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Gibraltar (United Kingdom): Government ensign

images by Martin Grieve, 14 April 2005

Government ensign of Gibraltar
Specifications of the flag
Former versions of the flag
- 1921-1999
- 1875-1921

See also:

Gibraltar (United Kingdom)

Government ensign of Gibraltar

The Gibraltar blue ensign, used by the Government of Gibraltar vessels, used to be the official flag of the colony.The blue ensign was adopted in 1875 by the Colonial Office. The present Government ensign, adopted in 1999, is used only by the Gibraltar Port Authority.

Graham Bartram, Pascal Vagnat, Nick Weekes and Martin Grieve, 28 May 2009

Specifications of the flag

Construction sheet for the civil ensign of Gibraltar - Image by Martin Grieve, figures provided by Christopher Southworth, 14 April 2005

Former versions of the flag

1921-1999

Government ensign of Gibraltar; left, first half of the 20th century; right, second half of the 20th century - Images by Martin Grieve, 7 April 2005

The castle was originally intended to be grey/natural stone (and is so illustrated and described by a number of sources), however, it is shown as gold in the 1939 Flaggenbuch [neu39], as it is in the 1955 Edition of Flags of All Nations BR20 [hms55] (possibly Part II of 1958 [hms58]), and in Change No. 5 (1999) [gra00] to the Edition of 1989 [hms89a]. This last did, of course, establish the present size and style of defacement, and is repeated in the current (2005) Edition.

David Prothero & Martin Grieve, 7 April 2005

We received information from a reasonably authoritative source strongly suggesting that the badge had a gold border prior to the 1999 revisions, but may I suggest that (if this is so) it is (perhaps) more likely to date from the early-1980s Gibraltar Government insistence on adding a gold ring to the Governor's Flag rather than from the late 1930s (since neither the 1939 Flaggenbuch nor BR20 (1955) show it)?

Christopher Southworth, 7 April 2005

1875-1921

Government ensign of Gibraltar and badge detail - Images by Martin Grieve, 7 April 2005

The exact date upon which this flag was introduced is unknown at the present time; however, it is known that the design had been agreed by 1875. The badge originally appeared on a white disk, but its removal (as unnecessary) was proposed on 1 June 1921, agreed on 7 July 1921, confirmed by the Governor on 22 September 1923 and included in the 1925 amendments to the 1915 Edition of Flags of All Nations.

Roy Stilling, David Prothero & Martin Grieve, 7 April 2005