20th Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force Colours

On 8 June 1919, 150 members and former members of the 20th Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force were in attendance when their Colours were deposited in St. Alban's Cathedral. Conducting the ceremony was Lord Bishop James Sweeney, assisted by Canon Macnab; Brigadier General Robert R. Rennie of the 4th Battalion was also present. The banner bore the text of Psalm 20:5: “In the name of our God we will set up our banners.”

In earlier times, Colours played a prominent part in many battles. They served to identify units in battle, often marking the focal point of a struggle. Captured Colours were a prized trophy and attracted enemy attention and inspired much gallantry. By the late 19^th and 20^th Century, however, they were no longer carried in battle, but their status as the heart and soul of a Regiment continued, and the laying up of Colours signifies and helps keep holy the memories of the men who sacrificed their lives.

The 20th Battalion was drawn from regiments in Central Ontario and began arriving in France on 15 September 1915. Members saw action at the Somme, Vimy Ridge, Hill 70, Passchendaele, and Canada’s Hundred Days, before returning home on 13 March 1919.

The 20th Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force Colours were likely lost in 1929 fire at St. Alban's. They were located in the Chapel of St. Alban-the-Martyr in Royal St. George's College at 120 Howland Avenue.

[banner/bannière]

“In the name of our God we will set up our banners”