The Union Flag (known most commonly by the nickname Union Jack) is the national flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Historically, the flag has been used throughout the former British Empire. It still retains an official or semi-official status in many Commonwealth Realms. The current design dates from the Union of Ireland and Great Britain in 1801.

Terminology: "Union Flag" or "Union Jack"?

The issue of whether it is acceptable to use the term "Union Jack" or not is one that used to cause considerable controversy. It is often asserted that "Union Jack" should only be used for the flag when it is flown as a jack (a small flag flown at the bow of a ship), but it is not universally accepted that the "Jack" of "Union Jack" is a reference to such a jack flag and other explanations have been put forward.^[1] The Flag Institute, the vexillological organisation for the United Kingdom, asserts that this is not the case and is a "relatively recent idea". It also states "the Admiralty itself frequently referred to the flag as the Union Jack, whatever its use, and in 1902 an Admiralty Circular announced that Their Lordships had decided that either [the Union Jack or the Union Flag] name could be used officially. Such use was given Parliamentary approval in 1908 when it was stated that 'the Union Jack should be regarded as the National flag'."^[2]

When the flag was initially introduced, in 1606, it was known simply as "the British flag" or "the flag of Britain". The first use of the name "Union" appeared in 1625. The word "jack" was in use before 1600 to describe the maritime bow flag, and by 1627 it appears that a small version of the Union flag was commonly flown in this position. For some years it was called just "the Jack", or "Jack flag", or "the King's Jack", but by 1674, while formally referred to as "His Majesty's Jack", it was commonly called the Union Jack, and this was officially acknowledged.<ref name="flaginst" />

The word Jack may also have come from the name of James VI, King of Scots who inherited the English crown, causing the flag to be designed, that is Jac from Jacobus, Latin for James. The size and power of the Royal Navy internationally at the time could also explain why the flag was nicknamed the "Union Jack"; considering the navy was so widely utilised and renowned by the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries, it is possible that the term "Jack" did occur due to its regular use on all British ships using the "Jack Staff" (a flag pole attached to the bow of a ship). Even if the term "Union Jack" does derive from the jack flag (as perhaps seems most likely), after three centuries, it is now sanctioned by use, has appeared in official use, and remains the popular term. The BBC website disregards the term "union flag" because of its "great potential for confusion", preferring union jack (in lower case)^[3] The term "Union Flag", on the other hand, is the term preferred in official documents by vexillologists. The Merchant Shipping Act 1995^[4] refers to the national colours of the United Kingdom as "the Union flag (commonly known as the Union Jack) …".

History

The Union Flag before 1801

When James VI King of Scots inherited the throne of England and was crowned as King James I of England in 1603, the crowns of the Kingdom of England (which since 1535 had included Wales) and the Kingdom of Scotland were united in a personal union through him. Despite this Union of the Crowns, each kingdom remained an independent state.

On 12 April 1606, a new flag to represent this regal union between England and Scotland was specified in a royal decree, according to which the flag of England, also representing Wales by implication, (a red cross with a white background, known as St George's Cross) and the flag of Scotland (a white saltire with a blue background, known as the Saltire or Saint Andrew's Cross) would be "joyned together according to the forme made by our heralds, and sent by Us to our Admerall to be published to our Subjects." This royal flag was at first only for use at sea on civil and military ships of both Scotland and England. In 1634, its use was restricted to the monarch's ships. Land forces continued to use their respective national banners. After the Acts of Union 1707, the flag gained a regularised status, as "the ensign armorial of the Kingdom of Great Britain", the newly created state. It was then adopted by land forces as well, although the blue field used on land-based versions more closely resembled that of the blue of the flag of Scotland.



Various shades of blue have been used in the Saltire over the years. The ground of the current Union Flag is a deep "navy" blue, (Pantone 280), which can be traced to the colour used for the Blue Ensign of the Royal Navy's historic "Blue Squadron". (Dark shades of colour were used on maritime flags on the basis of durability). The currently accepted flag of Scotland however uses a lighter "royal" blue, (Pantone 300), following the Scottish Parliament recommendation of 2003.

The blazon for the old flag, to be compared with the current flag, is Azure, the Cross Saltire of St Andrew Argent surmounted by the Cross of St George Gules, fimbriated of the second.

Wales had no explicit recognition in the Union Flag because Wales, having been annexed by Edward I of England in 1282 and following the Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542, was legally part of the Kingdom of England and was therefore represented by the flag of England. (The present-day Flag of Wales and St David's Cross emerged, or re-emerged, in the 20th century: the former based on the historical emblem of Wales, the Red Dragon, and the latter based on the arms of the Diocese of Saint David's.) The Kingdom of Ireland, which had existed as a personal union with England since 1541, was likewise unrepresented in the original versions of the Union Flag.



The flag does remain in use however, appearing in the canton of the Commissioners' Ensign of the Northern Lighthouse Board. This remains the only contemporary official representation of the pre-1801 Union Flag.^[5]

This version of the Union Flag is also shown in the canton of the Grand Union Flag (also known as the Congress flag, The First Navy Ensign, The Cambridge Flag, and The Continental Colours), the first widely used Flag of the United States.

Other proposed versions

Various other designs for a common flag were drawn up following the union of the two Crowns in 1603, but were rarely, if ever, used.^[6] One version showed St George's cross with St Andrew's cross in the canton, and another version placed the two crosses side-by-side. Also, some Scots were upset that the Scottish flag was underneath the English flag in the version finally adopted, and preferred a version where the Scottish cross was on top (the English flag was placed between the cross of St Andrew and its background).^[7]

Despite the flag representing a union of kingdoms, it has been suggested that the Union Flag be modified to include either the Red Dragon or flag of Saint David in order to represent Wales, despite Wales never having been a kingdom itself. (This status also accounts for the absence of any Welsh symbol in the Royal Arms of the United Kingdom. The last symbol representing Wales, incorporated as part of the royal arms of Elizabeth I of England, ceased to be used following her death in 1603).

Since 1801

The current Union Flag dates from 1 January 1801 with the Act of Union 1800, which merged the Kingdom of Ireland and the Kingdom of Great Britain to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The new design added the red saltire cross of Saint Patrick's Flag for Ireland. This saltire is overlaid on the saltire of St Andrew, but still beneath the cross of St George. The Irish saltire is arranged counterchange with the saltire of St Andrew, so the white is always on the clockwise side of the red. The arrangement has introduced a requirement to display the flag "the right way up"; see specifications for flag use, below. The additional white stripe is added (as with the St George cross) to prevent "colour next to colour", a heraldic imperative.

This Saint Patrick's cross is problematic in several ways. Firstly, the symbol does not have much emotional resonance since its history is so thin and hard to find; some believe that it was essentially 'invented' for the purposes of inclusion in the Union Flag. One possible origin is from the arms of the Fitzgerald family (Dukes of Leinster) who were sent by Henry II of England to aid Anglo-Norman rule in Ireland and has rarely been used as an emblem of Ireland by the Irish: a harp, a Celtic cross, a shamrock, or (since 1922) an Irish tricolour have been more common. However, the exact origin of the flag is unknown, with evidence of saltires being present on ancient Irish coins and maps. The St Patrick's saltire flag has been used in more recent times for St Patrick's Day in Northern Ireland and by both state and civil organisations wishing to avoid the sectarianism that may be implied by the use of either the tricolour or symbols of Unionism, including the recently formed Police Service of Northern Ireland.

The current flag is blazoned Azure, the Crosses Saltire of St Andrew and St Patrick, quarterly per saltire, counterchanged Argent and Gules, the latter fimbriated of the second, surmounted by the Cross of St George of the third, fimbriated as the saltire.

Status

The Union Flag is used as a jack by commissioned Royal Navy warships, and by certain categories of Army and Royal Air Force vessels, though none are currently (June 2007) in commission. When at anchor or alongside, it is flown from the jackstaff at the prow of the ship. It can only be worn underway when the ship is dressed for a special occasion, or to indicate the presence of an Admiral of the Fleet onboard; including the Lord High Admiral, the British Monarch.^[8] It may theoretically be flown to indicate that a court-martial is in progress, though these are normally held in shore establishments.

No law has ever been passed making the Union Flag the national flag of the United Kingdom; rather it has become one through usage. Its first recorded recognition as a national flag came in 1908, when it was stated in Parliament that "the Union Jack should be regarded as the National flag". A more categorical statement was made by the Home Secretary in 1933, when he stated that "the Union Jack is the National Flag".

Civilian use is permitted, but non-naval/military use at sea is prohibited. Unauthorised use of the flag in the 17th Century to avoid paying harbour duties - a privilege restricted to naval ships - caused James' successor, Charles I, to order that use of the flag on naval vessels be restricted to His Majesty's ships "upon pain of Our high displeasure". It remains a criminal offence under the Merchant Shipping (Registration, etc.) Act 1993 to display the Union Flag (other than the "Pilot Jack" - see below) from a British ship.

The Court of the Lord Lyon, which has criminal jurisdiction in heraldic matters in Scotland, confirms that the Union Flag "is the correct flag for all citizens and corporate bodies of the United Kingdom to fly to demonstrate their loyalty and their nationality."

The Union Flag has been in use in Canada dating back to the British settlement in Nova Scotia in 1621. At the close of the Great Flag Debate of 1964, which resulted in the adoption of the Maple Leaf Flag as the Canadian national flag in 1965, the Parliament of Canada voted to make the Union Flag the symbol of Canada's membership of the Commonwealth and its allegiance to the crown. The move was a concession given to conservatives who preferred to keep the old flag, with its Union flag in the canton. The Union flag is sometimes flown alongside the Maple-Leaf Flag on Commonwealth Day and other royal occasions and anniversaries.

Use in other flags

Other nations and regions

The Union Flag was found in the canton (top left-hand corner) of the flags of many colonies of the UK, while the field (background) of their flags was the colour of the naval ensign flown by the particular Royal Navy squadron that patrolled that region of the World. Nations and colonies which have used the Union Flag at some stage have included Aden, America, Borneo, Ceylon, Cyprus, East Africa (Kenya), Gambia, Gold Coast (Ghana), India, Jamaica, Lagos, Malta, Mauritius, Nigeria, Palestine, Penang (Malaysia), Rhodesia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somaliland, Tanganyika and Trinidad. As former British Empire nations were granted independence, these and other versions of the Union Flag were decommissioned. The most recent decommissioning of the Union Flag came on 1 July 1997, when the former Crown Colony of Hong Kong was returned to China.

All administrative regions and territories of the United Kingdom fly the Union Flag in some form, with the exception of Gibraltar (other than the government ensign) and the Crown dependencies. Outside the UK itself, it is usually part of a special ensign in which the Union Flag is placed in the upper left hand corner of a blue field, with a signifying crest in the bottom right.

Four countries currently incorporate the Union Flag as part of their own national flags: Australia, New Zealand, Tuvalu, and Fiji.

In former British colonies, the Union Flag was used semi-interchangeably with territorial flags for significant parts of their early history. This was also the case in Canada until the introduction of the Maple Leaf Flag in 1965, but it is still used in the flags of a number of Canadian provinces like British Columbia, Manitoba and Ontario. Newfoundland and Labrador uses a modified version of the Union Flag, once the flag of the province. Canadian practice still allows the Union Flag, known in Canada as the Royal Union Flag, to be flown by private individuals and government agencies to show support for the Monarch and the Commonwealth.

In addition to Australia's National Flag many other Australian flags retain the use of the Union Flag, including the Royal Australian Navy Ensign (also known as the Australian White Ensign), the Royal Australian Air Force Ensign, the Australian Red Ensign (for use by merchant and private vessels) and the Australian Civil Aviation Ensign. In addition, the flags of the six Australian States all retain the use of Union Flag in the canton. Finally, the Vice-Regal flags of the State Governors also retain the use of the Union Flag. See List of Australian flags for more information.

The Basque Country's flag, the Ikurriña is also loosely based on the Union Flag, reflecting the significant commercial ties between Bilbao and the UK at the time the Ikurriña was designed (1894). The Miskito people sometimes use a similar flag that also incorporates the Union Flag in its canton, due to long periods of contact in the Mosquito Coast.

The jack of the Russian Navy is a common equivalent to the British one with the Saint George and Saint Andrew crosses reversed in order and colours but unmistakably based on the same design.

The Union Flag was also used by the United States in their first flag, the Grand Union Flag. This flag was the same design as the one used by the British East India Company. It also appeared on the South Africa flag as part of a central motif, long after the country had gained independence from Great Britain.

One state of the United States, Hawaii, incorporates the Union Flag in its state flag. The canton of the Flag of Hawaii reveals the British influence over those islands in the late 19th century.

National and regional flags incorporating the Union Flag

Anguilla | Australia | Bermuda | British Antarctic Territory | British Columbia | British Indian Ocean Territory | British Virgin Islands | Canadian Red Ensign | Cayman Islands | Cook Islands | Falkland Islands | Fiji | Hawaii | Manitoba | Montserrat | New South Wales | New Zealand | Niue | Ontario | Pitcairn Islands | Queensland | Saint Helena | South Australia | South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands | Tasmania | Tristan da Cunha | Turks and Caicos Islands | Tuvalu | Victoria | Western Australia

Ensigns

Main article: British ensigns.

The Union Flag can be found in the canton of several of the ensigns flown by vessels and aircraft of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories.

Pilot Jack

The flag in a white border occasionally seen on merchant ships was sometimes referred to as the Pilot Jack. It can be traced back to 1823 when it was created as a signal flag, never intended as a civil jack. A book issued to British consuls in 1855 states that the white bordered Union Flag is to be hoisted for a pilot. Although there was some ambiguity regarding the legality of it being flown for any other purpose on civilian vessels, its use as an ensign or jack was established well in advance of the 1864 Act that designated the Red Ensign for merchant shipping. 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. This status was confirmed by the Merchant Shipping (Registration, etc.) Act 1993 and the consolidating Merchant Shipping Act 1995 which prohibits the use of any distinctive national colours or those used or resembling flags or pendants on Her Majesty's Ships, except the Red Ensign, the Union Flag with a white border, and some other exceptions permitted elsewhere in the Acts.

Flag days

Canada

In Canada, the Royal Union Flag is flown on specified days from federal buildings, airports, military bases and other government buildings on the following days:

• Second Monday in March (Commonwealth Day)
• Victoria Day- the official birthday of the monarch (the Monday on or preceding May 24)
• December 11- the anniversary of the proclamation of the Statute of Westminster 1931

The flag is only flown where physical arrangements allow (e.g., when there is more than one flag pole). The flag of Canada is never moved to make room for the Royal Union Flag.

United Kingdom

In July 2007, British prime minister Gordon Brown unveiled plans to have the Union Flag flown more often from government buildings.[1] While consultation on new guidelines is underway, the decision to fly the flag may be made by each government department.

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 Union Flag is flown at half mast from the announcement of the death of the Sovereign (save for Proclamation Day), or upon command of the Sovereign.^[9]

The current flag days where the Union Flag should be flown from government buildings all over the UK are:

• 20 January (Birthday of The Countess of Wessex)
• 6 February (Anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II)
• 19 February (Birthday of The Duke of York)
• Second Sunday in March (Commonwealth Day)
• 10 March (Birthday of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex)
• 21 April (Birthday of Queen Elizabeth II)
• 9 May (Europe Day)
• 2 June (Anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II)
• 10 June (Birthday of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
• June (no fixed date) - Official Birthday of Queen Elizabeth II
• 17 July (Birthday of the The Duchess of Cornwall)
• 15 August (Birthday of the Princess Royal)
• Second Sunday in November (Remembrance Sunday)
• 14 November (Birthday of The Prince of Wales)
• 20 November (Anniversary of the wedding of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh)

In addition, the Union Flag should be flown in the following areas on specified days:

• 1 March (Wales only for Saint David's Day)
• 23 April (England only for Saint George's Day)
• 3 September (Scotland only for Merchant Navy Day)
• The Day of the Opening of a Session of the Houses of Parliament (Greater London area only)
• The day of the prorogation of a Session of the Houses of Parliament (Greater London area only)

However, on 30 November, (Saint Andrew's Day), the Union Flag can only be flown in Scotland where a building has more than one flagpole - on this day the Saltire will not be lowered to make way for the Union Flag if there is only one flagpole.^[10] This difference arose after Members of the Scottish Parliament complained that Scotland was the only country in the world that could not fly its national flag on its national day.^[11]

There is no specified flag flown on 17 March, (Saint Patrick's Day), in Northern Ireland. However, The St Patrick's saltire flag has been used in more recent times for St Patrick's Day in Northern Ireland, by various organisations wishing to avoid the sectarianism that may be implied by the use of either the tricolour of the Republic of Ireland or symbols of Unionism such as either the Union Flag of the United Kingdom or former flag of Northern Ireland.

Non government organisations may fly the Union Flag whenever they choose.

Specifications for flag use

Correct way to fly the flag, assuming flagpole to the left.

Incorrect way to fly the flag, unless flagpole is to the right.

The flag does not have reflectional symmetry, due to the slight pinwheeling of St. Patrick's cross, which is technically called the counterchange of saltires. Thus, it has a right side and a wrong side up. To fly the flag the correct way up, the broad portion of the white cross of St Andrew should be above the red band of St Patrick (and the thin white portion below) in the upper hoist canton (the corner at the top nearest to the flag-pole), giving the Scottish symbol precedence over the Irish symbol. This is expressed by the phrases wide white top and broad side up. Traditionally, flying a flag upside down is understood as a distress signal. In the case of the Union Flag, the difference is so subtle as to be easily missed by many. In the past this has been taken advantage of by the British Army. On one occasion, a British stronghold had been captured. The captured Britons were ordered to keep flying the flag so that it was not obvious that the stronghold had fallen. However, they flew it upside-down, thus alerting some sharp-eyed British reinforcements.

The normal dimensions of the flag are 1:2, except in the British Army where a 3:5 version is used. The British Army's flag is the Union Flag, but in 1938 a "British Army Non-Ceremonial Flag" was devised, featuring a Lion on crossed blades with the St Edward's Crown on a red background. This is not the equivalent of the ensigns of the other armed services, but is used at recruiting and military or sporting events, when the Army needs to be identified but the reverence and ceremony due to the regimental flags and the Union Flag would be inappropriate.

The colour specifications for the colours Union Flag (Royal) Blue, Union Flag Red and White are:^[12]

Scheme	Blue	Red	White	Note: The colour schemes are not congruent. This is due to different specifications for different types of media (for example: screen, print, and so forth)
Pantone	280	186	Safe
sRGB Hex*	#00247D	#CF142B	#FFFFFF
Web-Safe Hex	#003399	#CC0000	#FFFFFF
RGB	0-36-125	207-20-43	255-255-255
CMYK	100.72.0.18.5	0.91.76.6	0.0.0.0
MoD	8711D	8711H	8711J
NATO	8305.99.130.4580	8305.99.130.4584	8305.99.130.4585

* Not official; these are Wikimedia Commons' own conversions of the Pantone.

Other names

• In Canada the flag is officially called the Royal Union Flag.
• In China the flag has the nickname Rice-Character Flag (米字旗 pinyin: mǐzìqí) since the pattern looks like the Chinese character for "rice" (米).^[13]
• In some countries, including Ireland and Scotland, the Union flag is occasionally referred to as the Butcher's Apron, because of its perceived association with the killing of civilian populations by English, and later British, forces.^[14] In 2006, Sandra White, a Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament, caused some controversy when she referred to the flag in a press release as the "Butcher's Apron".^[15][16]

See also

• List of British flags — a list of flags used within the United Kingdom.
• Gallery of flags by design
• Cross
• Union Jack Club, London
• Other "Union Flags":
• Kalmar Union Flag
• American Grand Union Flag
• European Union Flag
• African Union Flag

Further reading

• Nick Groom (2007). The Union Jack: The Story of the British Flag. Atlantic Books. ISBN 9781843543374. 

Notes

External links

• Drawing the Union Flag
• United Kingdom at Flags of the World
• The Lyon Court: Flags
• Monochrome Union Flag not flown to avoid controversy
• British flags during The Protectorate and the Commonwealth of England – see external link
• British Monarchy — Union Flag
• BBC page for 400th anniversary of flag
• How to draw the Union Jack - accurately

•  • [ e] National flags and coats of arms
National flags	Sovereign states Dependent territories Unrecognized states Formerly independent states
National coats of arms	Sovereign states Dependent territories Unrecognized states

•  • [ e] Flags of the United Kingdom
UK	Flag of the United Kingdom (Union Flag)
Home Nations	England • Wales • Scotland
Historical	Northern Ireland (1953-1972)
Royal	Royal Standard • Royal Standard for use in Scotland • Royal Standard of Scotland
Ensigns	Blue Ensign • Red Ensign • White Ensign • Royal Air Force Ensign • Civil Air Ensign