English inspection

The British people´s preference for chess, basically a miniature battle, could be related to their military traditions. Those traditions can be found even in times of peace. Tourists in London crowd around to witness the changing of the Royal Guard and, of course, the Trooping the Colour by Queen Elisabeth II, every June.

In Great Britain they are very fond of chess but they do take their game seriously. The current standard and easy-to-handle design of chess pieces was created in the 19th century and was named after English chess champion Howard Staunton. It comes as no surprise then that the Chessmen Museum owns several chess games from Great Britain. The J.M. Glotzbach Collection, for example, holds a wooden set that has been varnished in a particular fashion. The pieces are not the standard black and white ones; the light side has got yellowish and flame-like spots.

Standards
The English take their traditions very seriously as well. Whereas our king celebrates his birthday in a contemporary manner, visiting with his subjects and playing house music, things could not be more different in London. During her birthday party, Queen Elizabeth II inspects her military troops: Trooping the colour, or, parading (trooping) the standard (colour). This takes place on Horse Guards Road and is a tradition of more than 250 years old.

The tradition of carrying a standard itself dates back even further in English history. Family colours and arms were hung on a pole during battle to show which side you belonged to. Medieval knights took over this habit. With the development of a standing army of mercenaries instead of knights and their squires, regiments were given their own banners at the end of the 17th century. It was essential for soldiers to have a landmark that stood out above the powder-smoke and dust of the battlefield. The tradition of carrying a standard during battle existed until 1881. When the First Boer War broke out in South Africa the tradition was abolished because of the new way of warfare: muskets could claim victims over a longer distance and two armies no longer gathered for an old-fashioned battle.

Inspecting the troops also dates back to the 17th century. When they weren´t on a battlefield, soldiers would march daily. The standard would be clearly visible while they were marching so they could memorise it. It was of utmost importance that soldiers recognised their flag without any doubt and that they knew which regiment they belonged to during a battle. Banners were also quite handy outside of the battlefield, for example so soldiers wouldn´t get lost…. In foreign cities soldiers could tell where they were stationed by these banners.

In honour of the king
From 1749 onwards, the banners were inspected at the changing of the Guard (except when the weather was very bad) and in 1768, King George III installed the tradition of holding parades in honour of the monarch´s birthday. When the old king was on his sickbed, between 1811 and 1820, the parades were cancelled, with the exception of the birthday of his beloved wife, Queen Sophia Charlotte, in 1813.

After George III´s death in 1820, the tradition of Trooping the Colour during the monarch´s birthday was maintained without interruption, barring a few exceptions such as the two World Wars. Since 1953, when young Elizabeth II ascended the throne, her personal troops parade for her birthday every year. Until 1987 the queen insisted on personally inspecting and saluting her troops, on horseback and in uniform. Since then, she drives past the troops in a carriage.

The troops consist of more than a thousand soldiers and officers, two hundred horses and six bands that play special parade music. The whole parade is organised meticulously and the commander gives 113 orders during the whole event. The route runs from Buckingham Palace along the Mall to Horse Guard Parade, Whitehall and back again.

Traditional and punctual as ever, the English carry out the event on a tight schedule and as the clock on the building of the Horse Guard strikes eleven, the queen arrives. She salutes the troops and then the inspection begins. Elizabeth slowly drives past the regiments after which she enters Buckingham Palace, where she appears on the balcony with her family to watch the parade. The parade has changed little over the centuries, except in name: it is the birthday of the queen which is celebrated and no longer that of the king. Until Elizabeth passes on her crown to the next in line, of course.

Those who have a soft spot for the eccentric islanders may come and inspect their creations in the Chessmen Museum. The standards may have disappeared from the battlefield and off the chessboard, but the stately English design of the chess pieces is unbeatable.

By Marjolein Overmeer