At the heart of any regiment is its history and traditions. These have their most vivid manifestation in the Regimental cap badge and its stand of Regimental Colours.
On amalgamation in 1958, the new regiment took elements of the three predecessor regiments badges; the 11th Foot, later the Devonshire Regiment, and the 39th and 54th Foot, later the Dorsetshire Regiment.
From the Devonshire Regiment came the basis of the badge; Exeter Castle (the castle was a feature common to both regiment's badges). Also incorporated was the Devon's motto 'Semper Fidelis''. The Dorsets contributed the 39th's motto, 'Primus in Indis' and the 54th's Marabout Sphinx to the new badge. The origins of these features are explained on The Keep Military Museum's History pages*.
s is traditional, each battalion holds a Queens Colour, the Union flag, and a Regimental Colour based on the regiments facing colour, in our case a dark green. There is a laid down maximum number of honours permitted on each colour and representatives of the two regiments agreed, on the basis of equal number, tempered by importance of individual honours, which of the Battle Honours were to be emblazoned on the two colours.
The Regimental Colour bears the Honours earned between the raising of the Devons in 1685 through to the South African War (Bore War), at the turn of the nineteenth century). The Queen's Colour bears a selection of the battle honours earned during the Great War and Second World War.
The difference between the two battalion's stands of colours is minimal. The 4th Battalion's Colours have a roman numerals 'IV' and the letters '1st RV' (1st Rifle Volunteers), while the 1st Battalion has a simple roman I.
The three 1st Battalion stands of colours and the single stand of 4th Battalion colours, as is the tradition, are laid-up in the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment in Exeter Cathedral.