The badge of Colchester United dates back to Roman times. In the shape of a shield with the club’s name at the top, the club’s colours are represented by the blue and white stripes, and the main image in the badge is that of an eagle. The eagle was the emblem used by the Romans during their occupation of the country. (PIC 1) Colchester has a long history going back to the Roman occupation, hence the eagle on the club’s badge. (PIC 2) With the Romans arriving around 55 AD, Roman Colchester was called Camulodunum, from the name of the Celtic god of war Camulos, and the Roman word Dunum meaning fort.
The name Colchester is from Latin. The place-name suffixes Chester, Cester, and Caster derive from the Latin word Castrum meaning, fortified place and it is believed the fortified place was the castle of Old King Cole. Colchester United were not the first club formed in Colchester, as Colchester Town were formed in 1874. With Colchester being a garrison town, it would have been made up of fighting men, which is likely the reason behind one of the earliest instances of football hooliganism I have uncovered. In 1903 Colchester Town played a match against the Irish Fusiliers with the game ending up with the opposition removing their belts and giving the Colchester players a bit of a thrashing. In 1909 Colchester Town moved into a new ground called Layer Road which had previously been a parade ground. 1937 saw the demise of Colchester Town and the birth of Colchester United, who took over Layer Road. 2012 saw the demise of Layer Road when it was demolished, but fortunately, Colchester had moved out a little earlier. Today you can find Colchester United at a ground called Colchester Community Stadium.
As well as adopting the ground from Colchester Town they also adopted their badge which was the Colchester coat of arms. (PIC 3) The arms were first to appear on a Royal Charter granted by Henry V in 1413. The red in the shield represents the blood of Christ, the green cross is the living cross of St Helena, the three crowns are a symbol of the three kings in the nativity (also known as the Magi) and the nails holding the crowns are symbolic of the nails which held Christ in place. See also Hull City for reference to these crowns. St Helena was traditionally believed to have been born in Colchester in the 3rd Century. In the early 4th Century she made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and is said to have discovered the true cross growing as a tree in Golgotha. Any Bible scholar will know that Christ was in fact nailed to a tree trunk or stake as criminals were in those days and not a cross. The cross only coming into the picture when the first Roman Emperor to embrace Christianity, Constantine, was baptised just before his imminent death in an attempt to cover all bases as far as the afterlife was concerned. The cross was his personal emblem and slowly the two became entwined and is the focus of much idolatry today thanks to the pagan loving misinformed. I may get burnt at the stake, sorry cross, as a heretic but that is the truth. The cross dates back to Egyptian times, hundreds of years before Christ and was a phallic symbol. With its most famous incarnation being with an oval loop at its top. St Helena was also said to have discovered relics of the Magi now said to be in Cologne Cathedral, Germany. So, Helena was either very lucky, very clever, or clairvoyant to find not only the cross which didn’t exist but also the bones of the three Magi as well, and all on her own when Monty’s finest five, Graham, Terry, John, Eric and Michael could not even find the Holy Grail that Christ drank his last drop of wine from.
The coat of arms was the badge used up until 1972 when badges featuring the Roman eagle were introduced. These changed from an oblong badge to a circular one with the club’s name in the roundel. (PIC 4) The present shield-shaped badge has been used since 1994. Colchester had a long history with its old ground at Layer Road going back almost a hundred years, but in celebration of the centenary moved into the aforementioned Colchester Community Stadium at the start of the 2008/09 season.
Today the ground holds 10,105 fans who like most fans at most grounds have no idea what the place will be called from one season to the next thanks to the fad of getting, paint makers, insurance companies, airlines, sports shops, and all manner of Flybe nights to sponsor them, but for today at least it is the Jobserve Community Stadium. The Flybe joke has crash-landed and they are looking for sponsors themselves now. The club’s nickname is simply “The U’s”, meaning United. May I suggest a competition to find a better nickname as that’s a bit naff and getting the supporters involved would be the best way of finding the best one. I’m sure Palace won’t object to the Eagles! I would advise you not to drive a tractor through Colchester on a Saturday as you may get mistaken for rivals Ipswich. Other rivals are Southend and although not neighbours, Gillingham. If you want to find out more on Colchester United then don’t get cross just go calmly to www.cu-fc.com
