The Shanghai Volunteer Corps is claiming for itself a special privilege in its annual march past this year, which takes place on Sunday, April 10, In a manner which might be compared to the custom observed in the City of London, where only -|a few regiments closely connected with the city are permitted to march through its streets with fixed bayos the 5.Y.C. will parade the Corps Colour and the Regimental Colour of the Russian Battalion, and those members of the Corps armed with rifles will march with fixed bayonets, The Corps Colour will be carried by the junior officer of the Corps, Second Lieutenant C, Melchers, and it will be guarded by two sergeants, one from "A" Battalion and one from "B" Battalion. The company which has the honour of escorting the Colour is selected by ballot, and this year "B" Company of "A" Battalion has been chosen, The Colour of "C" Battalion, (Russian), will be carried in accordance with Russian custom by a sergeant of the battalion.
By claiming for itself the special privilege of parading the colours with fixed bayonets, the Corps is following a truly ancient precedent, In England, if not also in other countries, the right to march through the city with "colours flying, drums beating and bayonets fixed' is the exclusive privilege of corps or regiments which have intimate associa-ions with that city. The origin of colours goes back to the days when chieftains marked their position in battle with a banner so that their nen could follow them into the thick the fight, It is now many years since modern warfare has banished ill such picturesque survivals from the field of battle, but in all armies the Colours are still respected as symbols of the tradition and cohen sion of the regiments which carry them.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.