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PART VIII.-HONOURS AND SALUTES.
DIVISION 8; FLAGS IN VESSELS AND BOATS.
235.-The Union Jack, being the distinguishing flag of the Admiral of the fleet only, is not to be flown on military boats and vessels.
236.-Defence Department vessels and boats are to carry the blue ensign of the Commonwealth.
237.-A special Union Jack bearing in its centre as a distinguishing mark the Royal cypher surrounded by a garland and a blue shield and surmounted by a crown, is to be flown by members of the Military Board and District Commandants when embarked in boats or vessels on duty.
Jeff Thomson, 14 July 2021
Part IX.- CEREMONIAL.
DIVISION 2.-HONOURS AND SALUTES.
Special Flags.
721. The Union Flag, being the distinguishing flag of the admiral of the fleet, is not to be flown on military boats and vessels.
722. The Union Flag bearing in its centre, as a distinguishing mark, a crown on a blue shield with the words “Military Board” on a white scroll in the lower half of the shield may be flown by the Military Board.
723. The Union Flag bearing in its centre, as a distinguishing mark, the Royal cypher surrounded by a garland on a blue shield and surmounted by a crown, may be flown by general officers commanding stations when embarked on duty in boats or vessels.
Amendment No 28; 30/03/1928 changed Regulation 721 to read as;-
721. The Union Flag, being the distinguishing flag of an admiral of the fleet, is not to be flown on military boats and vessels. (Only one changed word, 'the' to 'an').
Amendment No 99; 16/10/1935 included the following new regulation to be inserted.
722A. 1. The undermentioned flags are authorized to be flown on motor cars or carried by mounted orderlies;-
| Occupant of car or officer upon whom mounted orderly is attendant. | Flags authorized. |
| Member of Military Board, . . | Flag described in A.M.R. 722 |
| Formation, &c. Commander (other than District Base Commandant) . . | Flag, distinguishing, division (red, swallow tail, with number of the division, &c., in white, the letter “C” being added in the case of a cavalry division. In the case of the Commandant, Royal Military College, the letters “R.M.C.” shall be used) |
| District Base Commandant . . | Flag described in A.M.R. 723 |
| Brigade Commander . . | Flag, distinguishing, brigade (blue pendant) |
| Occupant of Car or Officer upon whom Mounted Orderly is attendant. | Flag authorized. |
| Member of Military Board, . . | Flag described in A.M.R. 722 |
| Formation, &c. Commander (other than District Base Commandant or Commandant, Royal Military College) . . | Flag, distinguishing, division (red, swallow tail, with number of the division, &c., in white, the letter “C” being added in the case of a cavalry division). |
| District Base Commandant . . | Flag described in A.M.R. 723 |
| Commandant, Royal Military College . . | Flag with upper half red and lower half blue, bearing in its centre, in gold, the badge of the Corps of Staff Cadets. |
| Brigade Commander . . | Flag, distinguishing, brigade (blue pendant) |
Amendment No 14; 23/01/1941 repealed and replaced Regulation 722, amended Regulation 722A, omitted the table entirely and inserted another revised one, and amended Regulation 723.
722. The Ensign of the Commonwealth bearing on the fly thereof, as a distinguishing mark, a crown on a blue shield with the words “Military Board” on a white scroll in the lower half of the shield may be flown by the Military Board or a member thereof when embarked upon duty in boats or vessels.
722A. (1) The flags specified in Column 2 of the following table as authorized for the persons or officer specified in Column 1 of that table may be flown on motor cars or carried by mounted orderlies, as the case may be:-
|
Column 1 Occupant of Car or Officer upon whom Mounted Orderly is attendant. |
Column 2 Flag authorized. |
| Member of Military Board, . . | Flag, distinguishing, Head-quarters of an Army, (red, black, red), bearing in its centre, as a distinguishing mark, the Royal Crest in gold, above the words 'Military Board' on a white scroll. |
| General Officer Commanding Command | Flag, distinguishing, Head-quarters of a Corps (red, white, red) |
| District Commandant . . | Flag, as for General Officer Commanding Command, with number of District (e.g. 4 M.D.) in black |
| Formation, &c. Commander (other than General Officers Commanding Commands, District Commandants, or Commandant, Royal Military College of Australia) . . | Flag, distinguishing, division (red, swallow tail, with number of the division, &c., in white, the letter “C” being added in the case of a cavalry division) |
| Commandant, Royal Military College of Australia . . | Flag with upper half red and lower half blue, bearing in its centre, in gold, the badge of the Corps of Staff Cadets. |
| Brigade Commander . . | Flag, distinguishing, brigade (blue pendant). |
(2) The motor car flag shall be carried on the radiator cap and shall only be flown when the officer for whom it is authorized is present in the car.
(3) The size of the flags to be flown on motor cars shall be 9 inches by 6 inches.
(4) The size of the flags to be carried by mounted orderlies shall be 18 inches by 12 inches.
723. The Union Flag bearing in its centre, as a distinguishing mark, the Royal cypher surrounded by a garland on a blue shield and surmounted by a crown, may be flown by general officers commanding Commands or by District Commandants when embarked on duty in boats or vessels.
Amendment No 25; 26/02/1947 repealed Regulations 721, 722, 722A and 723. These flag provisions with some changes were moved to the Australian Military Regulations and Orders, which were internal Army processes and not civil legislation.
Early in 1942 the Pacific War situation had prompted such a major expansion of Australia's military forces that the flag provisions above had become inadequate. Official flag authorisations were made through wartime orders and these remained in force in parallel with the flag provisions of the civil law Australian Military Regulations above, until the Regulations were repealed and the orders of 1944 were cancelled in late February 1947.
Jeff Thomson, 14 July 2021
Extracts from wartime Army books of GRO's (whatever they are). One shows GRO A680/1943 and the other GRO A391/1944. Both list the approved Army flags of the time. Some were also listed in the civil law Australian Military Regulations 1927 but those flag provisions were effectively suspended 'for the duration'. They were repealed in February 1947, A391/1944 was cancelled at the same time, and Army authorisations were then controlled by the Australian Military Regulations and Orders (AMR&O's). These were a similar 'shadow-set' of Army-controlled laws that did not need the cumbersome and slow involvement of the Attorney-General's Department to get anything altered. After 1955 the flags were even removed from the AMR&Os and their authorisations were then handled through various obscure and publicly-inaccessible administrative methods to this day.
A.391. FLYING OF FLAGS ON MOTOR CARS.
1. Flags, as indicated hereunder, are authorized to be flown on motor cars in which the officers mentioned are present :-
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief - Commonwealth Blue Ensign, with badge
of Australian Military Forces in gold on both sides.
Principal Staff Officers
of Allied Land Forces Headquarters - Flag, distinguishing, Headquarters Land
Forces (upper half red, lower half blue).
Major General, Royal Artillery -
Flag, distinguishing, Headquarters Land Forces (upper half red, lower half blue)
with embroidered gold gun.
Engineer-in-Chief - Flag, distinguishing,
Headquarters Land Forces (upper half red, lower half blue) with embroidered gold
grenade (with nine flames).
Signal Officer-in-Chief - Flag, distinguishing,
Headquarters Land Forces (upper half red, lower half blue) with embroidered gold
crossed flags.
Other General Officers of Allied Land Forces Headquarters -
Flag, distinguishing, Headquarters Land Forces (upper half red, lower half
blue).
General Officer Commanding an Army - Flag, distinguishing,
Headquarters of an Army (red, black, red).
General Officer Commanding a Corps
- Flag, distinguishing, Headquarters of an Army (red, white, red).
Commander,
Northern Territory Forces and Western Command - Flag, distinguishing, division
(red, swallow-tail).
Commander, L of C Area - Flag, distinguishing, L of C
area (white, blue, red and green triangles).
General Officer Commanding a
Division - Flag, distinguishing, division (red, swallow-tail).
Commandant,
Royal Military College of Australia - Flag, upper half red and lower half blue,
bearing on its centre in gold the badge of the Corps of Staff Cadets.
Brigade
Commander - Flag, distinguishing, brigade (triangular blue pendant).
Brigadier, Royal Artillery - Triangular pendant (red, black, red, with
embroidered black gun).
Commander, Corps Royal Artillery - Triangular pendant
(red, white, red, with embroidered black gun).
Commander, Royal Artillery -
Triangular pendant (red, with embroidered black gun).
Corps Commander,
Volunteer Defence Corps - Triangular pendant (blue, with VDC colour patch).
2. The size of all flags to be flown on motor cars shall be 9 inches by 6
inches.
Also, I looked through the Wikipedia List of Australian Army Corps for any flags. Those that are shown are;
Royal Australian Engineers
Royal Australian Corps of Signals
Royal Australian Corps of Transport
Royal Australian Army Medical Corps
(Former) Royal Australian Survey Corps
Some of these and the other Corps have banners, colours or flashes shown, too.
Jeff Thomson, 7 June 2019