The Cheshire Oak Leaf: A Royal Honour
C D Bowers, Around the Oak Tree at Dettingen (1876)
The painting below was inspired by the incident at the Battle of Dettingen, 1743 when members of the 22nd Foot assisted King George II under an oak tree. Regimental tradition says that after the battle the King presented the Officers of the Regiment with oak leaves to be worn on all royal occasions. The acorn and oak leaf have been associated with the Cheshire Regiment ever since.
Click on the image to enlarge.
Reproduced by Kind Permission by the Cheshire Military Museum. Reference code: CHE_CMMU_PCF16.
Want to find out more about the role of the Cheshire Regiment today? Read on!
The Regiment maintained royal associations well into the 20th century. In 1957, they were inspected by HM Queen on the Roodee. HRH Prince Charles has been Colonel in Chief of the Regiment since 1977 and presented new colours at The Castle in 1973. Additionally, a 300 year anniversary for the Regiment on the Roodee was held in 1989 along with a service at Chester Cathedral with Prince Charles in attendance.