Colchester United FC

Second in a new series looking at the History of Sports Badges and what they can teach us! – this time, Ipswich’s cousins down the A12, Colchester United. #GetTheBadgeIn

@ColU_Official

Just down the road from Ipswich is Colchester United. Their ground, the JobServe Community Stadium, is a neat 10,000-seater right next to the A12, across from a BP garage with an excellent McDonald’s drive-through (I used to work opposite it…don’t judge me). However, this area was once far more romantic. Known then as Camulodunum (the city, not the drive-through), it served as the Roman capital of Britain. Founded by Emperor Claudius in AD 43 after his conquest of Britain, it became the administrative centre of Roman Britain. In Claudius’s honour, a massive "Temple of Claudius" was built, which today forms the foundations of Colchester Castle.

The name Camulodunum means "Fort of the God of War"—Camulos was the Celtic god of war, and dunum meant “fort.” Over time, "chester" evolved from the Latin for “fort,” as seen in names like Chester, Manchester, Winchester, and even Leicester. As for the “Col” in Colchester, its origins are debated, with some linking it to Constantine's mother, Helena (also the namesake of Colchester’s St. Helena School), while others suggest a link to the legendary Old King Cole. There’s no definitive answer.

So, what about the football crest? It’s a large shield with a golden Roman Eagle in the centre, with a blue and white stripped background. Colchester United adopted a badge featuring the Roman eagle on a staff in the 1970s and modernised it to the current design in 1994. This eagle, or aquila, is a fitting symbol for a town with such a strong Roman heritage.

The Roman eagles were golden “standards” each legion carried into battle, symbols of honour and loyalty. Losing the eagle was a disgrace. According to Roman accounts, during the invasion of Britain, soldiers hesitated to disembark and face the fierce Britons, who had a reputation for roughness (and questionable hygiene). It was only when the soldier bearing the eagle waded ashore, leading the charge, that the rest of the legion piled in afterwards, guilt-tripped into protecting the Eagle.

Colchester (fittingly called the "city of the God of War") is now a garrison town full of paratroopers and home to the ‘Glasshouse’ – the British Army’s military prison. I have fond memories of my university days in Colchester, waiting for taxis outside the Hippodrome nightclub, where the regular police left the "squaddies" well alone, knowing the red-capped Military Police would arrive to man handle the worse for wear soldiers into the back of a van. So, a military symbol for the football team seems appropriate, and a few years ago, Colchester United even had a green camouflage “Military” third shirt, which I was tempted to buy, despite not strictly being a U’s fan.

In 2014, during renovations of the William and Griffen department store, builders uncovered the charred remains of several people who had perished in AD 60 when Queen Boudicca’s Iceni army attacked the town. Boudicca’s forces stormed the city, and the Romans barricaded themselves in a building along what is now the High Street. Boudicca’s army burned it, and them, to the ground. This detail, once thought to be partly myth, was confirmed by these remains, proving that the story is likely true.

Boudicca didn’t mess around. What she would make of today’s Colchester United squad is uncertain.