- VAILING
- When the finial on the staff of military colour or parade flag is allowed
to touch – or nearly touch – the ground whilst being lowered in salute – but
see 'trailing 1)' (also
‘dipping 1)’).
- VAIR (VAIRE or VAIRY)
- The alternative heraldic terms for a fur (reputedly the winter coat of a squirrel), which is usually
(but not invariably) shown as a series of blue shield- or bell-like shapes on a white or
silver field – see ‘urdy’ (also ‘ermine’, ‘furs’ and ‘potent
1)’).
Flag of Veiros, Portugal;
Flag of Prahins, Switzerland;
Flag of Pratânia, Brazil
- VAIR MOULDING
- In heraldry see ‘urdy’.
![[urdy example]](../images/v/vxt-d4482.gif)
Flag of
Skaun, Norway
- VAMBRACED
- The heraldic term used when an arm only is shown clad in armour – but see ‘harnysed’
(also ‘armoured’ and
‘embowed’).
Flag and Arms of Běhařov, Czech Rep.
Please note that the “vambrace” was a piece of armour which protected the forearm.
- VANE
- 1) The term for a short, triangular pennant now obsolete, sometimes
stiffened with a frame (often plain red) and formerly flown from the mastheads
of sailing merchant vessels in place of a masthead pennant, or sometimes to
identify individual ships when travelling in convoy (see also
‘frame 2)’,
‘masthead’ and
‘masthead pennant 1)’) see supplemental note.
- 2) See ‘distinguishing vane’.
- 3) A length of bunting (or other light material) extended on a wooden stock and fixed
in the shrouds of a yacht or small sailing vessel to indicate wind direction – a wind vane.
- 4) A small metal flag-like object; generally set on a rod on the top of a
building – a wind or weather vane.
- 5) A pre-heraldic vexilloid in the form of a decorative metal plaque mounted
onboard ship by the Vikings (see also ‘pre-heraldic’
and ‘vexilloid’).
Notes
a) It has been suggested that the word
“vane” was a southern English dialect corruption of the Medieval term “fane” –
see ‘fane 1))’.
b) The term vane (or van) in heraldry can also refer to a
‘winnowing basket’ or scruttle/shruttle/fruttle/fan.
- VANNALUM
- A medieval term, now obsolete, for a small flag or vane – see
‘vane 1)’.
- VANNERIA
- A medieval term, now obsolete, for a banner – see
‘banner’.
- VARIANT
- 1) A flag that shows comparatively minor differences (either official or unofficial)
from some standard model, and one example would be the variously differenced standards of
the British Royal Family (see also
‘difference 1’).
‘cadency, mark of’ and
‘label 2)’).
- 2) A term that may be applied when describing a flag which differs from others of the
same basic design, but for which no official specifications are known (see also
‘de facto’,
‘de jure’ and following notes).
- 3) See ‘template flag’.
National Flag of India with two other variants
of the chakra
- VEHICULAR (or VEHICLE) FLAG/PENNANT
- See ‘car flag’ and ‘fanion 2)’.
Car/Vehicular Flag and Standard of the Reich
President 1933–1935, Germany; Flanked by two
Vehicular Flags/Fanions According to NATO Regulations
- VEINED
- In Continental European blazoning, the term sometimes used to describe the detailing of
a charge instead of the correct English heraldic equivalent of garnished –
see ‘garnished’
(also ‘blazon’).
Flag and Arms of Larinho, Portugal;
Flag of Figueiredo, Portugal
- VENETIAN ENTASIS TAPER
- A distinctive design invented in Venice that gives an aesthetically pleasing,
convex taper to a tall flagpole, and now one of the most common form used – but see
‘cone tapered’ (also
‘flag pole’).
- VENN
- A term (sometimes further divided into Venn A and Venn B) employed for the detailed classification of
17th century English military colours, with particular regard to their use within a regiment (see also
‘colour 2)’,
‘colours 2)’,
‘company colours’,
‘device 2)’ and
‘stand of colours1)’).
![[venn example]](../images/v/vxt-d1433a.gif)
![[venn example]](../images/v/vxt-d1433b.gif)
![[venn example]](../images/v/vxt-d1433c.gif)
![[venn example]](../images/v/vxt-d1433d.gif)
![[venn example]](../images/v/vxt-d1433e.gif)
![[venn example]](../images/v/vxt-d1433f.gif)
Venn A – Stand of Six Colours (Colonel, Lt Col, Major, First
– Third Captain), Westminster Liberty Regiment, London. England c1641
![[venn example]](../images/v/vxt-d1434a.gif)
![[venn example]](../images/v/vxt-d1434b.gif)
![[venn example]](../images/v/vxt-d1434c.gif)
![[venn example]](../images/v/vxt-d1434d.gif)
![[venn example]](../images/v/vxt-d1434e.gif)
![[venn example]](../images/v/vxt-d1434f.gif)
Venn B – Stand of Six Colours (Colonel, Lt Col, Major, First – Third Captain), Blew Trayned Band, London, England c1641 (CS)
Notes:
a) The above system of classification only applies
to English colours, and is taken from those illustrated by Captain Thomas Venn
in his book Military Observations (or the Tacticke Put Into Practice) of 1672.
b) There were a number of variations not originally covered
by this classification, and that further, more comprehensive
methods have been recently proposed.
- VERGETTE
- An alternative heraldic term to paly – see ‘paly’.
![[vergette]](../images/v/vxt-d4887.gif)
Flag of Ueberstorf, Switzerland
- VERT
- A heraldic term for the colour green – see ‘tinctures’ (also ‘rule of tincture’).
![[colour example]](../images/v/vxt-d555i.gif)
- VERTICAL BICOLOUR
- See ‘bicolour 1)’ and ‘bicolour 2)’
National Flags of Haiti 1805 and
1964–1986
- VERTICAL FLAG
- See banner 2) and
hanging flag with their
following notes (also
gonfalon and vertically hoisted flag).
Vertical Flags/Banners of Wolfsburg and
Aspach, Germany;
Hanging Flag of Aschaffenburg, Germany
- VERTICAL MERIDIAN (or MEDIAN)
- See ‘meridian’.
- VERTICAL MULTI-STRIPE
- See ‘multi-stripe’.
Flag of Duchcov, Czechia
- VERTICAL PENNANT
- 1) Generically, any pennant designed to be hung vertically (see also ‘pennant 2)’).
2) Specifically see ‘club pennant’.
Pennant of the Kanu-Gemeinschaft Eiderstedt e.V.;
Pennant of the Rasen- und Wassersportverein Essen-Werden, Germany
- VERTICAL STRIPES IN HERALDRY
- See ‘pale’ and ‘pallet’.
Flag of Hoogstraten, Belgium;
Flag of Commugny, Switzerland
- VERTICAL TRIBAND
- See ‘triband 1)’ and ‘triband 2)’.
Flag of Lindern, Germany; National flag of Nigeria
- VERTICAL TRICOLOUR
- See ‘tricolour 1)’ and
‘tricolour 2)’.
National flag of Moldova;
National flag of Romania
- VERTICALLY HOISTED FLAG
- 1) In German speaking, Central European and some other usage, a term that may be
applied to any long, vertically orientated flag, but which (unlike a banner or hanging
flag as defined herein) is hoisted along its upright (rather than topmost) edge
– a flapping flag
(see also ‘banner 2)’,
‘hanging flag’,
‘hoisted flag’, ‘outrigger flag’
and ‘rotated’).
2) See ‘banner 2)’ and
‘hanging flag’.
Vertically Hoisted Flag of
Sankt Wolfgang, Germany
Please note with regard to 1) that this use of
the term has been introduced by the
Editors as no existing established term could be found, however, in German language
vexillology the terms hochflagge, hochformatflagge, hochformatfahne, knatterflagge
or knatterfahne (or their plurals flaggen and fahnen) are variously used.
- VESSEL FLAG (or PENNANT)
- In US army usage, now increasingly obsolete, a term for the special flag or pennant of
an army unit, or of a type of command, flown by that unit or commander only when operating
aboard a vessel – but see ‘boat flag 2)’ and note below.
![[US Army oridinace corps]](../images/v/vxt-d563.gif)
![[US Army Transportation Corps]](../images/v/vxt-d4055.gif)
Army Ordinance Corps, US;
Army Transportation Corps, US
Please note that as far as is known the vessel flag of the US army transportation corps
is still in current use, and that the vessel flag of the US corps of engineers is now also
authorized to be flown on land at their facilities which are not located on Army installations.
- VESTED
- The heraldic term that is properly employed to describe the vestments of a
bishop, archbishop or prince of the Church, but which is sometimes used to describe the garb of a saint, or
the habit of a monk/friar – but see
‘habited’ (also
‘adorned 2)’ and
‘clad’).
Flag of Nová Ves, Czechia;
Flag of Damvant, Switzerland;
Flag of Brod Moravice, Croatia
- VETERAN’S (or VETERAN’S ASSOCIATION) FLAG (or STANDARD)
- The flag of an organization representing the veterans of a particular, service,
war, campaign, or unit. The flags of veteran’s organizations are often mounted,
trimmed and treated like a military colour (see also
‘parade flag 2)’ and
‘colour 2)’).
![[Royal British Legion]](../images/v/vxt-d343.gif)
Flag of the Royal British Legion, UK (Graham Bartram); Flag of The Royal Naval Association, UK
(Graham Bartram); Standard of the Korean Veterans Association, UK (Graham Bartram)
![[venn example]](../images/v/vxt-d143a.gif)