British Empire flag
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Comment: The lead section needs to summarise more closely the content of the article, not describe the way in which the Union Jack was used. The Naval Museum image would be better for the infobox. AntientNestor (talk) 16:00, 21 September 2023 (UTC)
The early 1900s saw many calls for the British Empire to adopt a new flag representative of all its Dominions, Crown colonies, protectorates, and territories. Such a role was already fulfilled by the Union Jack of the United Kingdom, but some regions of the empire were beginning to develop distinct national identities that no longer seemed appropriately showcased by that flag alone. For example, after achieving self-governance, Canada used a British ensign defaced by its coat of arms as a flag to represent itself internationally.[2] Other regions Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa began using similar flags defaced with their own seals and badges as they gained more autonomy as well.[3] Although the Union Jack in the canton of these flags still felt like a natural inclusion by many white settlers of the empire, who considered the United Kingdom to be their homeland, it was becoming clear that the growing status of these newly-birthed nations deserved to be highlighted in some form. This led to the creation of numerous Empire flags, which saw widespread use from the beginning of the reign of George V to the end of the Second World War.[4]
Early calls for an Empire flag
In 1902, the Daily Express reported that the new King Edward VII was taking suggestions for a new flag to represent the British Empire in its entirety. The British Empire was nearing its territorial height, and some believed that the Union Jack was no longer enough to represent its many constituent nations on its own. What was proposed at the time was a Cross of Saint George with a crown in the canton, representing the English. The top right would be occupied by the emblem of the territory the flag would be flying in. A large sun would have defaced the centre to represent "the empire on which the sun never sets."[5] It is unknown what the final verdict on this proposal was.
There were renewed calls for an Empire flag in 1910, but discussions on this were deferred until the 1911 Imperial Conference. It was ultimately not raised as a topic, with most of the discussion being focused on the potential formation of an Imperial Federation. The president of the Australian Natives' Association called for a "truly union flag of the Empire" featuring representation for the Dominions in 1916. However, the proposal was rejected by association members. Further suggestions were made in 1921 when there was speculation that the partition of Ireland would result in a change to the Union Jack. Nothing came out of these efforts.[4]
Common Empire flag designs
Despite the failure in gaining traction for an official Empire flag, an unofficial design with a strong similarity to the proposal originally described by the Daily Express in 1902 became popular among the public in the interwar period. This flag was a White Ensign featuring the symbols of the Dominions. Canada was represented by the shield from its coat of arms in the bottom left. The coat of arms of South Africa was placed in the top right, and the coat of arms of Australia was in the bottom right. Four stars on the cross represented New Zealand, and the Star of India was placed in the centre. Most of these flags were sewn at proportions of 3:5 or 5:8.[4]
It is unknown how this flag came to be. This design could not have been adopted before 17 September 1910, when South Africa was granted its coat of arms. Furthermore, this flag often featured different variants of each coat of arms depending on the time period in which it was printed. Canada used a coat of arms featuring its four founding provinces quartered together before being granted one to be used nationally in 1921.[6] It is unknown why the Australian coat of arms never received any changes on these flags, even after the adoption of a new design in 1912.[7]
The flag is most often believed to have been used for events such as Empire Day or the British Empire Exhibition as a patriotic display. A specimen collected as part of the Canadian Flag Collection has been attributed to the 1924 edition of the latter.[8] However, it is unclear if the flag was designed specifically for these events. The British Empire Exhibition could be the place of origin, since it occurred after the adoption of the Canadian coat of arms, but the event itself aimed "to enable all who owe allegiance to the British flag to meet on common ground and learn to know each other." Introducing a new Empire flag runs counter to that statement, and most flags at the exhibition simply featured Union Jacks defaced by portraits of the monarch.[4]
Use of Empire flags by the public
Regardless of its unclear origins, the Empire flag continued to show up in many locations. Households, memorials, and schools throughout the British Empire could be found flying them.
A 1919 photograph from Aldgate, South Australia demonstrates schoolchildren flying a number of British flags for a patriotic procession. The Empire flag can be seen among them.[9]
On Victory in Europe Day, the Daily Mirror published a photograph on their front page featuring the Empire flag. It is being flown by a woman in Trafalgar Square, celebrating the Allied victory with a large crowd.[10] After the liberation of Singapore from Japanese forces in 1945, prisoners of war who were kept at Changi Prison signed their names on an Empire flag. The prisoners were primarily Australian soldiers.[11] Due to the Empire flag appearing numerous times during the Second World War, it can be inferred that many copies were made during the 1930s. It is likely that the flag saw a revival before the beginning of any conflict to commemorate the coronation of King George VI in 1937.[4]
The Empire flag can still be found in occasional use today at the Dangarsleigh War Memorial. It was first opened in 1921 with the flag hoisted atop of the monument. A centennial celebration in 2021 saw the flag fly over the memorial once more, but it featured older designs for the coats of arms to match what would have been seen at the original unveiling. This memorial is likely the only place left in the world where the Empire flag is still flown.[12]
See also
- British Empire
- British Empire Exhibition
- Coat of arms of Canada
- Coat of arms of Australia
- Coat of arms of South Africa
- Flag of the United Kingdom
- Flag of New Zealand
- Star of India
References
- ^ "British Empire flag". Royal Museums Greenwich. Archived from the original on 2 January 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
- ^ "History of the National Flag of Canada". canada.ca. Department of Canadian Heritage. 4 February 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ Prothero, David. "Flags of the British Empire and Commonwealth". Historical Flags of Our Ancestors. Archived from the original on 25 November 2018. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
- ^ a b c d e Kelly, Ralph (8 August 2017). "A flag for the Empire" (PDF). The Flag Institute. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 August 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
- ^ "A British Empire Flag". The New York Times. 9 February 1902. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
- ^ "Arms & Badges - Royal Arms of Canada, A Brief History". Royal Heraldry Society of Canada. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
- ^ "Commonwealth Coat of Arms". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 22 June 2016. Archived from the original on 30 July 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
- ^ Stevenson, Lorraine (23 May 2018). "Argyle museum waves the flag – all 1,300 of them". The Manitoba Co-operator. Archived from the original on 6 August 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
- ^ "Schoolchildren with flags at a patriotic procession [PRG 280/1/24/128] • Photograph". State Library of South Australia. 1 January 2002. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Willis, Peter (1 May 2015). "VE Day: Full edition of Daily Mirror from day of Britain's greatest triumph FREE with today's paper". The Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 20 September 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
- ^ Xinfeng, Zhao (11 March 2022). "EXCURSION to CANBERRA - Wednesday 2 September 2015" (PDF). Flag Society of Australia. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 August 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
- ^ Ingall, Jennifer (4 June 2021). "Why the Dangarsleigh war memorial flies the Empire flag and what it means to the community". ABC News. Archived from the original on 13 August 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.