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71-531: The White Ensign , at one time called the St George's Ensign because of the simultaneous existence of a crossless version of the flag, is an ensign worn on British Royal Navy ships and shore establishments . It consists of a red St George's Cross on a white field, identical to the flag of England except with the Union Flag in the upper canton. The White Ensign is also worn by yachts of members of

142-535: A badge or a charge , mostly in the right half. It is the flag flown by British merchant or passenger ships since 1707. Prior to 1707, an English red ensign and a Scottish red ensign were flown by the English Royal Navy and the Royal Scots Navy , respectively. The precise date of the first appearance of these earlier red ensigns is not known, but surviving payment receipts indicate that

213-694: A blue ensign for ships operated by the Canadian government and for the Royal Canadian Navy . The Red Ensign served as Canada's national flag until 1965 when, after considerable debate , it was replaced by the Maple Leaf flag . The Red Ensign is still popular among traditionalists and monarchists . Although the national Red Ensign is no longer used officially, the provincial flags of Manitoba and Ontario are Red Ensigns bearing their respective coats of arms. The Hudson's Bay Company and

284-670: A Secretary of State to approve "any colours consisting of the Red Ensign defaced or modified". Supporters cited the example of the States of Jersey , who in 2010 were permitted to use a "voluntary or informal" red ensign, adorned with a Plantagenet crown. The movement culminated in a petition for the Scottish Government to seek a warrant from the U.K. government to reintroduce the flag as an "informal or voluntary ensign" for Scottish merchant vessels. MacKenzie stressed that

355-617: A historical exhibit/museum ship) the White Ensign, apparently because its first master (an ex-Royal Navy man) brought it with him. The White Ensign was historically used, in its unaltered form, by the naval forces of Australia, Canada and New Zealand, with the Blue Ensign of each of these Dominions (as they were then known) as a jack. In 1965, with the adoption of the Maple Leaf Canadian flag , Canada stopped using

426-581: A naval ensign, and the White Ensign was reserved to the Royal Navy ; the relevant Order in Council retained the option to use Red or Blue Ensigns in HM Ships if desired. Royal Navy ships and submarines wear the White Ensign at all times when underway on the surface. The White Ensign may also be worn on a gaff , and may be shifted to the starboard yardarm when at sea. When alongside, the White Ensign

497-467: A red lion holding a scrolled shield showing the sinking of the ship Sea Venture off of Bermuda in 1609. The Red Ensign is likely to have been chosen as Bermuda's land flag due to Canadian influence. (For the first half of the 20th century, Canada made use of the Red Ensign defaced with the Canadian shield as an unofficial land flag.) Bermuda's 2002 shipping legislation officially recognises the flag as an ensign for Bermudian registered ships. Prior to 2002,

568-1020: A result, the Blue Ensign was used throughout the Empire and thus became the model for the flags used by a number of colonies and former colonies in the British Empire . At the same time, the red ensign (which was designated in 1864 as the flag for merchant shipping) was used by merchantmen of those colonies or territories which obtained an Admiralty warrant. Warrants were issued, chronologically, to British North Borneo (1882), British East Africa (1890), Canada (1892), New Zealand (1899), British South Africa (1902), Australia (1903), British Somaliland (1904), Union of South Africa (1910), Newfoundland (1918), Indian Native States (1921), Cyprus (1922), Tanganyika (1923), Western Samoa (1925) and Palestine (1927). Those areas, notably including British India, that did not have an Admiralty warrant used

639-791: A salute to British authorities. The White Ensign may also be worn by the boats of commissioned ships. Yachts of the Royal Yacht Squadron and the Trinity House vessels when escorting the British Monarch ( King or Queen of the United Kingdom ) are also permitted to wear the White Ensign. On land, the White Ensign is flown at all naval shore establishments (which are commissioned warships), including all Royal Marines establishments. Permission has been granted to some other buildings with naval connections to fly

710-480: A sermon by Roger Williams in 1636, equating crosses with the papacy , Governor Endicott ordered the St George cross removed from the flag. The Great and General Court of the colony found that Endicott had "exceeded the lymits of his calling", and yet left the flag without its cross for a number of decades afterward. In 1674, a Royal Proclamation of King Charles II (1630–1685, reigned 1660–1685) confirmed that

781-465: A variant of its white ensign, with a blue cross instead of the red Cross of St George found on the naval ensign, as a government and 'non combatant' ensign, serving a similar purpose to the UK 's Blue Ensign . The Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club of Bermuda uses a white ensign defaced with the red abbreviation R.H.A.D.C. and surmounted by St. Edward's Crown. The New South Wales Ambulance service uses

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852-590: A white ensign defaced with the badge of the service. The Sydney Ferries house flag is a variant of the white ensign. Ensign (flag) The Middle English ensign is derived from the Latin word insignia . Vexillologists distinguish between three varieties of ensigns: Some countries like the United States and France use just one flag as an ensign and also as a jack , while lacking special cantons and transparent identification. All ships of

923-603: Is a warship , a merchant ship , a ship under contract to carry mail , or a yacht , for example. The national flags of several Commonwealth countries originated in the ensigns of the United Kingdom. Some of these national flags include those of Australia, New Zealand and several island nations. It is also very likely that the Grand Union Flag , from which the flag of the United States developed,

994-453: Is the civil ensign or merchant ensign of the United Kingdom . The flag has overall ratio of 1:2 with the Union occupying one quarter of the field and placed in the canton . Some public bodies or national institutions are authorised to fly red ensigns defaced with a badge or emblem. These include: The red ensign defaced with a specific club's badge or emblem is allowed to be hoisted as

1065-491: Is the only Overseas Territory not to adopt any such ensign as its territorial flag, although the ensigns may still be seen on vessels in the waters of the territory. The Crown dependency of the Isle of Man was granted a red ensign, with the triskelion of Man in the central fly, for use by ships registered through the island, by Royal Warrant dated 27 August 1971. It is widely used on luxury yachts and large cargo ships around

1136-590: Is worn at the stern, with the Union Jack flag flown as a jack at the bow, during daylight hours. The logo of Royal Navy features a waving White Ensign at the top. The White Ensign is worn at the mastheads when Royal Navy ships are dressed on special occasions such as the King's birthday, and may be similarly be worn by foreign warships when in British waters when dressed in honour of a British holiday or when firing

1207-535: The British Raj that were not directly governed by the British, but by a local ruler through a form of indirect rule subject to a subsidiary alliance under the paramountcy of the British Crown . The great majority of the princely states of British India were landlocked . Some of the few which had a coastline used versions of the red ensign on their merchant vessels. The New Zealand Red Ensign with

1278-706: The North West Company also used Red Ensigns as their corporate flags. The Red Ensign with the Newfoundland great seal in the fly was considered the unofficial flag of the Dominion of Newfoundland from 1904 until 1931, at which point it was officially legislated as the Dominion of Newfoundland's "National Colours" to be flown as the civil ensign , with the Union Flag being legislated as the national flag at that time as well. The Newfoundland Red Ensign

1349-542: The Royal Air Force Ensign ) and civil air ensigns . In heraldry , an ensign is an ornament or sign, such as the crown, coronet, or mitre, borne above the charge or arms . Red Ensign The Red Ensign or " Red Duster " is the civil ensign of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland . It is one of the British ensigns , and it is used either plain or defaced with either

1420-490: The Royal Yacht Squadron and by ships of Trinity House escorting the reigning monarch . In addition to the United Kingdom, several other nations have variants of the White Ensign with their own national flags in the canton, with the St George's Cross sometimes being replaced by a naval badge omitting the cross altogether. Yachts of the Royal Irish Yacht Club wear a white ensign with an Irish tricolour in

1491-528: The Taunton flag and the George Rex flag . It also formed the basis of the Grand Union Flag of 1775, which served as the first American national flag, although it differed slightly from the primary Red Ensign in that it had a squared Union Flag in the canton. In 1801, with another Act of Union , Ireland joined with Great Britain to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , which resulted in

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1562-520: The Union Flag was placed in the canton. There was also a version of this flag without the overall St George's Cross, which appears to have been for use in home waters only, though this flag appears to have fallen out of use by 1720. In 1801, after the Act of Union 1800 , the flag was updated to include the new Union Flag in the canton, and so took on the form as used today. The blue field of the Union Flag

1633-500: The defacement of the flag in accordance with Māori custom in which white capital letters identifying a particular family or Māori tribe are added. In the case of the flag on the right, TAKITIMU refers to a grouping of Māori iwi descended from the crew of the Tākitimu waka (canoe) . Today, private and merchant craft can choose to fly the Flag of New Zealand (which is a blue ensign) or

1704-596: The "petition was not meant to replace or supersede the British Red Ensign". The petition received the support of MSP Michael Russell, and other Merchant sailors and members of sailing trade groups. The petition gained enough support that it was passed onto the Scottish Government who recommended Mr MacKenzie "raise the issue with the Secretary of State directly or through his MP". Upon

1775-518: The 1588 Spanish Armada battles). Later, there was usually a St George's Cross in the upper canton, or sewn across the field as on the modern White Ensign. These striped ensigns continued in use under the Stuart kings: the Naval ensign of 1623 is described as having "15 horizontal stripes alternately blue, white and yellow with a Cross of St George in the canton". This design fell out of use after 1630, with

1846-449: The 16th century, consisting of a white field with a broad St George's Cross and a second St. George's Cross in the canton. By 1630 the white ensign consisted of simply a white field, with a small St George's Cross in the canton, which was consistent with the red and blue ensigns of the time. In 1707, the St. George's Cross was reintroduced to the flag as a whole, though not as broad as before, and

1917-748: The Blue Ensign on land, and in 1947 Prime Minister Ben Chifley reaffirmed this position, but it was not until the passage of the Flags Act 1953 that the restriction on civilians flying the Blue Ensign was officially lifted, after which use of the Red Ensign on land became a rarity. Under the Navigation and Shipping Act 1912 and the Shipping Registration Act 1981, the Red Ensign remains the only flag permitted for use by merchant ships registered in Australia. Pleasure craft may use either

1988-634: The British Antarctic Territory is a white ensign defaced with the territory's coat of arms . This is the only white ensign in use by a British Overseas Territory . A White Ensign, without Saint Patrick's Saltire , defaced with a blue lighthouse in the fly, is the Commissioners' flag of the Northern Lighthouse Board . This flag is unique as it uses a pre-1801 Union Flag in the canton. The burgee of

2059-653: The British Naval Ensign is authorised to be used at the HMS ; Seraph memorial on the campus of The Citadel . The White Ensign also flies over the British Cemetery on Ocracoke, North Carolina , which contains the remains of several seamen from HMT  Bedfordshire , as well as a memorial to the lost naval trawler , which was sunk off the coast of Ocracoke Island in May 1942. The Flag of

2130-656: The English navy was paying to have such flags sewn in the 1620s. Prior to the reorganisation of the Royal Navy in 1864, the plain red ensign had been the ensign of one of three squadrons of the Royal Navy, the Red Squadron , as early as 1558. By 1620, the plain red ensign started to appear with the Cross of St George in the upper-left canton . The Colony of Massachusetts used the red ensign from its founding; after

2201-536: The New Zealand red ensign. The Red Ensign, defaced with the shield of the national coat of arms, was authorised as the merchant ensign of the Union of South Africa on 28 December 1910. From 1912, the shield was displayed on a white disc. The ensign was superseded by the national flag with effect from 1 January 1960, in terms of the Merchant Shipping Act 1951. The Red Ensign with the shield

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2272-563: The Red Ensign as a national flag ended with the introduction of a proper national flag in 1928. This was preceded by the South African Flag Controversy of 1925 to 1928. The flag of the city of Taunton in Bristol County , Massachusetts is based on the pre-1801 Red Ensign. This was a local variant of the Flag of New England (see George Rex Flag ). The Grand Union Flag , the first national flag of

2343-506: The Red Ensign or the national flag, but not both at the same time. The term "Red Ensign" is often used to refer to the Canadian Red Ensign , the former de facto national flag of Canada. It was informally adopted following Canadian Confederation in 1867 and, from 1892, it was the official flag for use on Canadian merchant ships. On land, however, the official national flag was the Union Flag. Despite its unofficial status,

2414-524: The Red Ensign was also the principal ensign of the Royal Navy, and as such it was worn by ships of the Red Squadron of the navy, as well as by those warships that were not assigned to any squadron (i.e., those sailing under independent command). The white ensign and the blue ensign were also used by the Royal Navy. Many in the Admiralty felt that the Royal Navy's use of three separate ensigns (i.e.,

2485-461: The Red Ensign was the appropriate flag to be worn by English merchant ships . The wording of the 1674 proclamation indicates that the flag was customarily being used by English merchantmen before that date. At this time, the ensign displayed the Cross of St George in the canton. This changed in 1864, when an order in council provided that the Red Ensign was allocated to merchantmen. It is probable that

2556-464: The Red Ensign was widely used on land as well. In 1924, the Red Ensign was approved for use on Canadian government buildings outside Canada, and from 1945 for those inside Canada as well. Canada's Red Ensign bore various forms of the shield from the Canadian coat of arms in its fly during the period of its use. Shown here are pictures of the three official forms between 1868 and 1965. Canada also used

2627-545: The Royal Naval Tot Club of Antigua and Barbuda is sometimes misidentified as a White Ensign; the burgee is a white swallowtail pennant (similar to a Royal Navy Commodore 's) with the Union Flag is use until 1801 in the upper hoist canton. In the 19th and early 20th century, steamers of the Furness Railway on Lake Windemere flew the white ensign "as the admiralty only exercised jurisdiction over

2698-632: The Union Flag in the first quarter, and the Southern Cross , represented by four five-pointed white stars featured in the fly became the official flag in New Zealand for merchant vessels in 1901. Previously a plain red ensign was used. The red ensign may continue to be flown on land in Māori areas or during Māori events under the Flags, Emblems, and Names Protection Act 1981 in recognition of long held Māori preference for red flags. New Zealand law allows

2769-587: The Union Flag in the first quarter, but with the Southern Cross designs from each national flag (blue stars for the RAN and red stars for the RNZN) replacing St. George's Cross. Several other Commonwealth navies also use naval ensigns with a visual connection to the White Ensign. For example, the South African Navy have retained a cross on a white field, with their own national flag in the canton, in place of

2840-746: The Union Flag. The Royal Indian Marine ( Royal Indian Navy from 1934) used the unaltered White Ensign as its ensign from 1928 until 26 January 1950, when India became a republic within the Commonwealth. After that date, the Royal Indian Navy became the Indian Navy and the Union Jack in the canton was replaced with the Indian tricolour. Aside from being flown by the Arleigh Burke -class destroyer USS  Winston S. Churchill ,

2911-504: The White Ensign on its naval vessels in favour of the new flag. Following a reorganisation of the Canadian armed forces in 1968, a new "white ensign" was adopted, incorporating the Canadian flag in the canton and a badge in the fly. This flag, however, was until 2013 not used as the ensign, but as the jack, and also as the basis of the sovereign's colours of the Royal Canadian Navy. In May 2013 the Canadian "white ensign" became

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2982-529: The White Ensign to mark Trafalgar Day and the victory in the naval Battle of Trafalgar on its 201st anniversary in 2006. The U.S. Navy destroyer Winston S. Churchill is the only U.S. warship to fly the White Ensign along with the Stars and Stripes to honour her British namesake, the former prime minister . Isambard Kingdom Brunel's SS  Great Britain , although a merchant ship, appears to have worn (and still bears and flies, preserved in dry dock as

3053-797: The White Ensign. This includes the St Martin-in-the-Fields Anglican Church in Trafalgar Square , London , which is the parish church of the Admiralty . The Ensign is also displayed on the Cenotaph alongside the Union Jack flag (for the British Army ) and the Royal Air Force Ensign , in memory of the dead in the World Wars. Special permission was granted to any individual or body to fly

3124-421: The cross-saltire was adopted by the Scots as a national ensign at a very early period, but there seems no direct evidence of this before the fourteenth century. The earliest Scottish records were lost at sea in the ship that was sent to return them to that country, whence they had been carried off, with the " Stone of Destiny ", by King Edward I (1239–1307, reigned 1272–1307). Prior to 1707, the Scottish Red Ensign

3195-482: The ensign and the national flag the jack. Many Canadian veterans' organisations still use the original White and Blue Ensigns unofficially as symbols of history and heritage. During Australia's involvement in Vietnam , the RAN modified the White Ensign (1967) to create a uniquely Australian ensign which would avoid any confusion with UK vessels; Britain was not involved in the conflict. New Zealand followed suit in 1968. The modified RAN and RNZN White Ensigns incorporate

3266-681: The first quadrant and defaced by the crowned harp from the Heraldic Badge of Ireland. The Flag of the British Antarctic Territory and the Commissioners' flag of the Northern Lighthouse Board place the Union emblem in the first quarter of a white field, omitting the overall red St George's Cross, but they are not ensigns for use at sea. English naval ensigns were first used during the 16th century, and were often striped in green and white (the Tudor colours), but other colours were also used to indicate different squadrons, including blue, red and tawny brown. (These striped ensigns can be seen in use on both English and Spanish warships in contemporary paintings of

3337-410: The flag was often used unofficially by Bermudian ships as an ensign, as reflected in Admiralty correspondence dating back to the 1950s. Bermuda (civil) Government vessels and maritime services use the defaced blue ensign , which is flown both from vessels and from shore facilities. Gibraltar features variant flags of the territory which incorporate the Gibraltar coat of arms into a red ensign. This

3408-498: The high seas" and "repeated requests from the admiralty to desist were met with polite refusals" An unofficial white ensign design featuring the royal symbols of the dominions and India was created in the early 20th century to demonstrate the British Empire evolving into a community of nations. It was flown throughout the interwar period for events such as Empire Day and the British Empire Exhibition . The Dangarsleigh War Memorial still flies it on some occasions. The Bahamas uses

3479-423: The introduction of the Red, White and Blue ensigns. The use of stripes continued in the red and white of both the flag of the Honourable East India Company , adopted in 1600, and of the 1775 Grand Union Flag that formed the basis for the modern flag of the United States , and the red, white and blue striped ensign that is the flag of Hawaii . The first recognisable White Ensign appears to have been in use during

3550-405: The legislative union of England and Scotland in 1707, the tiny Royal Scots Navy came to an end as a separate force, and the "Union" colours (invented on the union of the two crowns a hundred years before) were inserted in all ensigns, naval and mercantile. An Order in Council of 21 July 1707 established as naval flags of the royal standard the Union flag and "the ensign directed by her Majesty since

3621-407: The most senior and blue the least). Ships flew the colour of ensign corresponding to the squadron to which they were attached, which was in turn determined by the seniority of the admiral under whose command the ship sailed (a rear admiral of the red was senior to a rear admiral of the white). In 1864 the Admiralty decided to end the ambiguity caused by the Red Ensign being both a civil ensign and

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3692-453: The national ensign by members of the following yacht clubs : Bermuda , uniquely among British overseas territories , uses the Red Ensign as its land flag as well as at sea. The flag has apparently been flown unofficially since Bermuda's arms were granted in 1910. There appears to be no formal adoption of the Bermuda flag for use on land, although a 1969 Foreign and Commonwealth Office circular mentions its use. The white and green shield has

3763-399: The plain Red Ensign, although unofficial local versions of the Red Ensign were used. Today , Red Ensigns charged with the local emblem are available to be used by ships registered on several of the component registers of the Red Ensign Group : Bermuda , British Virgin Islands , Cayman Islands , Falkland Islands , Gibraltar , Guernsey , Jersey , and Isle of Man . The plain red ensign

3834-438: The present Union Flag being added to the canton. The St Patrick's Cross was added to the Union Flag and, accordingly, to the first quarters of the British ensigns. The Merchant Shipping Act 1854 included a specific provision that the Red Ensign was the appropriate flag for a British merchantman. This provision was repeated in successive British shipping legislation (i.e., 1889 , 1894 (section 73) and 1995 ). Until 1864,

3905-404: The previous year, were passed by the parliaments of England and Scotland , thereby uniting the Kingdom of Scotland with the Kingdom of England (which included the Principality of Wales ) into a new state with the name " Kingdom of Great Britain ". This resulted in a new red ensign which placed the first Union Flag , including a saltire in the first quarter. The new design of the Red Ensign

3976-476: The red, white, and blue) was outdated and confusing. Many also felt that merchantmen should be clearly distinguishable from warships . In July 1864, an order-in-council provided that the White Ensign was the ensign of the Royal Naval Service . The Blue Ensign was designated as the proper national colours for ships commanded by an officer of the Royal Naval Reserve , and (with an appropriate badge) as national colours for ships in government service. The Red Ensign

4047-411: The said Union of the two Kingdoms", which from the coloured drafts attached to the order is seen to be the red ensign. The white and blue ensigns are not mentioned in this Order; evidently the red ensign was alone regarded as the legal ensign of Great Britain and the others as merely variations of it for tactical purposes. In 1707, Acts of Union , ratifying the Treaty of Union , which had been agreed

4118-403: The seagoing services of the United States Government except for the United States Coast Guard fly the national flag as their ensign, although the ships of some agencies also fly an agency flag as a distinctive mark . Countries like Ukraine , Italy , Russia , South Africa , Australia , New Zealand and Japan use different ensigns. These are strictly regulated and indicate if the vessel

4189-476: The ship is under way, becoming known as a steaming ensign . A boat flag is also often used as guest country flag and is flown on the boat when navigating in foreign waters or entering another country's port. With the creation of independent air forces and the growth in civil aviation in the first half of the 20th century, a range of distinguishing flags and ensigns were adopted. These may be divided into air force ensigns (often light blue in color, such as

4260-443: The ship. This includes employment contracts, safety regulations, stamp duty or value-added taxes . In most countries, especially in Europe and the countries of the Commonwealth of Nations , it is common for the ensign to display additional information, like whether it is a civil, state or military flag. Ensigns are usually at the stern flagstaff when in port, and may be shifted to a gaff (if available) or mast amidships when

4331-466: The time). In the early 18th century, the breadth of cloth had been reduced to 10 inches, so the flags became 5:9. In 1837, the breadth was reduced for the final time to 9 inches, giving the current ratio of 1:2. Throughout this period in the history of the Royal Navy, the White Ensign was one of three ensigns in use, with each one being assigned to one of the three squadrons of the navy, according to its colour (red, white and blue, with red being

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4402-495: The world, due to the financial benefits the Isle of Man can provide. The Australian Red Ensign is the Australian civil ensign. From 1901 to 1954 the flag was used as a civil flag, to be flown by private citizens on land, with the use of the Blue Ensign reserved for government use, reflecting British practice. During this period, the Blue Ensign was the Australian national flag. In 1941, Prime Minister Robert Menzies stated that there should be no restrictions on private citizens using

4473-456: Was also used on land as a de facto national flag from 1910 until 1928. There was also a Blue Ensign which was the official ensign of government-owned vessels, and was also flown at South African offices overseas. The most notable usage of the Red Ensign as a national flag was when General Louis Botha flew the flag over Windhoek in what was then German South-West Africa after the town's occupation by South African troops in 1915. The use of

4544-465: Was assigned to British merchantmen. This basic structure remains today. A few years later (1867–1869), the Admiralty determined that the blue ensign charged with an appropriate badge in the fly would be used as the ensign by those ships in the armed, or public, service of the many British colonies. Most British colonies needed to use the blue ensign due to the fact that most had government vessels; some colonies, such as South Australia , had warships. As

4615-406: Was darkened at this time at the request of the Admiralty , in the hope that the new flags would not require replacing as often as the previous design, due to fading of the blue. Throughout this period, the proportions of the flags changed. In 1687, the then Secretary of the Admiralty , Samuel Pepys , instructed that flags be of the ratio 11:18 (18 inches long for each breadth, 11 inches at

4686-402: Was flown by ships of the Royal Scots Navy , with a saltire in the canton. The Scottish Ensign has been flown unofficially by many Scottish vessels for a number of years. In 2015, a movement was launched by Lieutenant Commander George MacKenzie RNR to have the Scottish Ensign officially recognised, on the basis that the Merchant Shipping Act of 1995 permits Her Majesty the Queen in Council or

4757-421: Was proclaimed by Queen Anne (1665–1714, reigned 1702–1714), who indicated that it was to be used by both the navy and ships owned by "our loving subjects". The flag was flown by ships of the Thirteen Colonies in North America before the American Revolution . Modification of the flag was used to express the discontent of the colonists before and during the outbreak of the revolution. This can be seen in both

4828-406: Was redesigned by Adelaine Lane, niece of Governor Sir Cavendish Boyle in 1903. The Fijian Red Ensign with the Union Flag in the first quarter, and the shield from the coat of arms of Fiji in the fly became the official flag in Fiji for civilian vessels since 10 October 1970. Previously the ensign was displayed the full coat of arms on a white disc from 1908. The flag representing British India

4899-406: Was strongly influenced by either the British Red Ensign or the flag of the British East India Company . In nautical use, every boat uses a flag belonging to a specific Nation to indicate its organizational membership. This flag signifies the home port of the ship owner and that taxes for ship-related income are paid there. Flagging out always means that the relevant laws of the country apply on

4970-409: Was then used as official commercial shipping identification until the mid-1960s. The badge in the flag consists of Mercury , the god of commerce and merchandise, presenting to Britannia a fisherman who, in a kneeling attitude, is offering the harvest of all the sea. Above the device in a scroll are the words Terra Nova , and below the motto Hæc Tibi Dona Fero or "These gifts I bring thee." The seal

5041-503: Was usually the Union Flag with the Star of India . In many international events and international associations the Red Ensign with the Star of India was used to represent India. After the partition of British India, both India and Pakistan have their own civil ensigns following British tradition, which are all variants of the Red Ensign with their own national flag in the canton. The princely states , also known as 'native states', were over five hundred nominally sovereign territories within

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