Australian red ensign

Last updated

Australian red ensign
Civil Ensign of Australia.svg
Use Civil and state ensign FIAV 000110.svg FIAV normal.svg
Proportion1:2
Adopted11 February 1903 [1]
in use from 3 September 1901
23 February 1908 (current seven-pointed Commonwealth Star version)
DesignA red ensign with the Commonwealth/Federation Star at the hoist, and the Southern Cross in the fly half

The Australian red ensign is the civil ensign of Australia, the flag of nationality flown by Australian registered ships. It is a red version of the national flag, which is mainly blue. Both flags resulted from the Commonwealth Government's 1901 Federal Flag Design Competition which required two entries: an ensign for Commonwealth Government use and another for the merchant navy. The winning design for the merchant ensign was based on the traditional British red ensign and featured the Southern Cross and Commonwealth Star.

Contents

Devices

An Australian red ensign (Royal Museums Greenwich) Australian merchant ensign (after 1909) RMG RP-73-31A-32A.jpg
An Australian red ensign (Royal Museums Greenwich)

The Australian red ensign is a predominantly red version of the Australian national flag, using the same shade of red as the Cross of Saint George which is part of the Union Jack present in the canton.

Maritime ensign

Following federation in 1901, the topic of national colours for British ships registered in Australian ports was addressed by the Navigation Act, which provided that such ships (i.e., civilian ships) should wear the Australian Red Ensign. Technically private non-registered vessels were liable to a substantial fine if they did not fly the British Red Ensign as they were not formally covered by the Navigation Act. However, an Admiralty Warrant was issued on 5 December 1938 which authorised such non-registered vessels to fly the Australian Red Ensign, too. Australia enacted fully domestic shipping legislation in 1981. The Shipping Registration Act of 1981 reaffirmed that the Australian Red Ensign was the proper "colours" for Australian registered ships and that smaller (i.e., less than 30 tons) pleasure and fishing craft could fly either the Australian red ensign or the Australian national flag but not both at the same time. Government vessels may also fly either. [2]

History

The Commonwealth Government ran the Federal Flag Design Competition in 1901 to find two designs for Australian flags: one for official Commonwealth Government use and another for the merchant navy. [3] After being submitted to King Edward VII for approval the competition-winning design which featured a southern cross with nine, eight, seven, six and five points respectively, and with Alpha Crucis being larger than Beta and Gamma as well as with Delta being smaller than Beta and Gamma, [4] was standardised by the British Admiralty with the number of points on the four biggest stars of the southern cross set to seven and the four main Stars of the southern cross being equal in size—ostensibly to improve ease of manufacture. The original variety of points and sizes was an indication of the relative brightness of each star as it appeared in the night sky. [5] In 1908, the current Commonwealth star of seven points replaced the earlier six-pointed star and has a smaller Inner Diameter. [6]

Australian/Commonwealth red ensign (1901-1903) Civil Ensign of Australia (1901-1903).svg
Australian/Commonwealth red ensign (1901–1903) FIAV historical.svg
Australian/Commonwealth red ensign (1903-1908) Civil Ensign of Australia (1903-1909).svg
Australian/Commonwealth red ensign (1903–1908) FIAV historical.svg

In the decades following federation the red ensign was the pre-eminent flag in use by private citizens on land. This was largely due to the Commonwealth government, assisted by flag suppliers, discouraging use of the Commonwealth blue ensign, now known as the Australian national flag, by the general public. [7] By traditional British understanding, the blue ensign was reserved for official government use although the red ensign was nevertheless still in military circulation until after the 1953 legislation, meaning the 1st and 2nd Australian Imperial Forces served under both the blue and red versions. [8] State and local governments, private organisations and individuals were expected to use the red ensign. [9]

In the 1920s there was debate over whether the blue ensign was reserved for Commonwealth buildings only, culminating in a 1924 agreement that the Union Flag should take precedence as the National Flag and that state and local governments were henceforth able to use the blue ensign. [10] A memo from the Prime Minister's Department dated 6 March 1939 states that: "the Red Ensign is the flag to be flown by the public generally" and the federal government policy was "The flying of the Commonwealth Blue Ensign is reserved for Commonwealth Government use but there is no reservation in the case of the Commonwealth Merchant Flag, or Red Ensign". [11]

Extract of memo from the Prime Minister's Department dated 6 March 1939 concerning flag flying procedures. Memo from the Prime Minister's Department 6 March 1939.jpg
Extract of memo from the Prime Minister's Department dated 6 March 1939 concerning flag flying procedures.

In 1940 the Victorian government passed legislation allowing schools to purchase blue ensigns. [12] The following year prime minister Robert Menzies issued a media release recommending that the blue ensign be flown at schools, government buildings and by private citizens and continued use of the red ensign by merchant ships, providing it was done so respectfully. [13] Prime Minister Ben Chifley issued a similar statement in 1947. [14]

Despite executive branch proclamations as to the respective roles of the two red, white and blue ensigns, there remained some confusion until the Flags Act 1953 declared the blue ensign to be the Australian national flag, leaving the Australian red ensign to its status as the civil ensign.

Adoption by anti-government activists

In the early 2020s, some Australian anti-government activists, including so-called sovereign citizens, and anti-vaccine mandate and related protests, adopted the Australian red ensign for their own purposes. [15] [16] The protesters often fly the flag upside down. Its use in this way is seen by many as disrespectful and insulting towards the soldiers who fought under the flag. The Returned & Services League of Australia (RSL) called it a "dishonour to Australian service men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation". [17] It is unclear why the Australian red ensign was adopted by such groups. Australian government flag protocol says that the flag should never be flown upside down in any circumstances. [17]

Merchant Navy Day

Australian National Flag Day was proclaimed in 1996. [18]

Since 2008, 3 September has also been officially commemorated as Merchant Navy Day [19] [20] [21] which allows the Australian red ensign to be flown on land for the occasion as a matter of protocol. [22] [23] Merchant Navy Day is an official recognition of the merchant navy's contribution in wartime, in particular the Pacific campaign in World War II. [21] [24]

Historical red ensigns

Notable specimens

In 2024, it was reported in the Corryong Courier that the Australian Flag Society had discovered an Australian red ensign bearing the words "Changi '41 '42" and "Chitty flag", which may have flown over the Changi Football League game where POW Peter Chitty was awarded the "Changi Brownlow" medal. [25]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Jack</span> Flag of the United Kingdom

The Union Jack or Union Flag is the de facto national flag of the United Kingdom. The Union Flag was also used as the official flag of several British colonies and dominions before they adopted their own national flags. The flag continues to have official status in Canada, by parliamentary resolution, where it is known as the Royal Union Flag.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ensign (flag)</span> Maritime flag used for national identification of ships

The ensign is a maritime flag that is used for the national identification of a ship. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. In ports, depending on the ship's origin, it is sometimes identical with a jack on the bow of the ship. Jacks are more common on warships than on merchant ships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Ensign</span> British civil 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 a badge or a charge, mostly in the right half.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Tasmania</span> Australian state flag

The current state flag of Tasmania was officially adopted following a proclamation by Tasmanian colonial Governor Sir Frederick Weld on 25 September 1876, and was first published in the Tasmanian Gazette the same day. The governor's proclamation here were three official flags, they being the Governor's flag, the Tasmania Government vessel flag, and a Tasmania merchant flag. Up until 1856 when Tasmania was granted responsible self-government, the Union flag and the British ensign were primarily used on state occasions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British ensign</span> British maritime flag

In British maritime law and custom, an ensign is the identifying flag flown to designate a British ship, either military or civilian. Such flags display the United Kingdom Union Flag in the canton, with either a red, white or blue field, dependent on whether the vessel is civilian, naval, or in a special category. These are known as the red, white, and blue ensigns respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of New Zealand</span> National flag

The flag of New Zealand, also known as the New Zealand Ensign, is based on the British maritime Blue Ensign – a blue field with the Union Jack in the canton or upper hoist corner – augmented or defaced with four red stars centred within four white stars, representing the Southern Cross constellation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maritime flag</span> Flag designated for use on ships or at sea

A maritime flag is a flag designated for use on ships, boats, and other watercraft. Naval flags are considered important at sea and the rules and regulations for the flying of flags are strictly enforced. The flag flown is related to the country of registration: so much so that the word "flag" is often used symbolically as a metonym for "country of registration".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Ensign</span> Flags used in Royal Navy vessels

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Victoria (state)</span> Australian state flag

The flag of Victoria is a British Blue Ensign defaced by the state badge of Victoria in the fly. The badge is the Southern Cross surmounted by an imperial crown, which is currently the St Edward's Crown. The stars of the Southern Cross are white and range from five to eight points with each star having one point pointing to the top of the flag. The flag dates from 1870, with minor variations, the last of which was in 1901. It is the only Australian state flag not to feature the state badge on a round disc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Australian Air Force Ensign</span> Flag of the Royal Australian Air Force

The Royal Australian Air Force Ensign is used by the Royal Australian Air Force and the Australian Air Force Cadets in Australia. It may also be flown on Air Force aircraft overseas. It is based on the Australian national flag, with the field changed to Air Force blue, and the southern cross tilted clockwise to make room for the RAAF roundel inserted in the lower fly quarter. The roundel is a red leaping kangaroo on white within a dark blue ring. The ensign was proclaimed as a Flag of Australia under section 5 of the Flags Act on 6 May 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian white ensign</span> Naval ensign

The Australian white ensign is a naval ensign used by ships of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) from 1967 onwards. From the formation of the RAN until 1967, Australian warships used the British white ensign as their ensign. However, this led to situations where Australian vessels were mistaken for British ships, and when Australia became involved in the Vietnam War, the RAN was effectively fighting under the flag of another, uninvolved nation. Proposals were made in 1965 for a unique Australian ensign, which was approved in 1966, and entered use in 1967.

<i>Flags Act 1953</i> Australian act of Parliament defining the flags of Australia

The Flags Act 1953 is an act of the Parliament of Australia which defines the official Australian National Flag and the Australian Red Ensign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian Defence Force Ensign</span>

The Australian Defence Force Ensign is a flag of Australia which represents the tri-service Australian Defence Force. The design was formally recognised by the Australian Government as a flag of Australia with an amendment to the Flags Act 1953 passed on 14 April 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian Border Force Flag</span>

The Australian Border Force Flag is the flag flown by Australian Border Force vessels and sometimes on ABF buildings. Any vessel acting in a customs capacity must fly this flag. The current version is an Australian National Flag with the words "AUSTRALIAN BORDER FORCE" added in bold between the Commonwealth Star and the lower part of the Southern Cross. This flag was adopted by regulations coming into force on 1 July 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Australia</span> National flag

The national flag of Australia is based on the British Blue Ensign—a blue field with the Union Jack in the upper hoist quarter—augmented with a large white seven-pointed star and a representation of the Southern Cross constellation, made up of five white stars. Australia also has a number of other official flags representing its people and government bodies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian flag debate</span> Debate on changing the Australian national flag

The Australian flag debate is a question over whether the Australian flag should be changed, particularly to remove the Union Jack from the canton, but also to possibly introduce a completely new design without the Southern Cross.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian Flag Society</span> Political party

The Australian Flag Society (AFS) is an advocacy group which opposes changing the existing flag of Australia and seeks its constitutional recognition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1901 Federal Flag Design Competition</span>

The 1901 Federal Flag Design Competition was an Australian government initiative announced by Prime Minister Edmund Barton to find a flag for the newly federated Commonwealth of Australia. In terms of its essential elements the winning entries are the official flag of Australia.

The three branches of the Australian Defence Force are each represented by flags, among other emblems and insignia. Within each service, various symbols fly on individual ships, at bases, camps, the Australian Defence Force Academy and colleges. These include flags, standards, guidons and banners and that denote rank, appointment, corps, formations, regiments, training units and sub-units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the flag of Australia</span>

The following is a timeline of the flag of Australia.

References

  1. ↑ Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No. 8, 20 February 1903
  2. ↑ "Shipping Registration Act 1981". pp. 10, 22. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
  3. ↑ Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No. 27, 29 April 1901.
  4. ↑ Thomson, Jeff (10 November 2015). "Construction Details of the Australian Flag". FOTW Flags Of The World website. Jon Radel. Retrieved 21 November 2023. The 1901 Southern Cross star-points ranged from nine (Alpha) to five (Epsilon) and inner diameter of each was 4/9 of their outer diameters. Beta, Gamma and Epsilon were the same outer diameter as today, Alpha was 1/6 and Delta 1/10 of the fly width. In 1903 Alpha, Beta and Delta were altered to the same design as the Gamma Star (1/7 fly width, seven points) thus making the Southern Cross the same as on the current flag. The 1901 six-point and 1908 seven-point Commonwealth Star outer diameters were both 3/10 of the fly width. However the inner diameters were different. The six-point was half, and the seven-point is 4/9 of the Commonwealth Star outer diameter.
  5. ↑ Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No. 8, 20 February 1903.
  6. ↑ Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No. 65, 19 December 1908
  7. ↑ Elizabeth Kwan, Flag and Nation, University of New South Wales press, 2006, p. 106.
  8. ↑ "AUSTRALIAN FLAGS". pmc.gov.au. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  9. ↑ Kwan, 2006, pp. 9–10.
  10. ↑ Kwan, 2006, p. 100, 106.
  11. ↑ National Archives of Australia (NAA: A461, A336/1/1 Part 2).
  12. ↑ Kwan, 2006, p. 92.
  13. ↑ Kwan, 2006, p. 92.
  14. ↑ Kwan, 2006, pp.96–97
  15. ↑ McIntyre, Joe (12 November 2021). "What is the Australian merchant navy flag, the red ensign? And why do anti-government groups use it?". The Conversation . Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  16. ↑ McIlroy, Tom (5 August 2020). "PM tells 'sovereign citizens' to get real" . Australian Financial Review . Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  17. 1 2 Wilson, Cam (14 February 2022). "A nation in distress? Why the red ensign flag is being co-opted by protesters". Crikey . Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  18. ↑ Australian Government (12 August 2013). "Australian National Flag: Australian National Flag Day". It's an Honour!: Australia Celebrating Australians. Archived from the original on 19 February 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  19. ↑ Commonwealth of Australia Gazette S 321, 28 August 1996.
  20. ↑ Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No. GN 26, 2 July 2008.
  21. 1 2 "Service marks merchant navy contribution". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 3 September 2008. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  22. ↑ Gordon Maitland, The story of Australia's flags: Our flags, standards, guidons, colours, banners, battle honours, and ensigns, Playbill Printworks, 2015, p. 259.
  23. ↑ The Maritime Executive (2 September 2019). "Australia Remembers Merchant Navy Sacrifices". The Maritime Executive. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  24. ↑ "Merchant Navy Day 3 September". Department of Veterans' Affairs (Australia) . Anzac Portal. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  25. ↑ "History of war flag sought". Corryong Courier . Corryong. 4 April 2024. p. 4.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.