens' committee of the 4th Battalion was already in position.
Sydney Morning Herald (NSW), 18 December 1939.

Location

Details

Dedication