The Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is the flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It retains an official or semi-official status in some Commonwealth Realms; for example, it is known as the Royal Union Flag in Canada. The current design dates from the Union of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801.

Terminology

Whether to use "Union Flag" or "Union Jack" is a matter of debate.

The Flag Institute, the vexillological organisation for the United Kingdom, stated that the term Union Flag is a "relatively recent idea". Jack was a word previously used to denote any flag. It also noted that "From early in its life 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 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". Nevertheless, the term "Union Flag" is used in King Charles's proclamation of 1634, and in King George III's proclamation of 1 January 1801 concerning the arms and flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. One theory is that the "Jack" part of the name may also have come from the name of King James I/James VI of Scotland.

When the first flag was introduced in 1606, it became known simply as "the British flag" or "the flag of Britain". The royal proclamation gave no distinctive name to the new flag. The word "jack" was in use before 1600 to describe the maritime bow flag. By 1627 a small Union Jack was commonly flown in this position. One theory goes that for some years it would have been 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.

Amongst the proclamations issued by King George III at the time of the union of 1801 was a proclamation concerning flags at sea, and which referred to "Our Flags, Jacks, and Pendants" and forbade merchant vessels from wearing "Our Jack, commonly called the Union Jack" nor any pendants or colours used by the King's ships. In contrast, the King's proclamation of the same day concerning the arms and flag of the United Kingdom, not colours at sea, called the new flag "the Union Flag".

The size and power of the Royal Navy internationally at the time could also explain why the flag was named the "Union Jack"; considering the navy was so widely utilised and renowned by the United Kingdom and colonies, it is possible that the term "Jack" occurred because of 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. Members of the Royal Navy only refer to the flag as the Union Jack when it is flying on their ships, commonly phrased as 'at sea'. Even the same flag, before it is flying will be called the Union Flag.

The term "Union Flag" is less well-known outside the United Kingdom, and may refer to other union flags.

detail specific shades of colour for use in heraldry.)

A thin white stripe, or fimbriation, separates the red cross from the blue field, in accordance with heraldry's rule of tincture where colours (like red and blue) must be separated from each other by metals (like white, i.e. argent or silver). The blazon for the old union 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. However, the flag of The Protectorate from 1658 to 1660 was inescutcheon with the arms of Ireland. These were removed after the Restoration, supposedly because Charles II disliked them.

The original flag appears in the canton of the Commissioners' Ensign of the Northern Lighthouse Board. This is the only contemporary official representation of the pre-1801 Union Flag in the United Kingdom and can be seen flying from their George Street headquarters in Edinburgh.

Taunton, Massachusetts, USA, has in recent years used a flag with the old style Union Flag. Likewise, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania has been known to fly a flag containing the Kings Colours since 1973.

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, slowly phased out after 1777.

Lord Howe's action, or the Glorious First of June, painted in 1795, shows a Union flying from HMS Queen Charlotte on the "Glorious First of June" 1794. The actual flag, preserved in the National Maritime Museum, is a cruder approximation of the proper specifications; this was common in 18th and early 19th-century flags.

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. 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.

Scottish Union Flag

In objecting to the 1606 design of the Union Flag, whereby the cross of St. George surmounted that of St. Andrew, a group of Scots took up the matter with John Erskine, 18th Earl of Mar, and were encouraged by him to send a letter of complaint, via the Privy Council of Scotland, to James VI, which stated that the flag's design "will breid some heit and miscontentment betwix your Majesties subjectis, and it is to be feirit that some inconvenientis sail fall oute betwix thame, for our seyfaring men cannot be inducit to resave that flage as it is set down". Although documents accompanying this complaint containing draughts for alternative flag designs have been lost, evidence of an alternative Scottish variant, where by the Scottish cross was uppermost, does exist. This version may have seen limited and possibly unofficial use in Scotland before 1707, including on one occasion in 1617 where in welcoming James VI to Dumfries, the Town Commissar was reported to have stated "Your Royall Majestie, in whose sacred person the King of kings hath miraculouslie united so many glorious Kingdoms, under whose Scepter the whyte and reid crocies are so proprtionablie interlaced". This description of the crosses being "so proportionablie interlaced" is interpreted by some as evidence of a Scottish version of the union flag, however others dispute this interpretation. Actual use of this flag is suggested in the depiction of Edinburgh Castle by John Slezer, in his series of engravings entitled Theatrum Scotiae, c. 1693. Appearing in later editions of Theatrum Scotiae, this engraving depicts the Scotch (to use the appropriate adjective of that period) version of the Union Flag flying from the Castle Clock Tower. Such a design is described in the 1704 edition of The Present State of the Universe by John Beaumont, Junior, which contains as an appendix The Ensigns, Colours or Flags of the Ships at Sea: Belonging to The several Princes and States in the World. Within this appendix, the flag's blazon is given as "Azure, a Cross gules, fimbriated, argent; over all a Saltier of the last". This blazon is described elsewhere as "On a blue shield (field?) of Scotland the red cross of St. George fimbriated with its white field, surmounted by the white cross of St. Andrew".

On 17 April 1707, just two weeks before the Acts of Union coming into effect, and with Sir Henry St George, Garter King of Arms, having presented seven designs of flag to Queen Anne and her Privy Council for consideration, the flag for the soon to be unified Kingdom of Great Britain was chosen. Along with that version finally selected, the designs for consideration had included that version of Union Flag showing the Cross of Saint Andrew uppermost; identified as being the "Scotts union flagg as said to be used by the Scotts". Despite bold lobbying on the part of the Scots representatives to the Privy Council, all their efforts were to be in vain, for that version of Union Flag showing the Cross of Saint George uppermost was destined to win the day. Two weeks after this decision, the Scottish Union Flag, showing the Cross of Saint Andrew overlying that of Saint George, was consigned to history.

In 2006, despite almost three centuries having passed since last being used, Scottish historian David R. Ross called for Scotland to once again adopt this design, in order to "reflect separate national identities across the UK". Despite an apparent lack of widespread public support in Scotland for such a proposal, the Scottish Union Flag may yet continue to find favour in some quarters. For example, to mark the 2009 Open Day celebrations on May 31 at Lennoxlove House, the historic seat of the Dukes of Hamilton, the Scottish Union Flag was observed flying from the flag pole on Lennoxlove House itself.

Since 1801

The current and second 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 a red saltire, the so-called "cross of Saint Patrick", for Ireland. This is counterchanged with the saltire of St Andrew, such that 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. As with the red cross, so too the red saltire is separated by a white fimbriation from the blue field. This fimbriation is repeated for symmetry on the white portion of the saltire, which thereby appears wider than the red portion. The fimbriation of the cross of St George separates its red from the red of the saltire.

Outside the Union flag, Saint Patrick's cross has seldom been used to represent Ireland, and with little popular recognition or enthusiasm; it is usually considered to derive from the arms of the powerful FitzGerald family rather than any association with the saint.

The current flag's design, in use since 1801, 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.

Flag speculation when Irish Free State founded

When the Anglo-Irish Treaty was concluded on 6 December 1921 and the creation of the new Irish Free State was an iminent prospect, the question arose as to whether the cross of Saint Patrick should remain in the Union Flag. The New York Times reported that on 22 January 1922:

At the College of Arms it was stated that certain modifications were under consideration and that if any action were taken it would be done by the King in Council.

No parliamentary action would be necessary.

Heraldry experts say that alterations in arms are very expensive.

Some years ago there was a demand from Irish quarters that the blue ground of the golden harp on the royal standard should be changed to green.

It was then estimated that the alteration would cost at least £2,000,000.

To remove all reference to Ireland from the present Union Jack and Royal Arms would be vastly more expensive.

There was some speculation on the matter in British dominions also, with one New Zealand paper reporting that:

...the removal of the cross of St. Patrick Cross after 120 years will transform the appearance of the flag.

It will certainly become a flag under which great victories were won in the seventeenth [sic] and eighteenth centuries, but to most minds the sentimental loss will be great.

Probably it will be found that the deletion is not absolutely necessary.

Other possible changes include the abolition of the title of the United Kingdom, and the removal of the harp from the Royal Standard and the Coat of Arms, and the substitution of the Ulster emblem.

However, the fact that it was likely that Northern Ireland would choose not to remain part of the Irish Free State after its foundation and instead exercise its right to opt back into the United Kingdom, gave better grounds for keeping the cross of St. Patrick in the Union Jack. In this regard, Sir James Craig, the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland remarked in December 1921 that he and his government were "glad to think that our decision [to opt back into the United Kingdom] will obviate the necessity of mutilating the Union Jack." Ultimately, when the British Home Secretary was asked on 7 December 1922 (the day after the Irish Free State was established) whether the Garter King-of-Arms was to issue any regulations with reference to the Union flag, the response was no and the flag has never been changed.

Campaigns for a new Union Flag

In 2003 a private individual started a campaign – dubbed "reflag" or "Union Black" – to interpret the Union Flag in a racial context, and introduce black stripes in it. The proposal was denounced by MSP Phil Gallie as "ridiculous tokenism [that] would do nothing to stamp out racism". The campaign received little support from any quarter and is now defunct.

Since there is no uniquely Welsh element in the Union Flag, Wrexham’s Labour MP Ian Lucas proposed on 27 November 2007 in a House of Commons debate that the Union Flag should be combined with the Welsh flag to reflect Wales’ status within the UK, and that the Red Dragon should be added to the Union Flag's red, white and blue pattern. He said the Union Flag currently only represented the other three UK nations, and Culture minister Margaret Hodge conceded that Mr Lucas had raised a valid point for debate. She said "the Government is keen to make the Union flag a positive symbol of Britishness reflecting the diversity of our country today and encouraging people to take pride in our flag". This development sparked design contests with entries from all over the world; some of the entries incorporated red dragons, St David's Cross and even anime characters and leeks.

Status

The Union Flag is used as a jack by commissioned warships and submarines of the Royal Navy, and by commissioned Army and Royal Air Force vessels, though no such vessel was in commission as of June 2007. 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.

The Union Flag is worn at the masthead of a ship to indicate the presence of the Sovereign or an Admiral of the Fleet. It is also worn at the masthead of Her Majesty's Canadian ships within Canadian territorial waters on certain days of the year, such as the Queen's official birthday and Commonwealth Day. The Union Flag may also be flown from the yardarm to indicate that a court-martial is in progress, though these are now normally held in shore establishments.

No law has been passed making the Union Flag the national flag of the United Kingdom: it has become one through precedent. 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, Sir John Gilmour, in 1933 when he stated that "the Union Jack is the National Flag". But it is still officially a flag of the monarch, rather than the country.

Civilian use is permitted on land, 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. Naval ships will fly the white ensign, and merchant and private boats can fly the red ensign, both of which contain the union flag as part of the design.

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 Royal Union flag (as it is now known in Canada) is flown alongside the Maple-Leaf Flag on Commonwealth Day and other royal occasions and anniversaries. Until 1980, it was also the official flag of the province of Newfoundland.

On 5 February 2008, Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell introduced the 'Union Flag Bill' as a private member's bill as a 10-minute bill in the House of Commons. The Bill seeks to formalise the position of the Union Flag as the national flag of the UK in law, to remove legal obstacles to its regular display and to officially recognise the name 'Union Jack' as having equal status with 'Union Flag'. However the Bill had not received its second reading by the end of that parliamentary session.

Other ratios

Although the most common ratio is 1:2, other ratios exist. The Royal Navy's flag code book, BR20 Flags of All Nations, states that both 1:2 and 3:5 versions are official. The 3:5 version is most commonly used by the British Army and is sometimes known as the War flag. In this version the innermost points of the lower left and upper right diagonals of the St Patrick's cross are cut off or truncated.

The Queen's Harbour Master's flag, like the Pilot Jack, is a 1:2 flag that contains a white-bordered Union Flag that is longer than 1:2. The jacks of ships flying variants of the Blue Ensign are square and have a square Union Flag in the canton. The Queen's Colours of Army regiments are 36 x 43 inches; on them, the bars of the cross and saltire are of equal width; so are their respective fimbriations, which are very narrow.

Use in other flags

Other nations and regions

The Union Flag was found in the canton (upper left-hand 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 included Aden, Borneo, Ceylon, Cyprus, East Africa , Gambia, Gold Coast , India, Jamaica, Lagos, Malta, Mauritius, Nigeria, Palestine, Penang , Rhodesia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somaliland, Tanganyika, Trinidad, and the United States. 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 transferred 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, 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 independent countries incorporate the Union Flag as part of their 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 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 such as British Columbia, Manitoba and Ontario. Newfoundland and Labrador uses a modified version of the Union Flag, once the flag of the province. Canadian practice allows the 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. On some official occasions, the flag is always flown besides the Maple Leaf Flag, one such occasion is on the anniversary of the Statute of Westminster.

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. The flags of all six Australian States retain the Union Flag in the canton, as do some regional flags such as the Upper and Lower Murray River Flags. 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 Britain 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 Union Flag was used by the United States in its first flag, the Grand Union Flag. This flag was of a similar design to the one used by the British East India Company.

The Union Flag also appeared on both the 1910-1928 and 1928-1994 flags of South Africa. The 1910-1928 flag was a red ensign with the Union coat of arms in the fly. The 1928-1994 flag, based on the Prinsenvlag and commonly known as the oranje-blanje-blou (orange-white-blue), contained the Union Flag as part of a central motif at par with the flags of the two Boer republics of the Orange Free State and Transvaal. To keep any one of the three flags from having precedence, the Union Flag is spread horizontally from the Orange Free State flag towards the hoist; closest to the hoist, it is in the superior position but since it is reversed it does not precede the other flags.

Hawaii, a state of the United States, incorporates the Union Jack in its state flag. According to one story, the King of Hawaii asked the British mariner, George Vancouver, during a stop in Lahaina, what the piece of cloth flying from his ship was. Vancouver replied that it represented his King's authority. The Hawaiian King then flew the flag as a symbol of royal authority (his own) not recognising its national derivation. Hawaii's flag represents the only current use of the Union Jack in any American state flag, ironic given that Hawaii was never a part of the British Empire and remained independent until American annexation.

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. These are used in cases where it is illegal to fly the Union Flag, such as at sea from a British ship. Normal practice for UK ships is to fly the White ensign (Royal Navy) or the Red ensign (Merchant and private boats). Similar ensigns are used by other countries (such as New Zealand and Australia) with the Union Flag in the canton. Other countries (such as India and Jamaica) follow similar ensign etiquette as the UK, replacing the Union Flag with their own national flag.File:Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg|Royal Navy White EnsignFile:Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg|The Merchant Navy EnsignFile:Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg|Royal Air Force EnsignFile:Civil Air Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg|British Civil Air EnsignFile:Government Ensign of Gibraltar.svg|Gilbratar State EnsignFile:Civil Ensign of the Cayman Islands.svg|Cayman Islands Red EnsignFile:Ensign of the Royal Australian Air Force.svg|Royal Australian Air Force EnsignFile:Civil Air Ensign of New Zealand.svg|New Zealand Civil Aviation Ensign

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, warships, military bases, and other government buildings on the following days:

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

The flag is only flown in addition to the Canadian national flag, where physical arrangements allow (e.g., when there is more than one flag pole).

United Kingdom

In July 2007, British prime minister Gordon Brown unveiled plans to have the Union Flag flown more often from government buildings. 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.

The current flag days where the Union Flag should be flown from government buildings throughout 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 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 St David's Day)
• 17 March (Northern Ireland only, for St Patrick's Day)
• 23 April (England only, for St 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 only
• The day of the prorogation of a Session of the Houses of Parliament, Greater London only

On 30 November, (St Andrew's Day), the Union Flag can be flown in Scotland only 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. 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. However, on 23 April, St. George's Day, it is the Union Jack that is flown over government offices in England rather than England's flag, St. George's Cross.

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

Specifications for flag use

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.

On 3 February 2009, the BBC reported that the flag had been inadvertently flown upside-down by the UK government at the signing of a trade agreement with Chinese premier Wen Jiabao. The error had been spotted by readers of the BBC news website who had contacted the BBC after seeing a photograph of the event.

The normal proportions 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:

Scheme	Blue	Red	White	General Note: The colour schemes are not all congruent. This is due to different specifications for different types of media (for example, screen and print) * Not official; these are Wikimedia Commons' own conversions of the Pantone. |- ! [[Pantone]] (paper) | 280 C | 186 C | Safe |- ! [[Web colors#Web-safe colors|Web-Safe Hex]] | #003399 | #CC0000 | #FFFFFF |- ! [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|MoD]] | 8711D | 8711H | 8711J |- ! [[NATO]] | 8305.99.130.4580 | 8305.99.130.4584 | 8305.99.130.4585 |- ! [[CMYK color model|CMYK]] | 100.72.0.18.5 | 0.91.76.6 | 0.0.0.0 |- ! [[RGB color model|RGB]] ([[Web colors#Hex triplet|Hex]])*	0, 36, 125 (#00247D)	207, 20, 43 (#CF142B)	255, 255, 255 (#FFFFFF)

Usage and disposal

In general there are no prescriptions regarding the use and disposal of the flag in a manner akin to the United States Flag Code. This reflects its largely unofficial status as a national flag. There is no contemporary national concept of flag desecration. There is also no specific way in which the Union Flag should be folded as there is with the United States Flag. It should just be folded ready for the next use.

Royal Navy Stores Duties Instructions, article 447, dated 26 February 1914, specified that flags condemned for further service use were to be torn up into small pieces and disposed of as rags (ADM 1/8369/56), not to be used for decoration or sold. The exception was flags that had flown in action: these could be framed and kept on board, or transferred to a "suitable place", such as a museum (ADM 1/8567/245).

Other names

• In Canada the flag is officially called the Royal Union Flag.
• In China, especially in Hong Kong, the flag has the nickname Rice-Character Flag (米字旗 pinyin: mǐzìqí) since the pattern looks like the Chinese character for "rice" (米).
• Butcher's Apron is a pejorative term for the flag, common among Irish republicans. In 2006, Sandra White, an MSP, caused a furore when she used the name.

Other uses

Commonly the Union Flag is used on computer program and internet pages as an icon representing a choice of the English language where a choice among multiple languages may be presented to the user. Although the flag represents the union of several language groups (English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish) it is appropriate in that English is the common language of the formerly extensive and current remnant British Empire.

Gallery

File:Pre-1801 Union Flag at Fort York, Toronto.JPG|Pre-1801 Union Flag at the historic Fort York, Toronto, CanadaFile:GillrayBritannia.jpg|The flag flying on Britannia's boat in this 1793 James Gillray cartoon is considerably different from the present flagFile:A-Block-for-the-Wigs-Gillray.jpeg|A different style of Union Flag appears again in another cartoon by GillrayFile:Hudsons Bay Company Flag.svg|The Hudson's Bay Company's historical flag has a Union Flag on the corner.File:Northern Lighthouse Board Commisioners Flag of the United Kingdom.png|Commissioners' Flag of the Northern Lighthouse BoardFile:Taunton Flag (United States).svg|Flag of Taunton, MassachusettsFile:A typical london street.jpg|Typical use of the Union FlagFile:UK-CA-BC_Flags.JPG|The Royal Union Flag alongside the flag of Canada and the flag of British Columbia, at Stanley Park in Vancouver.File:Flag_of_Ontario.svg|The flag of the Canadian Province of Ontario.File:White Ensign on HMS Belfast.jpg|White Ensign on HMS BelfastFile:Grand_Union_Flag.svg|The Grand Union Flag is considered to be the first national flag of the United StatesFile:Flag_of_Hawaii.svg|The flag of the U.S. state of Hawaii, incorporating the Union Flag

See also

• List of British flags – flags used within the United Kingdom.
• Northern Ireland flags issue
• Gallery of flags by design
• Flag of the European Union
• Cross
• Union Jack Club, London

Further reading

References

1. Union Jack, The official website of the British Monarchy.
2. The Royal Union flag in Canada
3. British flags, from the Flag Institute site. Accessed 2 May 2007
4. The International Flag Book, Pederson cf, Blanford Press London
5. "Proclamation appointing the Flag, as well for Our Navy Royal as for the Ships of Our Subjects of South and North Britain" (1634) - … none of Our Subjects, of any of Our Nations and Kingdoms shall from henceforth presume to carry the Union Flag in the Main top, or other part of any of their Ships (that is) St Georges cross and St Andrews Cross joined together upon pain of Our high displeasure, but that the same Union Flag be still reserved as an ornament proper for Our own Ships and Ships in Our immediate Service and Pay, and none other."
6. "A Proclamation Declaring His Majesty's Pleasure concerning the Royal Style and Titles appertaining to the Imperial Crown of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and its Dependencies, and also the Ensigns, Armorial Flags, and Banners thereof" (1 January 2009) London Gazette, 30 December 1800
7. The International Flag Book, Pederson FP, 1971 Blandford Press London
8. "A Proclamation Declaring what Ensign or Colours shall be borne at Sea, in Merchant Ships or Vessels, belonging to any of His Majesty's Subjects of the United Kingdom London Gazette 17 January 1801
9. The Union Jack in the Australian National Flag
10. (see also Post Office Blue Ensign (made between 1833 and 1864) from the same collection.
11. The Kings and Queens of England and Scotland by Plantagenet Somerset Fry (Grove Press, 1990). Includes several proposed versions of the original Union Flag.
12. Full text at 'The Internet Archive'
13. Scottish variant" at Flags of the World
14. Google books: "This flag had official recognition"
15. Google books: "Unofficial 1606 Scottish Union Flag"
16. Googel books
17. Google books
18. de Burton, Simon "How Scots lost battle of the standard" (9 November 1999) The Scotsman. Edinburgh. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
19. "Let's have a Scottish version of Union flag, says historian" The Scotsman 21 June 2006. Retrieved on 2009-05-05.
20. Close up image at flickr.com Retrieved on 2009-07-21 Additional images at Haddington Pipe Band website Retrieved on 2009-07-22
21. May Alter The Union Jack - New York Times
22. Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLII, Issue 9409, 13 December 1921, Page 5
23. Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLII, Issue 9413, 16 December 1921, Page 5
24. House of Commons Debate, 7 December 1922 (Vol. 159 cc2015-6W 2015W)
25. Welsh dragon call for Union flag BBC News Online 27 November 2007
26. Department of National Defence: The Honours, Flags and Heritage Structure of the Canadian Forces
27. Commonwealth Day (www.pch.gc.ca) Accessed 30 Dec 2007
28. Bills and Legislation - Union Flag Bill
29. Inglefield E, "Flags", Ward Lock 1979
30. BBC NEWS | UK | UK Politics | Brown lifts ban on national flag
31. Department of Culture, Media and Sport's rules, issued on behalf of The Queen
32. Scotland.gov.uk- "Royal and ceremonial"/
33. BBC News- "Ministers agree flag day review"
34. BBC NEWS | UK | UK Politics | Flag mistake at UK-China ceremony
35. A Google Images search for '米字旗' turns up several United Kingdom flags
36. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/news/tm_objectid=16609593&method=full&siteid=66633-name_page.html

External links

• 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