^{This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website}

Calcutta Port Commissioners (British India)

by Blas Delgado Ortiz

Source: Neubecker (1992)

See also:

Commissioners of the Port of Calcutta

Another Admiralty Letter of 19th August 1880 authorised a special flag for the Commissioners of the Port of Calcutta. There is no record of the appearance of this flag. Possibly the badge on the later Red Ensign of the Commissioners of the Port of Calcutta was derived from it.
David Prothero, 16 December 2004

Blue Ensign of the Port Trust of Calcutta

by Martin Grieve

A Blue Ensign was sanctioned by the Admiralty in 1883 for the Port Trust of Calcutta. No illustration has been found, but it seems reasonable to assume that it was similar to the badge on the later Red Ensign of the Commissioners of the Port of Calcutta, with the words PORT TRUST instead of PORT COMMISSIONERS.

In 1884 the Government of India required the withdrawal of the authorisation of the two defaced Blue Ensigns. "Vessels of private bodies under governments of Bengal, Bombay and Madras are to wear a Red Ensign with such distinguishing triangular flags as they decide upon." On 9th April 1884 the Admiralty issued a warrant for an Indian Government Local Maritime Blue Ensign.

David Prothero, 17 December 2004

Red Ensign of the Commissioners of the Port of Calcutta

by Martin Grieve

On 1 February 1896 an Admiralty Warrant was issued for a Red Ensign defaced by the badge of the Commissioners of the Port of Calcutta. The 1889 Admiralty Flag Book was amended, and the badge was in the editions of 1907 and 1915, but not 1930. The similar defaced Red Ensign for the Commissioners of the Port of Rangoon appeared in only the 1915 Admiralty Flag Book.

The Bombay Trust and Bombay Conservators flags were in the 1889, 1907 and 1915 editions, but not the 1930 edition; although they, and also the Calcutta and Rangoon Red Ensigns were in the Flaggenbuch (1939).

One page was devoted to India in the 1889 edition, increased to two pages in the 1907 and 1915 editions. An extra two pages were required in the 1930 edition for the badges of the Red Ensigns of the Indian Native States. The Indian port flags may have been omitted for lack of space in the flag book, and not because the flags were no longer in use.

David Prothero, 18 December 2004

Red Ensign of the Commissioners of the Port of Calcutta (Republic of India)

image by Martin Grieve, ensign by Željko Heimer, 6 August 2005

Here was the red ensign of Commissioners of the Port of Calcutta (Republic of India). It is based on the versions used during the Raj, as shown above; it is probably no longer in use.
Source: Flags of the World [Carr 1961].
Miles Li, 6 August 2005