The Scottish Regimental Colours Packed Away for Another Year

Just over a year ago the Colours of the NZ Scottish Regiment were deposited at the museum in a special ceremony.

Credit: Otago Daily Times

The Colours are displayed annually in the Military gallery at the museum around the same time as Anzac Day in April.

However, when not on display the Colours are kept in our environmentally controlled stores. The decision was taken not to store the Colours on their pikes as this was putting some of the more fragile areas under strain.

A few ideas were proposed about the best storage systems for the Colours and we contacted Conservation Supplies in Warkworth for advice. The boxes not only had to protect the Colours but they also had to be made of conservation grade materials and able to be handled safely. After many emails and drawings back and forth we came up with a final design that Conservation Supplies made for us. The boxes were laser cut from acid free card and came to the museum flat packed.

Flat pack boxes ready for assembly.
Credit: Toitū Otago Settlers Museum.

Luckily I have large tables in the lab I could push together to accommodate the size of the boxes. The three white tools you can see in the left of the image are called bone folders (they are made from plastic not bone).

Bone folders
Credit: Toitū Otago Settlers Museum.

They are a very useful tool found in practically every conservation practice. They come in a variety of shapes and styles and one of their many uses is to fold the creases into a box.

For the smaller items additional packing was required in the boxes.

Registrar Claire Orbell packing the cord and tassels from the colour
Credit: Toitū Otago Settlers Museum.

Our Registrar uses inert conservation grade materials to construct custom made recesses for the objects in the boxes.

Claire ensuring the recess fits the object
Credit: Toitū Otago Settlers Museum.

During this process Claire accommodates for all the objects foibles – in this case a loose coil from the tassel. This is important as it gives protection to already damaged or fragile areas of an object.

For the Colours themselves we could lay them directly into the boxes. Prior to putting on the lid the fringe around the edge of both colours was straightened out. As you can see in the image the protocols surrounding wearing white gloves extends to not only displaying but packing the Colours away also.

To prevent them from sliding around in the box two inserts – again made from conservation grade materials – were inserted into the box exerting enough pressure on the Colours to hold them in place but at the same time not damaging the embroidery.

Once packed the colours were safely stored for another year until they are due to go on display again in April 2018.

Fiona McLaughlan, Conservator and Claire Orbell, Registrar.