Someone in the regiment has to look pretty, and this is the Ensign's job. Given this, it remains a mystery why the job is usually given to the most ugly person in the regiment.

The Ensign's principal function is to carry the Colour. The Colour or Standard contains the honour of the regiment. Under no circumstances must the Ensign allow the Colour to fall into enemy hands, (unless this has been pre-agreed as part of the script). The Ensign must also be able to 'flourish' the Colour, to wave it around, one handed, in front of the enemy to taunt them. He/she must be able to do this expertly without hitting him/herself in the eye!

On the battlefield the Colour is the rallying point for the regiment and the pike in particular, so the Ensign must stay will the pike block ready the show the Colour, when necessary, to reform the block, and not to end up at the bottom of a pike press with only his feet showing!

The Ensign is also the junior officer of the regiment and may often find him/herself in a position of having to command elements of the regiment on the field. He/she must therefore conduct him/herself with decorum and restraint, and not get so drunk that he either falls in the fire or looks physically green in the morning.