Defaced Blue Ensign
‘Ensign’ has a couple of meanings. In the British army it used to be the lowest ranked commissioned officer, now known as a second lieutenant. In the US navy an ensign is the lowest commissioned officer.
The ensign referred to here is a flag.
In the 17th century, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, the English fleet was organised in three squadrons for more efficient deployment. In order of precedence, they were plain unadorned flags ranked red, blue, and white.
In the mid-nineteenth century, the Royal Navy standardised its flags. The White Ensign was assigned to RN warships, the Red Ensign was reserved for merchant ships, and the Blue Ensign was allocated to ships commanded by Royal Naval Reserve officers. This change meant that the Blue Ensign became a symbol of official service.
The Blue Ensign is deep blue with the Union Flag in the top left corner. It can be flown by British government ships, merchant ships under the command of RN Reserve officers, and some privileged yacht clubs, like the Royal Yacht Squadron.
When an ensign is defaced, it is not vandalised or despoiled. It simply has been modified with an emblem added to it to signify which organisation is using it. Below are some examples of defaced Blue Ensigns.
Defaced Blue Ensign of Metropolitan Police
Defaced Blue Ensign of Bermuda
Our national flag seems to be a defaced Blue Ensign. How unfortunate.
ReplyDeleteI think it's rather attractive.
DeleteA Defaced Blue Ensign is a flag that originates from the British system of maritime flags. The base design is the Blue Ensign, which is a dark blue field with the Union Jack in the upper left corner. When this standard ensign is “defaced,” it simply means that a badge, emblem, or symbol has been added to the fly (the right-hand side of the flag). This modification allowed different colonies, territories, and organizations under British authority to display their own identity while still acknowledging ties to the United Kingdom. That is what I am concerned so far
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DeleteThe flag of Ontario is a defaced Red Ensign, with the Royal Union Flag in the canton and the Ontario shield of arms in the fly. The flag of Ontario was derived from the Canadian Red Ensign that was used as a civil ensign and the flag of Canada from the late 19th century to 1965. When the new Canadian Flag replaced the old in 1965, Ontario changed the Canadian arms on the former national flag to the Ontario arms. May 21 is Ontario Flag Day.
ReplyDeleteYou can see it here if you wish.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Ontario
It's a very attractive flag. There are others that were hypothetical but not commissioned, for Saskatchewan, for example.
DeleteDefaced here has an entirely different meaning!
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DeleteThank you for the explanations. I thought defaced meant someone added something they shouldn't.
ReplyDeleteIt does sound less than desirable . . .
Delete"Defaced" seems like a negative thing, doesn't it? They need a new name. "Modified Blue Ensign," maybe.
ReplyDeleteFrom Bing: It is called "defaced" rather than "modified" because this specific vexillological term refers to the addition of a symbol to a pre-existing flag to create a new, specialized ensign for a particular government department, public body, or yacht club
DeleteVexillology is 'the scholarly study of flags, their history, symbolism, and usage.'
Ah! Enlightenment.
ReplyDelete. . . the Great, or just everyday?
DeleteAh, the wonderful intricacies of our English language.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing the things that come to light.
DeleteWell I have learnt something today. It just might come in handy at a pub quiz... one day.
ReplyDeleteHere's another one for you:
Delete'vexillology, the scholarly study of flags, their history, symbolism, and usage.'
So in this case defaced isn't a bad thing. If someone said they defaced a flag here I would think they had somehow vandallized it
ReplyDeleteThat would be the logical conclusion. 😊
DeleteI had no idea of any of this, so thank you for educating me once more Janice! xxx
ReplyDeleteI had to try and get my head round it . . .
Deleteit’s interesting how the Blue Ensign’s history and defaced variations reflect both naval tradition and the specific identities of the organizations that fly them
ReplyDeleteIt shows that anyone can be a sailor . . . 😜
DeleteWhat beautiful Flags you are showing us in the bottom three pictures.
ReplyDeleteI think flags are really interesting and some are really beautifully bright.
DeleteVery good -Christine cmlk79.blogspot.com
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DeleteI didn't know this - TQ
ReplyDeleteAlison in Devon x
Flags and coats of arms fascinate me.
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed this, thank you!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you appreciated it. 😊
DeleteThanks for this information and post. Take care, enjoy your day!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Eileen.
DeleteI didn't know this. Interesting.
ReplyDeleteI discovered that 'vexillology' is the name for the study of flags!
DeleteFascinating history and fascinating. Also about this meaning of defect that I was not aware of.
ReplyDeleteLanguage is interesting.
DeleteI am loving these lessons of things that I would never have bothered to look...I feel like I am gaining so much wisdom and I'm really enjoying it.
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DeleteWith many thanks for the explanations.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
My pleasure.
DeleteAt first I thought defaced meant the flag had been tattered by weather or torn. I was expecting to hear the flag was burned as happens in the US when a flag is so old and tattered. But a different meaning and fun facts.
ReplyDeleteWords can have many different meanings, depending on the context.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the explanations about the Defaced Ensigns. I wouldn't have known that in this case, defaced means modified with an added emblem.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting, isn't it?
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