My Friends,
Here in Australia, we see a lot more use these days of the Australian Red Ensign Flag.
The Common Australian Flag looks like:
Here is the Red Ensign Flag Flown by Protesters and many Australians:
What does the Australian Red Ensign mean?
The red stripe on the flag represents the Australian Army, the dark blue stripe represents the Royal Australian Navy and the light blue stripe represents the Royal Australian Air Force. The Commonwealth Star and the boomerang on the Australian Defence Force ensign represent Australia.
Ref: Australian flags
Its common place, we see the Red Flag flown a lot now, and the Blue Flag much less!
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WHY?
The History is very mixed and muddy, it appears that the History is being forgotten or even re-written to void out some of the truth:
Red Ensign (1707-1800) - Lieutenant James Cook on HM Bark Endeavour on his first voyage of discovery was the first European to explore the east coast of Australia. He landed at Kurnell on Botany Bay on 29 April 1770. The Endeavour was in the service of the Royal Navy, but as it was not attached to any fleet, it flew the British Red Ensign (one of three flags then used by the Royal Navy).
Ref: Australian flags
National Colonial Flag - Captain John Bingle, a former mariner, wrote his memoirs in 1881 in which he stated that Captain John Nicholson and he had designed a flag for use as a national colonial flag for Australia. He claimed that the flag had been approved by NSW Governor Sir Thomas Brisbane in 1823, though no other record of the flag or any approval has been found. The flag has been promoted as the earliest Australian flag and the first use of the Southern Cross on a flag. The image is of a reconstruction of the flag by Sydney vexillologist, John Vaughan, based on an interpretation of Bingle's written description.
Ref: Australian flags
The Battle of Pozières took place in northern France around the village of Pozières, during the Battle of the Somme. The costly fighting ended with the British in possession of the plateau north and east of the village, in a position to menace the German bastion of Thiepval from the rear
Ref: A Rare WW1 Australian Red Ensign Flag with Banner with the words "Pozieres 1916" stitched
History, from very old books shows quite a different story:
HRH Prince Albert, the Duke of York became King George VI upon the abdication of his brother King Edward VIII on 11 December 1936. As Duke of York, he had opened the Parliament House in Canberra in 1927. King George VI’s coronation was held at Westminster Abbey on 12 May 1937, the date previously planned for King Edward VIII’s coronation. It was a significant event in 1937, with various souvenir flags and ephemera. Note that Australia was represented by red versions of the Australian Red Ensign
So, here in 1936, the duke of York has assimilated the Australian Red Flag in his Union, and the New Zealand Blue Flag is beside it, but below it, with Four Stars!
So what is the Australian red ensign?
Back to that strange flag. The Australian red ensign is the official flag flown at sea by Australian registered merchant ships.
The flag was developed as part of the Commonwealth government’s 1901 federal flag design competition, which resulted in two flags: the familiar Australian blue ensign for official Commonwealth government use and our national flag, and the Australian red ensign for the merchant navy, which refers to our shrinking commercial shipping fleet.
In the early years of federation, the red ensign was an important symbol of Australian identity as the main flag used by private citizens on land and at sea. Australians have fought under it during both world wars.
Ref: What is the Australian merchant navy flag, the red ensign? And why do anti-government groups use it?
I have to say, my research shows a very different story than the one being told here!
History of the Australian Red Ensign
When the Commonwealth Government announced a competition to design a flag for Australia in 1901, entrants were asked to send a design for two flags – one for official and naval purposes and the other for merchant ships.
The resulting Commonwealth red ensign or merchant flag was identical to the Australian National Flag (or Commonwealth blue ensign as it was then known) except that it had a red background instead of a blue one.
Historically, the Australian red ensign was used on land and at sea and Australians have fought under it during both world wars.
There was considerable confusion in the first half of the 20th century over the appropriate use of the red ensign as opposed to the blue ensign.
This was clarified with the passage of the Flags Act 1953 which proclaimed the blue ensign as the Australian National Flag. The Australian red ensign became the official flag to be flown at sea by Australian registered merchant ships.
September 3 each year, as well as being Australia National Flag Day, is also Merchant Navy Day. Organisations and individuals commemorating Merchant Navy Day can choose to fly the Australian red ensign. While it is generally only flown at sea, the Australian red ensign may be flown on land for ceremonial purposes such as Merchant Navy Day. When the Australian red ensign is flown along with the Australian National Flag, the Australian National Flag should be flown in the position of honour.
Centenary Flag
The Centenary Flag was presented to the Prime Minister on behalf of the people of Australia by the Australian National Flag Association on 3 September 2001 to mark the 100th anniversary of the day the Australian National Flag was first flown.
The Centenary Flag is an Australian National Flag with a white headband incorporating a cardinal red stripe and an inscription.
The Centenary Flag was proclaimed on 13 September 2001.
So has our History been Hijacked? Have we had a change in Flag somewhere along the lines?
Why did the Australian flag change from red to blue?
The Menzies government introduced the Flags Act to encourage the public to use the Blue Ensign instead of the Union Jack and the Red Ensign, with the latter only to be used on merchant ships.
The Flags Act explains that the Blue Ensign is Australia’s National Flag. It defines flag dimensions protocols around use.
The Flags Act Bill was passed in December 1953 and was given Royal Assent on 14 February 1954 by the Queen, who was visiting Australia.
The flag has changed little since the 1901 competition, although in 1908, when Australia acquired Papua as an external territory, a seventh point was added to the Federation Star to represent Papua and all subsequent territories.
Get that feeling that your History is being over written so you forget who you are and where you have come from? I most definitely so! Its very easily seen if one does 5 minutes reading on many High Profile Webpages, the Truth is NOT There! Its all Fabrication!
Many are of this opinion:
To me, this is a travesty! Its a disgrace, The Australian Red Flag is a National Treasure and pays tribute to our Founding Fathers and our Fathers that have Protected our Nation, a Nation of Battlers! A Nation of Tough, Brave and resilient people! However, we see opinions of some:
Indeed, RSL Australia has condemned the flag’s use by protesters as disrespectful.
Ref: What is the Australian merchant navy flag, the red ensign? And why do anti-government groups use it?
Blue is a mark of Democracy, and perhaps a Democracy may turn out to be more Tyrannical than anyone would have ever thought:
Make up your own mind, but I have my mind made up!
Australia: People's Flag - The 1901 flag competition winning design was announced on 3 September 1901 and the selected design was subsequently modified and formally adopted from 20 February 1903, with a further change to the current design from 23 February 1908. Initially the blue version of the Australian flag was limited to government use and the red was only intended for use by private shipping. At sea the use of the Union Jack was prohibited except on warships of the Royal Navy and there was uncertainty as to whether ordinary people could use the Union Jack on land.
The practice developed during the 19th century in Britain and other parts of the Empire for the British Red Ensign to be used on land when private citizens wanted to fly a flag from a building. This practice explains why the flag of Canada until 1965 was a red ensign. Accordingly, the Australian Red Ensign was the flag used when businesses and individuals wanted to fly a local flag, either in addition to or in place of the Union Jack. The Australian Red Ensign historically can be considered to be the People's Flag, though there was no contemporary use of this description.
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The Australian Flag was supposed to be Red, not Blue, the Blue Flag was bought in secretly and quietly, by the Menzies Government and the Queen, over the years and the History was manipulated and forgotten. I have done my research and found the best information is on the Sites that are the hardest to get to! Not in Googles top Search!
Do you Fly a Red Flag?
Best Wishes,
Chris
