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Union Jacks and Southern Skies - part two, section three


British Blue Ensigns Throughout the World

The British Blue Ensign has been, and still is, used throughout the world as a "colonial" symbol of British ownership, with each Blue Ensign being "defaced" by local emblems to signify the identity of that particular British "possession".

The British Blue Ensign has been used for dozens of British colonies and possessions (each with their own local emblem attached) such as those in the following list:(32)


National, State, and Territory flags

Aden
Antigua
Australia
    New South Wales
    Queensland
    South Australia
    Tasmania
    Victoria
    Western Australia
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Bermuda
British Antarctic Territory
British Guiana
British Honduras
British Solomon Islands
British Virgin Islands
Canada
    British Columbia
    Manitoba
    New Brunswick
    Newfoundland
    Ontario
    Quebec

Cayman Islands
Ceylon
Cook Islands
Cyprus
Dominica
East Africa Protectorate
Falkland Islands
Fiji
Gambia
Gibraltar
Gilbert and Ellice Islands
Gold Coast
Grenada
Hong Kong
Jamaica
Kenya
Labuan
Leeward Islands
Malta
Mauritius
Montserrat
New Zealand
Nigeria
North Borneo
North Rhodesia
Nyasaland Protectorate
Papua
Penang
Pitcairn Islands
Rhodesia-Nyasaland Federation
St. Christopher, Nevis and Anguilla
St. Helena
St. Lucia
St. Vincent
Sarawak
Settlement of Malacca
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Somaliland
Straits Settlements
Tanganyika Territory
Trinidad and Tobago
Turks and Caicos Islands
Tuvalu
Virgin Islands
Western Region of Nigeria
Windward Islands



Authorities' and official flags

Admiralty Vessels
Board of Trade
British South Africa Co.
Commissioners of Irish Lights
Consuls Afloat
Customs
Fisheries Board, Scotland
Fishery Research
Lloyd's Signal Stations
Naval Ordinance
Northern Lighthouse Flag
Other Ranks Afloat
Pacific Cable Board
Post Office
Royal East Africa Navy
War Office Engineers
War Office Ordinance


These are just some of the many British Blue Ensign Flags, past and present. Most of these have since changed their flag's design, such as Canada, but the point remains: Australia's Commonwealth Flag has the same status as the old flags of Britain's ex-colonies, or the flags of many British government authorities; that of a "defaced" British Blue Ensign. It is a flag of subordination, which needs to be changed to reflect the status of a sovereign independent nation, such as when Australia becomes a Republic. As Ron Tandberg quipped, the Commonwealth Flag is just "a British flag with some stars tossed in".(33)



Union Jacks and Southern Skies

Australian Nationalism Information Database - www.ausnatinfo.angelfire.com/~natinfo