The 5th Battalion was a Territorial battalion along with the 6th so would have been formed in 1908 from a former Rifle Volunteer regiment affiliated to the East Surreys. The 6th remained a Rifle Battalion and so carried no Colours. The Colour shown here is the same as those of the 1st and 2nd Battalions apart from the numeral V in the middle. The rules about having battle honours only on the Regimental Colour were changed in 1919, and regiments were allowed ten of the East Surreys WW1 honours to be emblazoned on the King’s Colour. The 10 battle honours that can be seen here are repeated on the other side of the flag. Before WW1 territorial battalions carried the Regimental and King’s Colours devoid of battle honours apart from the Boer War honours, but after 1919 the Regimental Colours bore the honours won by the whole regiment since the 18th century.
