Standard-bearer

[1] This can either be an occasional duty, often seen as an honour (especially on parade), or a permanent charge (also on the battlefield); the second type has even led in certain cases to this task being reflected in official rank titles such as Chorąży, Ensign, Cornet, Fähnrich and Alferes/Alférez.

Soldiers were typically ordered to follow and stay close to the standard or flag in order to maintain unit cohesion, and for a single commander to easily position his troops by only positioning his standard-bearer, typically with the aid of musical cues or loud verbal commands.

It was an honorable position carrying a considerable risk, as a standard-bearer would be a major target for the opposing side's troops seeking to capture the standard or pull it down.

In addition to carrying the signum, the signifer also assumed responsibility for the financial administration of the unit and functioned as the legionaries' banker.

In the city militias of the Dutch Republic, the standard-bearer was often the youngest single man, who was shown in group portraits wearing rich clothing in addition to carrying the flag.

A soldier bears the Regimental Colours during an inspection of No. 7 Company Coldstream Guards prior to the start of the ceremonial season.
17th-century copy by Gerrit Lundens of The Shooting Company of Frans Banning Cocq and Willem van Ruytenburch aka The Night Watch with lines added indicating the areas cut down from the original painting in 1715
Mitrofan Grekov (1934), Trumpeter and standard-bearer in the Russian Civil War .