REGINA, Sask. — More than a century after Saskatchewan soldiers carried their regimental colours into the First World War, four historic banners have returned to the Saskatchewan Legislative Building, where they will stand as a permanent reminder of the lives lost and the freedoms defended by generations of Canadian service members.
The Royal Regina Rifles’ historic colours, representing the 28th, 68th, 195th and 249th Battalions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, were officially returned to the Legislative Building's rotunda Wednesday morning in a ceremony attended by provincial leaders, military representatives and veterans.
Originally gifted by Saskatchewan residents and communities to the regiments, the colours were displayed at the Legislative Building after the Great War before being moved to St. Paul’s Cathedral in Regina in 1977. They remained there until renovations in 2024 prompted discussions about finding them a new home.
For Lt.-Col. Kevin Barry, commanding officer of the Royal Regina Rifles, bringing the banners back to the Legislature restores a significant piece of Saskatchewan’s military history to public view.
“These are the most treasured possessions of those men and those regiments,” Barry told reporters after the ceremony.
He said the colours represent Saskatchewan soldiers who answered the call to fight tyranny during the First World War, with the 28th Battalion alone recording roughly 10,000 soldiers serving in its ranks over five years. The battalion suffered about 6,000 casualties, including 922 soldiers killed in action, according to Barry’s remarks at the ceremony.
The banners were not simply ceremonial decorations. Barry explained that regimental colours were once carried onto battlefields as rallying points, helping soldiers identify and regroup with their units. They were considered so sacred that colour parties were expected to protect them from capture.
Although colours are no longer carried into battle, their significance remains.
“These are an important reminder for each of us that Saskatchewan people have always shown their support and respect for those who serve our country,” Premier Scott Moe said.
Moe noted that the banners were displayed in the Legislative Building following the First World War before their transfer to St. Paul’s Cathedral. Their return, he said, feels especially appropriate as Canada’s military continues to serve at home and abroad.
“This is just one of the ways that we recognize and commemorate those who serve,” Moe said, pointing to other provincial efforts, including the Hall of Valour, which honours Saskatchewan recipients of the Victoria Cross.
He added that the colours will serve as a lasting reminder to everyone entering the building.
“It’s an honour and will continue to be an honour for myself and so many others to walk beneath these colours and remember what has been given to support the democracy,” Moe said.
Lt.-Gov. Bernadette McIntyre, Saskatchewan’s representative of King Charles III, said the banners reflect both the province’s contribution to the First World War and the enduring cost of that conflict.
More than 66,000 Canadians did not return home from the Great War, McIntyre noted, underscoring why the service and sacrifice of those who fought must continue to be remembered.
“The colours of the Great War antecedent regiments of the Royal Regina Rifles were a gift from the people of Saskatchewan,” McIntyre said. “And because the regiment’s colours were originally displayed in the legislative building, it is fitting that they have now made their way back here, back home.”
For Blaine McLeod, the Saskatchewan MLA for Lumsden-Morse and the provincial government’s military liaison, the banners offer a tangible connection to the soldiers behind that history.
“It is something that the military has been looking for for a very long time in terms of reminding us as a province and part of the nation of Canada, of our roots and the freedoms that we enjoy did not come for free,” McLeod told reporters.
He pointed out that some of the colours are visibly more worn than others, despite being of a similar age. Those that are more ragged, he explained, were taken onto the battlefield, where soldiers guarded them to prevent them from being captured by the enemy.
“I’m just chilled to the bone to know that these flags were on European soil where Canadian soldiers fought and died for our country,” McLeod said.
He described the permanent display as an opportunity for people to learn about Saskatchewan’s military past and better understand the price paid for the freedoms they enjoy today.
The ceremony also paid tribute to those currently serving in uniform. Speakers opened the event by acknowledging the deadly incident at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright that killed four Canadian Armed Forces members and injured others, followed by a moment of silence for those who died and their families.
Among those attending was Robert John Watson, the last surviving Second World War veteran of the Royal Regina Rifles. Nearly 101 years old, Watson was recognized during the ceremony for making the trip with his granddaughter.
Speaking afterward, Watson said it was an honour to witness the colours return to the Legislature.
“I’m very humbled,” he said, thanking the people who worked to bring the banners back.
For Barry, the display is intended to do more than preserve historic artifacts. He hopes visitors will consider what the soldiers represented and what their sacrifices made possible.
“They should look within themselves to what is it that they treasure about their freedom, the things that they are free to enjoy every day,” Barry said. “And then think back to what those fighting soldiers did for us to ensure that we could have that freedom that we enjoy today.”
With the colours now permanently displayed in the Legislative Building’s rotunda, Saskatchewan’s wartime history has returned to a place where it can be seen by the public, connecting the province’s democratic institutions with the generations of soldiers who fought to defend them.
