What are the 3 flags of the Union Jack?
The Union Flag, or Union Jack, is the national flag of the United Kingdom. It is so called because it combines the crosses of the three countries united under one Sovereign - the kingdoms of England and Wales, of Scotland and of Ireland (although since 1921 only Northern Ireland has been part of the United Kingdom).
What is the difference between the Union Jack and the Union Flag?
Sometime around 1674 the British flag became formally known as the 'Union Jack' when mounted on a warship and the ship was not in harbour. At the same time the British flag was referred to as the 'Union flag' on land.
When did England change their flag from the Union Jack?
1801The flag of Great Britain, commonly known as King's Colours, the first Union Flag, the Union Jack, or the British flag, was used at sea from 1606 and more generally from 1707 to 1801. It was the first flag of Great Britain....Flag of Great Britain.UseNaval ensignDesignA cross of St George with the flag of Great Britain in the canton15 more rows
Why is it no longer called the Union Jack?
From its earliest days, the Admiralty often referred to the flag – however it was used – as the Union Jack. In 1902 an Admiralty Circular announced that either name could be used officially. And in 1908 the UK Parliament approved this verdict, stating that 'the Union Jack should be regarded as the National flag'.
What does Black Union Jack mean?
In 2003, a private individual started a campaign – dubbed "reflag" or "Union Black" – to introduce black stripes in the Union Jack in order to represent the increasing diversity in the United Kingdom.
Why is Wales flag not on the Union Jack?
Wales is not represented in the Union Flag by Wales's patron saint, Saint David, because the flag was designed while Wales was part of the Kingdom of England.
Why are there two flags for England?
The Union Flag [1] The first Union Flag was created in 1606 and combined the flags of England and Scotland. The present Union Flag dates from 1801 when St Patrick's Cross was added to represent Ireland. It then became possible to display the flag, incorrectly, upside down.
What are the 5 British flags?
The United Kingdom has 5 flags, one for each nation:England.Wales.Scotland.Northern Ireland.to which is added the famous Union Jack (or Union Flag).
What is the difference between Union Jack and England flag?
Great Britain refers to the two separated kingdoms; England and Scotland. Great Britain's flag is called The Union Flag, more commonly known as the Union Jack. It is a flag made up of three other flags. These are the unions of different flags of countries within Great Britain '“ England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
What does it mean if the Union Jack is upside down?
DISTRESSTo deliberately fly the flag upside down is a signal indicating a situation of 'DISTRESS'. It is also "lese Majeste" (which means: insulting the Crown), and is theoretically still a crime in the UK and its commonwealth!
How many countries have Union Jack in their flag?
Four countries currently incorporate the Union Flag as part of their own national flags: Australia, New Zealand, Tuvalu, and Fiji (although Fiji is a republic, unlike Australia and New Zealand).
Why does Hawaii have the Union Jack?
The inclusion of the Union Jack of the United Kingdom is a mark of the Royal Navy's historical relations with the Hawaiian Kingdom, particularly with King Kamehameha I. The flag continued to be used after the 1893 overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom.
Why is the Union Jack so iconic?
This is chiefly due not only to its iconic and unusual design, but the influence of British culture across the globe as a result of the British Empire, and its resulting presence in several Commonwealth nations' flags and heraldry. While most of the former colonies of the British Empire have chosen to omit the Union Jack in their national flags, some countries such as Australia and New Zealand have chosen to keep the Union Jack as a symbol of their British heritage.
What is the Union Jack?
The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the de facto national flag of the United Kingdom. Though no law has been passed officially making the Union Jack the national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become the national flag through precedent. The flag has official status in Canada, by parliamentary resolution, ...
What is the order of the flags in the UK?
According to the UK Flag Protocol, the order of precedence of flags in the United Kingdom is: the Royal Standards, the Union Flag, the flag of the host country (England, Scotland and Wales etc.), the flags of other nations (in English alphabetical order ), the Commonwealth Flag, the county flags, the flags of cities or towns, the banners of arms, and the house flags.
What is the width of a flag saltire?
In this interpretation, the width of both saltires is 1⁄15 of the flag's height, with fimbriations of 1⁄30 of the flag's height on either side of the red saltire. 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.
What is the flag on the stem of a ship called?
The Jack – A small flag worn on a jackstaff on the stem of Naval Vessels. The Royal Navy wears the Union Flag ... This is the only occasion when it correct to describe the flag as the Union Jack". However, this assertion does not appear in any Reed's Nautical Almanac since 1993.
What is the Scottish flag?
A painted wooden ceiling boss from Linlithgow Palace, dated to about 1617, depicts the Scottish royal unicorn holding a flag where a blue Saltire surmounts the red cross of St. George.
How big are the Queen's colours?
The Queen's Colours of Army regiments are 36 by 43 inches (910 mm × 1,090 mm); on them, the bars of the cross and saltire are of equal width; so are their respective fimbriations, which are very narrow. In South Africa, the Union Jacks flown alongside the National Flag between 1928 and 1957 were 2:3 flags.
Which country has a flag with a Union Jack?
Scotland also contributed a patron-saint flag to the Union Jack. Their national flag, Saint Andrew’s Cross, was first adopted in the fifteenth century. It honors their patron saint, Saint Andrew. As the legend goes, St. Andrew was crucified on an X-shaped cross. Over time, iconography developed to show the apostle on the cross, ...
When was the Union Jack created?
While the flag’s origins are unclear, its association with Saint Patrick dates back to the 1780s. It wasn’t until 1801 that Great Britain and Ireland were united. This resulted in a change to the flag of Great Britain: the cross of Saint Patrick was added to the existing flag of Great Britain, and the Union Jack was created.
What was the flag of Great Britain in 1603?
Here’s the flag: The year 1603 saw the Union of the Crowns, the event that brought Scotland and England together. When this went down, a combined British flag was created. This flag—the flag of Great Britain—is the predecessor to the modern Union Jack. This is what it looked like:
What countries are represented by the Union Jack?
During our research, we were intrigued by the manner in which the Union Jack represents the four countries of the United Kingdom: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The current version of the Union Jack is the combination of three different flags.
Is there a special representation of the Union Jack?
Because of this, it has no special representation in the Union Jack. Both the Union Jack and its individual components are steeped in rich history. We hope you’ve learned something about this iconic flag. If you’re interested in owning your own piece of Union Jack wall art, check out our wooden replica of the Union Jack.
What is the red cross on the Union Jack?
The saltire of St Patrick - the diagonal red cross on the union jack - was incorporated into the design in 1801 to represent the whole of Ireland, and not altered with the creation of the Irish Free State in 1922. "It's such a difficult issue that no-one has grasped that nettle," says Farrow.
Why is Wales not in the Union Jack?
Wales is not currently represented in the union jack because it was part of the English kingdom when the flag was designed. "That will be the obvious first argument: 'If Scotland's coming out then surely Wales must go in'," says Ashburner. The first design (at the top of this piece) strips out the blue field of the Scottish flag, ...
What is the fifth design on the Scottish flag?
The fifth design (above) removes the Scottish elements from the flag entirely, and adds the Royal Coat of Arms, surrounded by a garland of items symbolic of the Commonwealth nations. Any suggestions for altering the flag would be complicated by the issue of legality, which is uniquely difficult in the UK.
Is the flag determined by the crown?
The Cabinet Office says that since the issue hasn't been raised for hundreds of years, no guidance is currently in place. Another organisation that may have some say - the College of Arms - says that the flag is determined by the crown, and was confirmed by an order of the Privy Council in 1800.
Why did the Union flag change?
These changes were due to the addition of states to the Union, which caused the number of stars on the flag to change.
What flags did the Union regiments carry?
Each regiment carried both the "Stars and Stripes," and a Union battle flag of their own design. These battle flags carry some of the most interesting stories from the Civil War. As was the case with Confederate battle flags, there was no single flag design that was used by all the Union regiments.
What was the pattern of the Civil War flag?
What not everyone realizes, is that there were a number of different star patterns on the Civil War Union flags. Since there was no "official" star pattern, people designed their flags as they saw fit. An official star pattern for the United States flag was not introduced until Arizona became a state, and the 48 star flag was introduced in 1912. Up until that time, there were a few patterns that would become popular for a time and see wide usage, but each flag design was up to the person who made it.
How many flag bearers were killed in the Battle of Antietam?
According to tradition, on a single charge at the Battle of Antietam, the 69th New York Infantry lost eight flag bearers, killed or wounded.
When did West Virginia add the 36th star to the flag?
Finally, in 1863, West Virginia was added as the 35th state in the Union, bringing the star count up once more. Some unofficial 36 star flags appeared in 1865 to honor the state of Nevada's entrance into the Union, but the 36th star was not officially added to the flag until after the Civil War was over. While these star changes didn't have much ...
Did the Confederate flag have stars?
Therefore, the Confederate state's departure was not acknowledged on the flag. This, however, didn't stop some citizens from making their own flags with fewer stars. At the beginning of the war, the Union flag carried 33 stars, like the Fort Sumter flag (above). However, in early 1861, Kansas joined the Union.
Why Is It called The Union Jack?
- While no one is quite certain where the term "Union Jack" originated, there are many theories. "Union" is thought to come from the union of the three flags into one. As for "Jack," one explanation states that for many centuries a "jack" referred to a small flag flown from a boat or s…
Also called The Union Flag
- The Union Jack, which is most properly called the Union Flag, is the official flag of the United Kingdom and has been in its current form since 1801.
The Union Jack on Other Flags
- The Union Jack is also incorporated into the flags of four independent countries of the British Commonwealth- Australia, Fiji, Tuvalu, and New Zealand.
Overview
The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the de facto national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Jack the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. It is sometimes asserted that the term Union Jack properly refers only to naval usage, but this assertion was dismissed by the Flag Institute in 2013 following …
Terminology
The terms Union Jack and Union Flag are both used historically for describing the national flag of the United Kingdom. Whether the term Union Jack applies only when used as a jack flag on a ship is a matter of debate.
According to the Parliament of the United Kingdom: "Until the early 17th century England and Scotland were two entirely independent kingdoms (Wales had been annexed into The Kingdom o…
Design
The current flag's design has been in use since 1801. Its original blazon, as decreed by George III of the United Kingdom on 1 January 1801, reads:
"the Union flag shall be azure, the crosses-saltires of St. Andrew and St. Patrick quartered per saltire counter changed argent and gules; the latter fimbriated of the second [viz., argent]; surmounted by the cross of St. George of the third [vi…
History
In 1603, James VI of Scotland inherited the Kingdom of England (and the newly created client state, the Kingdom of Ireland) as James I, thereby uniting the crowns in a personal union. With Wales annexed into the Kingdom of England under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542, James now ruled over the all of the island of Great Britain, which he frequently described as a unified kingdom …
Status in the United Kingdom
The Union Jack is used as a jack by commissioned warships and submarines of the Royal Navy, and by commissioned army and Royal Air Force vessels. When at anchor or alongside, it is flown from the jackstaff at the bow of the ship. 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.
Status outside the United Kingdom
The Union Flag was used as a flag of Australia until 1953, although the Australian blue ensign saw use as a governmental flag of Australia, and an informal national flag of the country since the early 20th century. From 1911 to 1956, schools in South Australia were required to fly the Union Jack for the "national salute".
Use in other flags
As the national flag of the entire British Realm, the Union Flag was found in the canton (upper flagpole-side quarter) of the flags of many colonies of Britain, 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 that have used the Union Flag at some stage have includ…
In popular culture
The Union Jack remains one of the most instantly-recognisable flags in the world. This is chiefly due not only to its iconic and unusual design, but the influence of British culture across the globe as a result of the British Empire, and its resulting presence in several Commonwealth nations' flags and heraldry. While most of the former colonies of the British Empire have chosen to omit th…