Last modified: 2019-07-11 by ian macdonald
Keywords: gilbert and ellice islands | ocean | bird: frigate | frigate bird | sun |
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image by Juan Manuel Gabino Villascán, 03 December 2002
The Government Maritime flag 1937 - 1979 was also the Civil Flag 1969 - 1979.
"Government-owned vessels of the Gilberts flew the British Blue Ensign
defaced in the fly with a flag badge - in this case the shield of the arms -
prior to independence. The custom arose in various British colonies of using
this as the civil flag, representing the colony in international sport events,
regional meetings, etc. That practice was given legal sanction in the Gilbert
and Ellice Islands as of 28 August 1969."
Page 117, "Flags and Arms Across the World", Whitney Smith.
David Prothero, 30 August 2004
This flag can be seen in a video about the 1971 Pacific Games in Tahiti,
French Polynesia at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_XbvvAA5V4 (at 9:57) as the team from
Gilbert and Ellice Islands entered.
Juan Manuel Villascan, 23 May
2016
A British colony, the territory consisted of several island chains:
Gilbert Islands - 16 coral atolls, presently Kirabati. The Gilbert Islands were discovered by the British in 1764 and made a protectorate in 1892. In 1915, it was made a colony with the Ellice Islands. In 1975, the Gilbert and Ellice Islands were separated and given internal self government. These islands became the nation of Kiribati.
Phoenix Islands - these islands became a part of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony in 1937.
Ellice Islands - Sighted in 1568 by Alvaro de Mendenña de Neira, the Ellice Islands became a British protectorate in 1892 and annexed with the Gilbert Islands in 1915. These islands became Tuvalu.
image by Martin Grieve, 30 August 2004
The Gilbert and Ellice Islands did not have a governor until 1972, but the
"governor's flag" was probably used by the Resident Commissioners. Earlier in
the 1930s the Presidential Administrator of St Christopher and Nevis had not
been allowed a Union Jack flag, but a Colonial Office minute of 28 April 1938
noted that a Union Flag for an Administrator was probably a precedent set by the
Resident Commissioners of Gilbert and Ellice Islands.
[National Archives (PRO) CO 323/1575/13]
David Prothero, 30 August 2004
The flag used by Gilbert and Ellice Islands was the British Blue Ensign with the arms in the fly inside a white circle.
Those arms were different to the current Kiribatian arms just because of the motto.
After Tuvalu were separated from Gilbert Islands, It adopted a new flag, or said better, a new arms in the fly. Those arms were put into a white circle.
Juan Manuel Gabino, 05 January 2000
The Blue Ensign of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands from 1937 to 1976, was without the white circle. Source: Amendment 6 (1941) to 1930 Admiralty Flag Book.
David Prothero, 19 January 2000
image by Clay Moss, 6 June 2019
Flag used on the Gilbert Islands (not Ellice Islands) from 1895 to 1916.
David Prothero, 10 August 2004
In 1895 a Blue Ensign defaced with a royal crown flanked by the initials B R on
a white
disc became the flag of the Resident Commissioners in the Cook Islands, Gilbert
Islands
and British Solomon Islands. Cook Islands were annexed to New Zealand in 1901,
Solomon
Islands had their own badge in 1910, but Gilbert Islands, which were combined
with Ellice
Islands in (probably) 1916, when the Protectorate became a Colony, still, in
1930, had the
unspecific BR badge.
David Prothero, 28 August 2004
On this website in New
Zealand, the role of a British Resident is described: "The principle [sic]
task of the British Resident, outlined in instructions from Governor Richard
Bourke in New South Wales, was to protect settlers and traders, prevent outrages
by Europeans against Maori, and to apprehend escaped convicts. In short, he was
to provide a British presence. However, the Resident had no legal powers, and
was not entitled to troops. His role, in effect, was that of mediator only."
This is, of course, in New Zealand. The details are different elsewhere.
Ole Andersen, 11 August 2004
image by Randy Young, 27 November 2015
The Customs flag prescribed for the Gilbert and Ellice Islands from 1912,
then for Kiribati to about 1993 and Tuvalu to 2015 had a Union canton, blue
upper fly and white lower half with 'HMC' in bold black thereon. The same design
was prescribed for the British Solomon Islands, Fiji, and a similar one with the
red cross canton for Tonga.
Jeff Thomson, 25 November 2015
image by Randy Young, 27 November 2015
I provide two possible versions of this flag. One shows the letters "HMC"
spaced out evenly across the white lower half of the flag. The second one shows
the letters grouped together in the fly portion of the white lower half. I'm not
sure which is the more accurate depiction.
Randy Young, 27 November 2015
image by Juan Manuel Gabino Villascán, 02 December 2002
The motto reads: 'Maaka te atua, karinea te uea; mataku i te atua, fakamamalu
ki te tupu' (Fear God and Honour the King) in both Gilbertan (Kiribatian) and
Tuvaluan languages.
Juan Manuel Gabino Villascán, 02 December 2002
The bureaucratic process, involving nine government departments or agencies,
took nearly six years to agree on the design of arms and a flag badge for the
Gilbert and Ellice Islands (now Kiribati and Tuvalu). A further four years
elapsed before the Admiralty Flag Book was amended.
The proposals were never more than drawings, and where necessary the images have
been given a background to represent paper.
In August 1931 G&E's Resident Commissioner submitted a sketch by Mr. Compton
for a flag badge. It included the following explanation.
Sea. Represents spaces of ocean in which colony is isolated.This sketch is not in the archives. It was probably similar to the image above left, but with a crown on the shield above the bird, and a consequently smaller bird and sun over a shallower sea.
Sun. Close to 180 degree meridian. Sun is either rising or setting.
Bird. Fregat Aquilla. Symbol of power, poise and freedom. To natives is sign of sovereignty and kingly birth and highly regarded as such.
Crown. Position of crown over frigate bird is intended to convey idea that all power and freedom granted to people of the colony emanates from and are protected by the sovereign.
A.G. (Possibly Arthur Grimble who wrote a book 'A Pattern of Islands' about his time as a District Commissioner in G&E.)
In February 1935 a Colonial Office representative attended a meeting of the Royal Mint Advisory Committee in the Tapestry Room at St James's Palace, where Kruger-Gray's designs for a full achievement of arms (image above, left), an ensign badge (below, left) <ki!geb.gif>, and a Union Jack badge <ki!geg.gif> (below, right), were considered. It was thought that the crown should be omitted, but that if it had to be included it would be better above the shield. It was suggested that the white circle on the Union Jack should be yellow to counteract the optical effect of the apparent interruption of the cross of St George by the shield.
images
by Martin Grieve
In March the Colonial Office told Col. Sir Robert A. Johnson, the Deputy Master
and
Comptroller of the Royal Mint, that the crown could be omitted, but that the
circle on the
Union Jack had to be white. It was suggested that the unwanted optical effect
would be
avoided if the shield did not touch the edge of the circle. The Colonial Office
also
contacted the Admiralty and Sir Gerald W. Wollaston, Garter King of Arms, for
their
comments.
In April, Garter wrote to the Colonial Office that the Arms should not be
ensigned with a
crown, which in any case was incorrectly drawn, and was not appropriate on a
colony badge.
Arms were assigned to a colony by warrant under the sign manual of the Sovereign
addressed to the Earl Marshall, and counter-signed by the Secretary of State for
the
Colonies. The warrant was then recorded in the College of Arms. The last warrant
had
been for the Falkland Islands on 16th October 1925 when the fee was Twenty
Pounds and
Seventeen Shillings.
In the same month the Admiralty told the Colonial Office that a white circle was
not
necessary on the Blue Ensign and that a Red Ensign, if needed, would require a
special
warrant. In June the Colonial Office told the Admiralty that a Red Ensign was
not
necessary, and that they would be seeking the opinion of WPHC with regard to the
white
circle.
Later that month the Colonial Office sent a dispatch to WPHC reporting the
latest
developments. This was passed on to G&E in August.
In September S.G. Clarke, Acting Resident Commissioner G&E wrote to WPHC,
"Agree crown and smaller shield. Join Your Excellency in condemning the
portrayal of the
frigate bird. Its inclusion in present form seems pointless since the bird
illustration
is in no way symbolic of the colony. If the bird is to be symbolic of G&E it
should be an
accurate representation of the bird, or another symbol should be found. Original
drawing
of bird submitted by Mr. Compton possess a poise and gracefulness lacking in the
design
submitted. Gray may have taken liberties with the form of the bird so as to
present a
concave lower surface to accord with the convexity of the sun's rays. Suggest
this is not
necessary."
In November WPHC wrote to the Colonial Office, agreeing to all suggested
changes, but requesting alterations to the bird.
It was not until February 1936 that this was passed on to the Mint. In March,
Kruger-Gray
wrote to the Mint that he had copied Mr. Compton's sketch, and the bird was now
difficult
to see. "The frigate bird in the Natural History Museum in no way resembles the
sketch.
It is a long thin bird with a pronounced swallow-tail. Have tried to make
drawing
resemble bird and also be as heraldic as possible. It never seems to strike
authorities
that the sun and sea are purely convention. Have made bird yellow but it would
be better
white as in my first sketch."
In April the Mint sent the new drawings to the Colonial Office, who passed them
on to WPHC
in May. A reply, "Adopt drawing 'B' " was written by WPHC in October, and passed
on to
the Mint in December. The Mint replied that the fee would be Twenty-Five Guineas
(Twenty-Six Pounds Five Shillings). A Colonial Office minute noted that the fee
was very
reasonable. Aden's badge, N. Rhodesia's badge, and St Lucia's badge and seal had
each cost
Fifty Pounds.
In January 1937, five and a half years after the original sketch had been
submitted, the
Colonial Office sent the design to the Admiralty, who agreed to its adoption. At
the
end of the month the Colonial Office were notified from Sandringham that the
badge had
been approved by King George VI.
In February the Colonial Office wrote to Garter that drawing 'B' and the
inscription had
been selected as the Coat of Arms of G&E, and asked him to prepare the necessary
documents. They also wrote to WPHC informing him that the badge had been
adopted,
that they were proceeding with the Coat of Arms, and that Twenty-Five Guineas
was
being paid to the Mint by the Crown Agents from G&E funds.
In March the Colonial Office received a draft of the warrant for the arms from
Garter.
It was returned to him for the correction of two spelling mistakes, and for the
bird to
be described as 'a frigate bird' and not 'a sea-gull'.
Blazon: Gules issuant from water barry wavy in base proper a sun in splendour
Or, in chief
a frigate bird volant of the last with motto "Fear God Honour the King" in
Gilbert and
Ellice equivalent.
The final warrant went back to the Colonial Office who sent it to the King's
Private
Secretary. It was signed by George VI on 1st May 1937. The warrant then went
back to the
Colonial Office who sent it to Garter for him to produce two certified copies of
the
warrant, which he did on 28th June 1937. These were sent to the Colonial Office
at the
beginning of July with a statement of the fees due. At the end of July Garter
was told
that the Crown Agents had been instructed to pay him Twenty-Five Pounds and One
Shilling.
One copy of the certified warrant was retained in the Colonial Office, and one
sent to
WPHC.
By 1938 the amendment plates for the Colonial Office's 'Flags, Badges and Arms'
had been
produced. In March that year one copy of the flag badge and one copy of the arms
was sent
to WPHC, and six copies of each sent to Resident Commissioner G&E. In May 1938 a
Colonial
Office Circular Dispatch distributed reprints of pages vii and viii to be
substituted for
original pages, and Plates of "Flag of Governor General of Australia; Flag Badge
Gilbert
and Ellice Colony, and Arms Gilbert and Ellice Colony."
The amendment to the Admiralty Flag Book did not appear until 1941, two years
after the
start of World War 2, by which time colour printing had been discontinued, and
amendments
were printed only in black and white.
"NL 108/37. Plate 27a. Insert after plate 27, and delete reference to
Resident Commissioner in Gilbert and Ellice Colony thereon.
Badge :
On Union Flag as shown with garland.
On Blue Ensign without the white ground.
[National Archives (PRO) CO 323/1272/20, CO 323/1333/3, CO 323/1377/13, CO
323/1468/18,
CO 323/1575/22, MINT 25/2]
David Prothero, 29 August 2004
I came across the following item at a stamp show recently. The Coat of Arms
seems to differ from the badge as depicted on the defaced blue ensign.
Roger Moyer, 31 October 2000