[79][80], Royal Navy Stores Duties Instructions, article 447, dated 26 February 1914, specified that flags condemned from further service use were to be torn up into small pieces and disposed of as rags (ADM 1/8369/56), not to be used for decoration or sold. The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the flag of the United Kingdom. On this day in history in 1606, the Union Jack was created. The Stuart Crown, 1603-1714. The Union Jack 1. This is counterchanged with the saltire of St Andrew, such that the white always follows the red clockwise. The Union Flag, or Union Jack, is the national flag of the United Kingdom. We have, with the advice of our Council, ordered: That from henceforth all our Subjects of this Isle and Kingdome of Great Britaine, and all our members thereof, shall beare in their main-toppe the Red Crosse, commonly called St George's Crosse, and the White Crosse, commonly called St Andrew’s Crosse, joyned together according to the forme made by our heralds, and sent by Us to our Admerall to be published to our Subjects: and in their fore-toppe our Subjects of South Britaine shall weare the Red Crosse onely as they were wont, and our Subjects of North Britaine in their fore-toppe the White Crosse onely as they were accustomed.[40]. James became King of Scots at one year old when his mother Mary Queen of Scots was deposed by rebel Scottish Lords. John Cabot could have unfurled the Cross of St. George — consisting of a red cross on a white field — in 1497 when he claimed North America for the English Crown. The day of the prorogation of a Session of the Houses of Parliament, This page was last edited on 15 December 2020, at 18:40. To remove all reference to Ireland from the present Union Jack and Royal Arms would be vastly more expensive.[57]. These colonies include New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, and Tuvalu. Civilian use is permitted on land, but use of the unmodified flag at sea is restricted to military vessels. [88] When used to represent the United Kingdom, the Union Flag takes precedence before the flag of a Canadian province/territory. The Union Jack,[note 1][2][3] or Union Flag, is the national flag of the United Kingdom. There is reason to think that cloth flags of this design were employed during the 17th century for unofficial use on Scottish vessels at sea. Thus, there is a correct side up. Naval ships will fly the white ensign, merchant and private boats can fly the red ensign, others with special permission such as naval yacht clubs can fly the blue ensign. [24] However, this assertion does not appear in any Reed's Nautical Almanac since 1993. National flag of the United Kingdom.The earl of Nottingham's designs after the accession of James I and VI yielded to the 1606 superimposition of the red cross of St George (), bordered by its own white field, upon the saltire of St Andrew on a blue field.An Irish harp at the centre was added by Cromwell but withdrawn after the Restoration. Even the original flag of the United States, first raised in 1775 was "a jack with the union flag, and striped red and white in the field". While most of the former colonies of the British Empire have chosen to omit the Union Jack in the new national flags, some countries such as Australia and New Zealand have chosen to keep the Union Jack as a symbol of their British heritage. [54], On 17 April 1707, just two weeks prior to the Acts of Union coming into effect, and with Sir Henry St George, the younger, the Garter King of Arms, having presented several designs of flag to Queen Anne and her Privy Council for consideration, the flag for the soon to be unified Kingdom of Great Britain was chosen. Union Jack and Union Flag are used interchangeably to refer to the flag of the UK. Der Union Jack ist eine Überlagerung der englischen Flagge (rotes Kreuz auf weißem Grund, das sogenannte Georgskreuz), der schottischen Flagge (weißes Andreaskreuz auf blauem Grund) und der nordirischen Flagge (rotes Andreaskreuz auf weißem Hintergrund, das sogenannte Patrickskreuz).. Farben. While the Flags Act 1953 states that Australians still have the "right or privilege" to fly the Union Jack after the introduction of the Australian National Flag, usage of the Union Jack by itself is unusual. ), the flags of other nations (in alphabetical order), the Commonwealth Flag, the county flags, the flags of cities or towns, the banners of arms, and the house flags. The royal proclamation gave no distinctive name to the new flag. Jack comes from the Latin for James, Jacobus. This is expressed by the phrases wide white top and broadside up. In August 2016, many local businesses along the Italian riviera hoisted the flags as a protest against the implementation of the Services in the Internal Market Directive 2006. No law recognized law make the Union Jack as the kingdom’s national flag, but it was upgraded to one through precedents. The Union Flag was also the formal flag for the Dominion of Newfoundland, a separate dominion of the British Empire from 1907 to 1949. The concept of a Union Flag matured in 1603 when James VI of Scotland inherited the throne of England as James I. [87][88] Formal usage of the Royal Union Flag on federal property is permitted only when two or more flag poles are present, to ensure the flag of Canada is not removed.[87][88][89]. [old info], Previously the flag was generally only flown on public buildings on days marking the birthdays of members of the Royal Family, the wedding anniversary of the monarch, Commonwealth Day, Accession Day, Coronation Day, the Queen's Official Birthday, Remembrance Sunday, and on the days of the State Opening and prorogation of Parliament. The term Union Jack possibly dates from Queen Anne's time (r. 1702–14), but its origin is uncertain. The cross of England’s patron saint had developed as a national symbol of England from 1277 onward and was borne on armour, clothing and small flags. David Prothero, 13 June 2005. image by Željko Heimer, 28 September 2019. There’s a Right Way to Display It. The most plausible one is that when a small flag was mounted on the front of a warship (and a selected number of other ships) it was called ‘the Jack’. The version used is the modern flag, whereas the 1707 flag would have been used in colonial Alabama. Both terms are historically correct in the description of the national flag of the UK. When a ship is underway, the Union Jack is only flown from the jackstaff when the ship is dressed for a special occasion, such as the Queen's official birthday. In 1980, the flag of Newfoundland was adopted as the new provincial flag, with the design for the new flag of Newfoundland being derived from the Union Flag. In 1606 the first Union Flag appeared. [100] Several Hongkongers that hold British National (Overseas) passports who used the flag during the protests were doing so as a call to the British government to grant British National (Overseas) the right to abode in the United Kingdom. The three-component crosses that make up the Union Flag are sized as follows: The crosses and fimbriations retain their thickness relative to the flag's height whether they are shown with a ratio of 3:5 or 1:2. [85], The predecessor to the Union Jack, the flag of Great Britain, has been used in British colonies in Canada since its adoption in 1707. [82] From 1911 to 1956, schools in South Australia were required to fly the Union Jack for the "national salute". In 1970, the white-bordered Union Flag ceased to be the signal for a pilot, but references to it as national colours were not removed from the current Merchant Shipping Act and it was legally interpreted as a flag that could be flown on a merchant ship, as a jack if desired. It tells the story of the Union Jack. The HBC jack is no longer in use and replaced with a corporate flag featuring the company's coat of arms. Union Jack and Union Flag are used interchangeably to refer to the flag of the UK. However, official use of the Union Flag and the British colonial Hong Kong flag ceased following the handover of Hong Kong to China in July 1997. Since she died childless and was unmarried, the crown was given to James VI who was her cousin and also the king of Scotland. The Largest Shopping Malls In The United Kingdom, The Most Popular Sports in the United Kingdom, The Busiest Cargo Ports in the United Kingdom, Types Of Crimes By Number Of Offenses In The US. All HEX, CMYK and RGB specifications for the Pantone colours are taken from the official Pantone website on the webpages of the corresponding colours. Nations and colonies that have used the Union Flag at some stage have included Aden, Basutoland (now Lesotho), Barbados, Bechuanaland (now Botswana), Borneo, Burma, Canada, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Cyprus, Dominica, British East Africa (Kenya Colony), Gambia, Gold Coast (Ghana), Grenada, Guiana, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Labuan (Malaysia), Lagos, Malta, Mauritius, Nigeria, Palestine, Penang (Malaysia), Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somaliland, South Africa, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Pre-partitioned India (present-day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar), Tanganyika, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, the United States, and Weihaiwei. The Union Jack became the standard “Navy Jack” on June 14, 1777. Also, there are days when the flag is flown on specific places only. [100][101] The Union Flag, in addition to other foreign flags, were also used by some protestors to illustrate their desire for Hong Kong to be an "international city"; whereas others used the flag simply as a generic symbol of freedom. And except for a symbolic 14-month period during the 1976 U.S. Honours and Salutes. Union Jack at crossing sends mixed message - Ottawa - CBC News", "Flags of New Zealand Page 3 - Union Jack", "Italian beach operators hoist British flag in protest at EU law", "Flag-waving Grandma Wong gives Hong Kong protesters lesson in endurance", "Colonial nostalgia rules in Hong Kong as young refuse to accept China's authority", "Explainer: The conflicting messages behind protesters' use of the colonial Hong Kong flag", "Are Hong Kong protesters pro-American or British when they wave the US and UK flags? Brian, however, was an isolationist and pacifist and disagreed with Lord Falsworth (his father's) views. The exception was flags that had flown in action: these could be framed and kept on board, or transferred to a "suitable place", such as a museum (ADM 1/8567/245). Why is it called Union Jack? [97][98] The flag has also been displayed at other pro-democracy events in Hong Kong, including the new year marches and the 1 July marches. The Union Jack is the third quarter of the 1939 coat of arms of Alabama, which is used on the flag of the Governor of Alabama, representing British sovereignty over the state prior to 1783. The flag was finally adopted by the armies operating on land although the shade of blue used on the field resembled that of the flag of Scotland. In 1801, King George proclaimed the new flag as the Union Flag. The original flag appears in the canton of the Commissioners' Ensign of the Northern Lighthouse Board. There are designated days when the Union flag needs to be flown on buildings throughout the UK. The history of the Union Jack started out with England alone and was eventually borne out by its conquests of Scotland in 1707 and merging with Ireland in 1801. So - “…the jack flag had existed for over a hundred and fifty years before the jack staff…”. According to Lord Lyon, the Union Jack is the right flag for the people and the corporate bodies of the UK. The new design added a red saltire, the cross of Saint Patrick, for Ireland. [36], On 3 February 2009, the BBC reported that the flag had been inadvertently flown upside-down by the UK government at the signing of a trade agreement with Chinese premier Wen Jiabao. [99], The use of foreign flags at the protests, including the Union Flag, has been cited multiple times by the central government of China as evidence for their claim that foreign interference is steering the protests in Hong Kong against the central government. [67] The Union Flag may also be flown from the yardarm to indicate that a court-martial is in progress, though these are now normally held at shore establishments. The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the national flag of the United Kingdom.The flag also has official status in Canada, by parliamentary resolution, where it is known as the Royal Union Flag. Why is the British Flag Called the Union Jack? The Union Jack Club was founded by Miss Ethel McCaul, a nurse who served in the South African War at the turn of the 20thCentury. In 1603, James VI of Scotland inherited the English and Irish thrones (as James I), thereby uniting the crowns of England, Scotland and Ireland (which remained separate states) in a personal union. Ultimately, when the British home secretary was asked on 7 December 1922 (the day after the Irish Free State was established) whether the Garter King of Arms was "to issue any Regulations with reference to the national flag consequent to the passing of the Irish Free State Constitution Act", the response was no and the flag has never been changed. It then comprised the age-old English flag of St. George, a square red cross on a white ground, combined with the diagonal white cross on a blue ground, … References * "It is often stated that the Union Flag should only be described as the Union Jack when flown in the bows of a warship, but this is a relatively recent idea. "[71], On 5 February 2008, Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell introduced the 'Union Flag Bill' as a private member's bill under the 10 Minute Rule in the House of Commons. In 1606, James VI gave orders for a British flag to be created which bore the combined crosses of St George and of St Andrew. By 1620s, a small union flag was flown in the position of the maritime bow. Image based on the reproduction of Draft C published in “Perrin” plate IV. When the first flag was established, it was just referred to as the British Flag. The current flag's design has been in use since 1801. On the plaque it is referred to as the "Jack of Queen Anne". [86], In 1964, the prime minister of Canada, Lester B. Pearson, introduced plans to replace the Union Flag with a new national flag, spurring the Great Canadian Flag Debate. More recently, Reed's Nautical Almanac (1990 edition) unambiguously stated: "The Union Flag, frequently but incorrectly referred to as the Union Jack, ..." and later: "8. 1902 [22] This fimbriation is repeated for symmetry on the white portion of the saltire, which thereby appears wider than the red portion. The Union will have both old and new superheroes within it, including British hero Union Jack and a major new character Britannia who will lead the new team in its fight against the enemies they will encounter.