White Ensigns Aren’t Only for the Navy

Originally published in the Vexilloid Tabloid, no. 94, June 2022

Naval ensign, United Kingdom

A white flag with a red cross throughout, the Indian flag in the canton and the emblem of India in the center — Naval ensign, India

The British white ensign has been the flag of the Royal Navy since 1864. Not surprisingly, many former British colonies have adopted similar naval ensigns – sometimes with the red St. George’s cross (e.g., India) and sometimes without (e.g., Australia). In Canada, there is a white ensign for the joint armed services as well.

A white flag with the British Union Jack in the canton, a blue seven-pointed star in the lower hoist and the Southern Cross in blue in the fly — Naval ensign, Australia

A white flag with the Canadian flag in the canton and the badge of the Canadian Armed Forces in the fly — Canadian Armed Forces ensign

But the occasional white ensign for civilian use can be found too. The flag of the British Antarctic Territory is a white ensign without a cross – clearly symbolic of the Antarctic ice. In the Bahamas, non-military government ships fly a white ensign with a blue cross. It’s been suggested to me that this is the cross of St. Michael; more likely, I suspect, the color simply comes from the blue ensign which serves the same purpose in the United Kingdom.

A white flag with the British Union Jack in the canton and the arms of the British Antarctic Territory in the fly — British Antarctic Territory

A white flag with a blue cross throughout and the Bahamian flag in the canton — Government ensign, Bahamas

The Royal Niger Company, which colonized Nigeria in the late 19th century, had a British white ensign defaced with its badge. And the Royal Irish Yacht Club flies a white ensign with the unusual combination of the Irish tricolor and a crown!

A white flag with the British Union Jack in the canton and the badge of the Royal Niger Company in the fly — Royal Niger Company

A white flag with the Irish flag in the canton and a yellow crown and harp in the fly — Royal Irish Yacht Club

There are even a few “white ensigns” which are flags of office rather than ensigns at all. The Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago uses a flag with the national arms in the fly. The Commissioners of Northern Lights, responsible for lighthouses in Scotland, still fly a white ensign with – uniquely among British flags – the pre-1801 Union Jack in the canton.

A white flag with Trinidad and Tobago’s flag in the canton and its wreathed coat of arms in the fly — Prime Minister, Trinidad and Tobago

A white flag with the pre-1801 British Union Jack in the canton and a black lighthouse in the fly — Commissioners of Northern Lights

Most striking of all, though it can barely be regarded as a white ensign, the Commissioner of the British Indian Ocean Territory has a flag with blue and white waves derived from the territorial arms.