This Players Cigarette card was produced in 1930 but the date of the Colour is not clear. The pattern certainly pre-dates the Regulations of 1881. There are clues to its age in the central badge which has X for the 10th Regiment, and the pre-1881 title of North Lincolnshire. The other big change that was imposed on the regiment in 1881 was the change to white facings, from yellow. This meant that the Regimental Colour was supposed to be basically white but with the red cross of St George throughout. The Union flag in the corner was to be discontinued, and the battle honours arranged in a circular design around the central badge.
The card tells us that this is the Regimental Colour for the 1st Battalion but there is no indication that this is the case, which suggests that the Colour may pre-date the raising of the second battalion in 1858. It has the same number of battle honours, fifteen, as the 1858 2nd Battalion Colour, but arranged differently. The four retrospective ‘Marlborough’ honours are squashed in at the top.
The top of the pike, or flagpole, has a gilt 3-dimensional Royal Crest, a lion standing on the Royal crown. In this case it is the King’s crown, indicating that the Colour was carried after 1902 when King Edward VII came to the throne.
