91st Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force Colours

Until its closing in January 2020, Trinity Anglican Church was the resting place of the 91st Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) Colours. The 25^th Elgin Battalion of Infantry originated in St. Thomas on 14 September 1866. During the First World War, it provided soldiers for the 91^st Battalion (CEF). After the war, the regiment was renamed The Elgin Regiment and awarded the perpetuation of the 91^st Battalion from the First World War. They carried the Colours of the 91^st Battalion CEF from 1921 - 1935, when these were laid up in Trinity Church. 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 Colours hung over a side chapel in the church, dedicated to the memory of the regiment and the members it lost. As the 100-year-old Colours were taken down, they fell apart and were beyond saving. The remains were burned with quiet respect and the ashes interred with Lieutenant-Colonel W.J. Green, who commanded the 91st Battalion and was buried at St. Thomas Cemetery.

91st Battalion received its Colours during a ceremony at Pinafore Park on May 24, 1916. The Battalion assembled at the barracks and marched down Ross, Talbot and Elgin streets to Pinafore Park, to the music of its brass, pipe and bugle bands. A large crowd watched their demonstrations of drill and training. The Battalion formed a hollow square and the Colours – the King’s Colour and the Regimental Colour – were presented by the Officer Commanding the No. 1 Military District, Colonel L.W. Shannon, during a drumhead service. The Colours were the gift of R.M. Anderson of St. Thomas, the brother of Captain A.H. Anderson, a Boer War Veteran from the 25th (a St. Thomas battalion).