Last modified: 2012-01-21 by rob raeside
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![[Royal Navy jack']](../images/g/gb.gif)
image by Clay Moss, 16 December 2006
The Union Flag is the official jack of the Royal Navy - strictly speaking, this is the only time it should be called the 'Union Jack'.
Roy Stilling, 8 February 1996
The Union Jack is reserved at sea for the Royal Navy.
André Coutanche, 28 September 2000
The decision to allow vessels operated by the Royal Air Force the privilege of
wearing the Union Flag as a jack was taken in 1947 [National Archives (PRO)
ADM/121665], but it was not extended to the Army until 1966:
"Her Majesty the Queen has graciously permitted operational vessels of the Army
flying the Army Ensign commanded by Army officers and manned by military
personnel in uniform to be titled "Her Majesty's Army Vessels" and to fly the
Union Flag at the fore when moored or dressed overall under way."
Royal Warrant October 1966. [The Army's Navy by D.Habesch]
David Prothero, 27 April 2007
The Army's sea-going vessels, which were part of the Royal Army Service Corps (RASC),
were manned mainly by civilians; rather like the ships of the Royal Naval
Auxiliary Service. The latter have a square version of their ensign as a jack,
and I suppose the Army did the same (if they bothered with a jack). Changes
occurred after 1965 when the RASC fleet and the fleet of the Royal Engineers
were amalgamated into the Royal Corps of Transport. The warrant of October 1966
had no immediate effect because there was no Army Ensign, use of which was
conditional on use of the Union Jack. The RASC and RE's had had different Corps
Ensigns. An Army Blue Ensign with Royal Crest superimposed on crossed swords was
produced and first used, presumably with a Union Jack when appropriate, on 17
May 1967.
David Prothero, 2 May 2007
Use of a Union Jack by the RAF was the result of a complaint in 1947 that "Bridport",
an ex-minesweeper transfered from the Royal Navy to the RAF was flying the Union
Flag as a jack. It was foreseen that the question could also arise with "Bridlington"
and "Adastral" a 5,400 ton ship being transferred from the Ministry of Transport
to the RAF for use as a seaplane depot ship in Singapore. It was decided that
RAF ships could wear the Union Flag but could not call themselves HMS. An
implementation date in June 1948 seems reasonable for a decision taken sometime
in 1947?
David Prothero, 2 May 2007
A jack, a flag flown on a staff at the bow of a ship, is a relatively insignificant flag. Ensigns which indicate nationality are, I believe, regulated by international laws, but a jack would be subject only to the laws of the country in which the ship was registered. Thus, in very general terms as I understand it, Britain can prohibit ships registered in Britain from fly the Union Jack, but would not be able to enforce the prohibition against a ship not registered in Britain.
David Prothero, 29 September 2000
See civil jack (Pilot jack) for the civil jack.
Jacks are probably not used much because most public service vessels do not want
to involve themselves in all the rigmarole of lowering the jack when getting
under way, and raising it again when not underway. In any case many departments
have only small launches, in which a jack is unnecessary. Judging by
photographs, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Service now seem to use them, though this
was not always so.
David Prothero, 15 January 2003
A survey in 1922 found that of 66 RFA Oilers and Petrol
Carriers only two carried jacks. It was pointed out at the time that, after the
abolition of Squadron Colours, public service jacks served no useful purpose.
They were introduced for public service vessels by the Royal Proclamation of 12
July 1694. At that time merchant ships flew the Red Ensign and no jack, while
warships flew the Red, White or Blue Ensign and the Union Jack. Allocating a Red
Jack to public service vessels, identified them as such, without allowing them
to infringe the right of King's ships to be the only ships permitted to fly a
Union Jack. In 1864 when Red Ensigns and Blue Ensigns ceased to be flown by
ships of the Royal Navy, Blue Ensigns were allocated to ships in the service of
any public office, the colour of the Jack was changed to Blue. But since
warships flew the White Ensign, and merchant ships flew the Red Ensign, the Blue
Ensign alone identified a departmental ship, making the jack redundant.
David Prothero, 15 January 2003
The St George was expressly laid down as being the jack to be used by English merchant ships in a Royal Proclamation of 1674, and continued so until the beginning of the 19th Century (by which time it was no longer possible to wear a Jack as sea anyway). The relevant part of the Proclamation of 1674 lays down the colours as:
"...those usually hithertofore worn on merchants' ships viz: the Flag and Jack white with a red cross (commonly called Saint George's Cross) passing through right through the same...".Christopher Southworth, 18 August 2004
In the proclamation of 1674, from which Christopher quoted, "flag" was still being used in its original sense of "masthead colour". In "A Memorandum on Merchant Ensigns and Jacks" this note appears after a copy of the 1674 Proclamation.
"This Proclamation recognises the existence, in addition to the Ensign, of both a flag (in the sense of a masthead colour) and a jack for the Merchant Service, both identical in design ( White, with a Red Cross passing quite through the same), and it regularises their being flown on Merchant Ships."[National Archives (PRO) ADM 116/3566]David Prothero 20 August 2004
For what it's worth, a model of the "Great Michael" in the Royal Scottish
Museum, Edinburgh, has a square Scottish saltire in the bows. The real ship,
built for King James IV in 1511, is said to have been, at 240 feet (probably
over-all) (73m), the largest warship in the world. Photograph of the model is in
'The Story of the Scottish Flag' by McMillan and Stewart.
David Prothero, 19 August 2004
Give a sailor a mast and he'll generally stick a flag on it, but the English
Royal Navy didn't actually begin to fly jacks on a regular basis until the
1630's (although there is at least one reference to the practice in the late
16th Century), but the Scots navy post-union and up to 1707 (if not previously)
was miniscule and I would imagine that the Proclamation of 1634 reserving the
Union Jack for ships in royal service applied equally to the Scots as well?
It is perfectly possible that the Scottish navy were in advance of the English
and flew a Saltire Jack prior to the Union of Crowns, but Perrin and Wilson are
both silent on the matter so the answer is I don't know?
Christopher Southworth, 19 August 2004
It would appear, from what evidence we have, that the wearing of a flag on the bowsprit was a comparatively rare occurrence before the early-17th Century. The wording of the Proclamation of 1606 (which established the Union Flag) strongly suggests, however, that the Cross of St George was customarily worn at the main masthead prior to that date (at least by merchant vessels), whilst its new position was laid down as being the fore topmast.
It became impossible to fly a jack at sea - at least from a jack staff -
because of a change to the design of headsails. The relatively inefficient
square-sail rigged from a spar below the bowsprit (in use from at least Roman
times) was abandoned for the far more effective triangular headsails rigged from
the foremast to the bowsprit. We have visual, if only fragmentary documentary
evidence that the Jack was flown from a jack staff at sea as a matter of course
(at least when the Ensign was flown) during the 17th Century and into the 18th.
As far as I know the wearing of the Union Jack is a privilege rather a
requirement, but it wasn't unusual for a warship in the latter half of the 18th
and early-19th Century to wear a Union from the foretopmast when underway.
Christopher Southworth, 20 August 2004
Wearing a jack at the jackstaff in harbour may have been written into King's Regulations & Admiralty Instructions (KR&AI) when they were reprinted in 1926. It had certainly become the subject of regulation by 1937, and may have been introduced before 1926 by Admiralty Fleet Order (AFO) and an amendment to the 1913 KR&AI. "The Union Flag is worn by HM ships of the Royal Navy at the Jackstaff in harbour between the hours of 0800 or 0900 and sunset unless the ship is refitting." [Manual of Seamanship, 1937]
The practice was suspended during the 1939-45 war, probably in 1942 by AFO
6072/42. It had been hoped that wearing jacks in harbour would be resumed soon
after the end of the war, the target date being 1 January 1946. However it was
necessary that all ships in commission should resume at the same time, and some
vessels built during the war had no jackstaffs (or even ensign staffs). It was
not until 3 January 1947 that AFO 1/47 ordered resumption of normal procedures
in accordance with KR&AI, article 117.
David Prothero, 27 February 2007
![[Jack of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary]](../images/g/gb-rfajk.gif)
by Graham Bartram
I enclose an example of a state jack, in this case the jack of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, to show the square Union.
Graham Bartram, 11 December 1999
In my limited experience of such documents, an Admiralty Warrant granting the right to fly a defaced blue ensign also specifically mentioned an accompanying defaced blue jack, and this is repeated in those more recently issued by the Ministry of Defence. A typical example is Jersey where the Admiralty Warrant of 2 March 1907 states that (in addition to the ensign) '...the said vessel (in this case the steam tug 'Duke of Normandy') shall be permitted to wear a small blue flag with a Union described in the canton at the upper corner next to the staff, as a jack, with the badge of Jersey in the fly thereof'. This right is repeated in the MoD Warrants granted on 15 June 1967 and in August 1997. Such jacks are, properly speaking and by convention square, and as such carry a square Union in the canton. On the other hand, as far as I can find out the right to use them is rarely, if ever, exercised (at least nowadays).
Christopher Southworth, 14 January 2003
It is possible that the reference to a jack in the Admiralty Warrant for the Blue Ensign is peculiar to Jersey, and was included only because a jack was specifically requested in addition to the ensign. The warrant for Jersey was unusual in that it could not be issued under the provisions of the Order in Council 9 July 1864 which abolished Squadron Colours, since the States of Jersey were not a Public Department, nor under the Colonial Naval Defence Act of 1865, since Jersey was not a colony. It was therefore issued as a special case under Sec.73(i) of the Merchant Shipping Act 1894; "any other ship or boat for the time being allowed to wear any other national colour (other than the Red Ensign) in pursuance of a warrant from His Majesty or from the Admiralty."
David Prothero, 15 January 2003
Yes the three warrants I referred to previously were all for
Jersey, and upon checking I find that I have only one
other (I thought I had two more). This is a copy of the MoD Warrant granting the
right to fly a defaced blue ensign to Guernsey. It is
undated (but was sent with an accompanying letter of 3 July 2000) and also
confers the right to fly a defaced blue jack.
Of course the Admiralty and subsequent MoD Warrants under discussion were issued
by virtue of the various Merchant Shipping Acts (the current wording is, it
would appear, almost identical to that of the original), as, I presume, were
those of the fleet auxiliary (since it forms part of the Merchant Marine)? What
we need to know, and what I await information from the MoD on (if it ever
arrives), is whether the granting of a defaced blue jack is general for Warrants
issued to Government authorities, or, if the two cases in my possession are
unique? According to the Admiralty librarian, sight of any Admiralty Warrants
would require a visit to the Public Record Office.
The appearance of such a jack in the Flaggenbuch - considering the lengths gone
to in ensuring the accuracy of that publication - seems to confirm that the
practice had (at least in 1939 if not now) some sort of official sanction?
Christopher Southworth, 17 January 2003
![[Defaced jack from Flaggenbuch (1939)]](../images/g/gb~pojfb.gif)
image by Martin Grieve, 26 October 2008
A defaced Blue Jack is shown in the 1939
Flaggenbuch, with certain irregularities:
1) The Blue Jack appears on a
page devoted to colonial ensigns, which strongly indicates that such a jack was
permitted, and in all probability used, with the appropriate defaced Blue
Ensigns by Government vessels employed by these same colonial authorities?
Christopher Southworth, 26 October 2008
![[Defaced jack from Flaggenbuch (1939)]](../images/g/gb'pojcfb.gif)
image by Martin Grieve, 26 October 2008
2) The Union Flag shown in
the jack's canton is of a different pattern than that used today (and from
other Union Flags shown in the Flaggenbuch). A quick check indicates the
Cross of St George to be 2/15 of flag width fimbriated 1/3 the cross (making
it one-quarter of flag width overall as opposed to 1/3 for the standard
Union), with the counter-changed saltire also a 2/15 (as opposed to 1/5) but
the white-red-white being distributed 3-2-1 as is usual. The canton is not
specified in the Flaggenbuch, none the less, this narrower St George and
saltire are confirmed by an illustration of the Blue Jack in Campbell and Evans, and by that in the 1989
Edition of BR20, and the question must be "when did it change"? Well the
original illustration in BR20 was replaced with one showing the new size of
defacement and revised Union in Change No. 4, which means that it was
synonymous with the general change in the size of defacements that is usually
quoted as 1999.
Christopher Southworth, 26 October 2008
![[Defaced jack from Flaggenbuch (1939)]](../images/g/gb'pojfb.gif)
image by Martin Grieve, 26 October 2008
3) The defacement in the centre-fly of the jack is a
plain white disc ¼ of flag width across, and again does one infer that this
was standard for a defaced Blue Jack in 1939, or should it have been 2/9 as
has been suggested?
Christopher Southworth, 26 October 2008
It is quite possible that the only colonial vessels supplied with a square
jack were those "provided and used under the 3rd Section of the Colonial Naval
Defence Act" and entitled to wear a Blue Pennant. Those identified are:
-
Hong Kong Naval Volunteer Force. Hong Kong badge
- Straits Settlements Naval
Volunteer Force. Straits Settlements' badge
- Royal Malayan Navy. Singapore
badge
- Royal East African Navy. Royal East African Navy badge.
- Nigerian
Naval Force. Nigeria badge.
David Prothero, 26 October 2008
![[St George's Cross]](../images/g/gb-eng.gif)
by Vincent Morley
There is a special jack - the red St George's Cross on white - that
is reserved for vessels which took part in the Dunkirk evacuation of
the British Expeditionary Force in World War II.
Graham Bartram, 1 June 1999
Does this mean the actual vessels? Or is it parallel to the French practice of a Free French honour jack, as mentioned by Ivan Sache on the Free French Forces page, "Nowadays, ships that have a name previously belonging to a ship that joined the FNFL (Forces Navales Françaises Libres) use the FNFL ensign as honour jack." If the practice is the first-mentioned, more restricted use, are there any vessels left today?
Ole Andersen, 24 September 2000
I thought that this was a squarish but perfectly ordinary St George's flag that could be flown as a jack by anyone. It was selected as a means of identifying those vessels that were used in the evacuation when they are taking part in ceremonies. One ship that took part in the anniversary commemorations last June is now registered in Malta and flew the Maltese Ensign and St George's Jack.
David Prothero, 24 September 2000
In Norie and Hobbs (1848) a flag of this
design is referred to as the St. George's Jack.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 12 November 2001
Interesting background information can be found on
this web page. "The
term Little Ship applies to all craft that were originally privately owned and
includes private yachts, barges, British, French, Belgian and Dutch fishing
vessels and pleasure steamers, but the Association does include some ex-Service
vessels, which are now privately owned, and ex-Lifeboats."
As to the flag shown on top of
this page: "It was
then (first Annual General Meeting, 13 Dec. 1967, jm) decided that we should
have a House Flag. Permission was given by the Admiralty, the College of Heralds
and the City of Dunkirk for the Cross of St. George (the flag of Admiralty) to
be defaced with the Arms of Dunkirk for use as the Association's House Flag.
This can be worn by Member Ships at any time when the owner is aboard. In
addition, when in company, we fly the undefaced Cross of St. George at the bow.
Again this is by Admiralty Warrant. To avoid any possible confusion with barges
wearing an Admiral's flag, the Dunkirk Little Ships must wear the Red Ensign
when flying the undefaced Flag of St. George at the bows."
A better view of the Dunkirk coat of arms (undoubtedly drawn by Jiri Louda) is
offered by Ralf Hartemink's site, International
Civic Heraldry: per fess: or a lion sable passant armed and langued gules,
argent a dolphin azure naiant embowed finned and langued gules. In other words,
picturing a (former) Flemish city and harbour.
Jan Mertens, 13 February 2004
The photograph of a warship with two ensign staffs, pointed out by Jan
Mertens at
http://www.belgianbadges4046.be/RNSB.htm reminded me that towards the end of
the 1939 - 1945 war, British warships were completed without a jackstaff, and
hoisting a jack in any ship of the Royal Navy was not resumed until late 1946 or
early 1947. I have been unable to find out whether the use of jacks was
suspended at the beginning of the war, or some time later. Did this happen in
the 1914 - 1918 war, and was it common wartime practice in other navies?
David Prothero, 28 December 2003
I have a photograph of HMS Lion taken at Scapa Flow in 1916, and she is
wearing a jack. Whether this was normal practice during the First War I simply
don't know, but it does seem likely? What is certain, however, is that gun
salutes were dropped for the duration.
Christopher Southworth, 28 December 2003
This photo of HMS Lion may well have actually been taken pre-war (a 'stock'
photo if you like), and the same might well apply to your photograph of the
Grand Fleet?
David Prothero, 30 December 2003
I've had a look at various books, including H.M. Le Fleming's 'Ships of World
War One' (that covers the RN and the German Navy), and none of the pictures that
can be definitely dated to 1914-18 shows ships wearing jacks (even though they
have the jackstaff rigged), and this includes a shot across some crowded
destroyer pens at Rosyth.
Ian Sumner, 30 December 2003
It seems that in a prolonged war there does come a time when a navy may
decide that jacks are more trouble than they are worth.
1914 - 1918.
Ian pointed out there are photographs in H.M. Le Fleming's book 'Warships of
World War 1' showing British warships not underway, but not flying a jack. Those
photographs that do show a ship flying a jack are probably, in some cases
definitely, post-war. The photograph of HMS Lion, mentioned by Chris, might have
been 'stock', or she may have been an exception, as she was the flagship of
Admiral Beatty's Battle-Cruiser Squadron.
1939 - 1945.
I found my notes about the resumption of the use of the Union Jack. [National
Archives (PRO) ADM 1/18176]
5 July 1945. It was noted that Union Flags were not supplied to minor war
vessels and certain major war vessels.
3 September 1945. Commander-in-Chief Home Fleet hoped that use of the Union Jack
could be resumed without delay. 1 January 1946 was suggested as a possible date
for resumption. However it was necessary that all ships in commission should
resume at the same time, and some ships (e.g., landing ships) had been built
without jack-staffs or even ensign staffs, and most were without rigging wires
for dressing ship.
3 December 1946. Admiralty Fleet Order (AFO) 7028/46. Notice of resumption.
3 January 1947. AFO 1/47. Resumption of normal procedures in accordance with
King's Regulations & Admiralty Instructions, article 117.
There was a reference to AFO 6072/42, which would have been issued late November
or early December 1942. Perhaps it introduced the restriction effective 1
January 1943 ?
David Prothero, 31 December 2003
If so, the restriction was not reflected in the 1943 edition of King's
Regulations & Admiralty Instructions. I checked it at the U.S. Navy Department
Library yesterday, including updates effective through November 1943, and the
portions concerning display of "Union Flag at the jackstaff" were the normal
ones--always displayed when in harbor. (Note that the flag was nowhere referred
to as "Union Jack", even when flown as a jack...how's that for pedantry?)
Joe McMillan, 31 December 2003
I can say with a fair degree of certainty that all the South African 'little
ships' (minesweepers and escort vessels) that served in the Med, wore the RN's
White Ensign and the SA national flag as a jack throughout the war. When the
jackstaff was struck for the armament right forward in the bows (as was the case
for all our converted whale catchers), the jack was hoisted at the starboard
yardarm. As our ships strictly followed RN practice as ordered by the Admiral
Commanding Mediterranean(?), I would have thought that the same applied to the
RN as a whole. How certain are you that the RN ceased flying the jack later in
the war?
As for WWI, I have a vague memory of seeing a photograph of the Grand Fleet
anchored in Scapa Flow and as far as memory goes they were all flying their
jacks. The absence thereof would have certainly made an impression.
Andre Burgers, 29 December 2003
I do not know if Admiralty Fleet Orders applied to all fleets or just the
Home Fleet. However it seems that the South African ships did not follow RN
practice entirely, as an RN vessel would not have hoisted the Union Jack at a
yardarm ?
David Prothero, 31 December 2003
I did find a note in a copy of Mariner's Mirror, vol.23 (1937) pp.229-30,
signed simply 'A.L.', which quoted Admiralty Interim Order No.62 of 14th
September 1914, ordering the flying of the Union Flag on or near the foremast as
an extra national device, in addition to the White Ensign, because of the
similarity between the White Ensign and the German Naval Ensign.
This usage was cancelled on 16th November 1914 by the Admiralty by Interim Order
S.55 (and repeated by S.266 of 26th November 1915), whereby the Union Flag was
replaced by the Red Ensign. The Admiralty reversed themselves once more on 11th
January 1916, which once more authorised the use of the Union at the foremast.
This was cancelled again by S.13 of 1916.
Now, could it be the use of the Union as a jack was abandoned, either formally
or informally, because of its explicit use at the masthead?
Ian Sumner, 31 December 2003
The Union Jack was withdrawn during the 1939 - 1945 War, but only from
smaller vessels:
Admiralty Fleet Order 6072/42. 10 December 1942. Union Flag Allowances HM Ships.
Wearing of Union Flag at the jack staff and Ensign at the ensign staff by HM Ships in harbour is to be resumed as soon as practicable. The 3 December 1946 Admiralty Fleet Order 7028/46. Notice of Resumption, seems to have been a repeat of the May Order.
David Prothero, 20 January 2004