White Ensign facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
White Ensign

Use	Naval ensign
Proportion	1:2
Adopted	Royal Navy
Design	White field defaced with the Saint George's Cross and the Union placed in the canton.

The White Ensign is a special flag flown by ships of the British Royal Navy. It is also used at their bases on land. This flag has a red St George's Cross on a white background. It looks just like the flag of England, but it also has the Union Flag (the flag of the United Kingdom) in the top corner near the flagpole.

Sometimes, the White Ensign is also flown by private yachts that belong to members of the Royal Yacht Squadron. Ships from Trinity House, which help guide other ships, also fly it when they are escorting the King or Queen.

Other countries also have flags similar to the White Ensign. They often use their own national flags in the top corner instead of the Union Flag. Sometimes, the St George's Cross is replaced with a different naval symbol or removed completely. For example, the Royal Irish Yacht Club uses a white ensign with an Irish flag in the corner.

The Story of the White Ensign

An 1831 painting of a Bermuda sloop from the Royal Navy flying the White Ensign.

English ships first started using special flags, called ensigns, in the 1500s. These early flags often had stripes in green and white, which were the colors of the Tudor royal family. Different colored stripes were used to show which group, or "squadron," a ship belonged to. You can see these striped flags in old paintings of battles, like the one against the Spanish Armada in 1588.

Later, a St George's Cross was often added to the top corner of these striped flags. By 1630, the White Ensign was simply a white flag with a small St George's Cross in the corner. This was similar to the red and blue ensigns used at that time.

In 1707, the St George's Cross was added back to the whole flag, and the Union Flag was placed in the top corner. This was after England and Scotland joined to form Great Britain. In 1801, after Ireland joined, the Union Flag was updated. This made the White Ensign look almost exactly as it does today. The blue part of the Union Flag was made darker then. This was so the flags wouldn't fade as quickly in the sun and would last longer.

For a long time, the Royal Navy used three different ensigns: red, white, and blue. Each color was for a different squadron, with red being the most important and blue the least. Ships would fly the ensign that matched their squadron.

However, in 1864, the navy decided to make things clearer. The Red Ensign was used by both navy ships and regular merchant ships, which caused confusion. So, the White Ensign was made special, to be used only by the Royal Navy.

Where the White Ensign is Used Today

United Kingdom and British Territories

The White Ensign flying from St Martin-in-the-Fields church in Trafalgar Square, London.

Ships and submarines of the Royal Navy always fly the White Ensign when they are moving on the water. When a ship is docked, the White Ensign is flown at the back, and the Union Jack is flown at the front during the day. The Royal Navy's official logo even shows a waving White Ensign.

On special days, like the King's birthday, Royal Navy ships "dress ship" by flying White Ensigns from their mastheads. Other countries' warships might also fly the White Ensign when they are in British waters to celebrate a British holiday. Small boats from commissioned ships also fly this flag.

As mentioned, yachts of the Royal Yacht Squadron and Trinity House vessels (when with the British Monarch) can also fly the White Ensign.

Admiralty Arch in Trafalgar Square of London is often decorated with white ensigns on special days, like St. George's Day in 2011.

On land, the White Ensign is flown at all naval bases and Royal Marines establishments. Some other buildings with strong naval connections also have permission to fly it. This includes St Martin-in-the-Fields church in Trafalgar Square, London, which is linked to the British Admiralty. The White Ensign is also displayed at the Cenotaph war memorial in London, alongside the Union Jack and the Royal Air Force Ensign, to remember those who died in the World Wars.

A special permission was given in 2006 for anyone to fly the White Ensign to celebrate Trafalgar Day, which marks a famous naval victory.

The U.S. Navy destroyer Winston S. Churchill is unique. It is the only U.S. warship that flies the White Ensign alongside the Stars and Stripes. This is done to honor its British namesake, former Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The historic ship SS Great Britain, built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, also flies the White Ensign, possibly because its first captain was from the Royal Navy.

Commonwealth Nations

The White Ensign hanging in the British Columbia Parliament Buildings.

In the past, naval forces in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand used the exact same White Ensign as the UK. However, these countries later created their own unique naval flags.

• In 1965, Canada adopted its new Canadian flag and stopped using the British White Ensign. In 2013, Canada introduced its own "white ensign" for its navy, which includes the Canadian flag in the corner.
• During the Vietnam War, Australia changed its White Ensign in 1967. This was to make sure their ships were not confused with UK vessels, as Britain was not involved in that conflict. New Zealand did the same in 1968. These new flags include the Union Flag in the corner, but they have the Southern Cross stars from their own national flags instead of the St George's Cross.

Many other navies in the Commonwealth of Nations also use flags that look similar to the White Ensign. They often have a cross on a white background with their own national flag in the top corner. For example, the Indian Navy used the British White Ensign until 1950. After India became a republic, they replaced the Union Jack with the Indian flag.

Flag	Name	Country	Use
	Australian White Ensign	Australia	Royal Australian Navy
	Bahamas Naval Ensign	The Bahamas	Royal Bahamas Defence Force
	Naval Ensign of Bangladesh	Bangladesh	Bangladesh Navy
	Barbados Naval Ensign	Barbados	Barbados Coast Guard
	Naval Ensign of Brunei	Brunei	Royal Brunei Navy
	Canadian Naval Ensign	Canada	Canadian Forces
	Fijian Naval Ensign	Fiji	Republic of Fiji Navy
	Gambian Naval Ensign	Gambia	Gambia Navy
	Naval Ensign of Ghana	Ghana	Ghana Navy
	Naval Ensign of Grenada	Grenada	Coast Guard of Grenada
	Indian Naval Ensign	India	Indian Navy
	Jamaican Naval Ensign	Jamaica	Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard
	Naval Ensign of Kenya	Kenya	Kenyan Navy
	Malaysian Naval Ensign	Malaysia	Royal Malaysian Navy
	Namibian Naval Ensign	Namibia	Namibian Navy
	Royal New Zealand Navy Ensign	New Zealand	Royal New Zealand Navy
	Nigerian Naval Ensign	Nigeria	Nigerian Navy
	Papua New Guinea Naval Ensign	Papua New Guinea	Papua New Guinea Defence Force
	Naval Ensign of Saint Kitts and Nevis	Saint Kitts and Nevis	Saint Kitts and Nevis Defence Force
	Sierra Leone Naval Ensign	Sierra Leone	Sierra Leone Navy
	Singapore Naval Ensign	Singapore	Republic of Singapore Navy
	Naval Ensign of the Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands Navy
	South African Naval Ensign	South Africa	South African Navy
	Sri Lanka Naval Ensign	Sri Lanka	Sri Lanka Navy
	Tonga Naval Ensign	Tonga	Tongan Maritime Force
	Naval Ensign of Trinidad and Tobago	Trinidad and Tobago	Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard
	Vanuatu Naval Ensign	Vanuatu	Vanuatu Mobile Forces

Other Countries with Similar Flags

Flag	Name	Country	Use
	Naval Ensign of Jordan	Jordan	Royal Jordanian Navy
	Naval Ensign of Myanmar	Myanmar	Myanmar Navy
	Naval Ensign of Sudan	Sudan	Sudanese Navy

United States Connections

The USS Winston S. Churchill flying the White Ensign.

Besides the USS Winston S. Churchill, the British White Ensign is also used at the memorial for HMS Seraph at The Citadel military college. It also flies over the British Cemetery on Ocracoke, North Carolina. This cemetery holds the remains of sailors from HMT Bedfordshire, a ship that was sunk in 1942.

Non-Military Uses of White Ensign Designs

The Flag of the British Antarctic Territory is a white ensign with the territory's special coat of arms on it. This is the only white ensign used by a British Overseas Territory.

The Northern Lighthouse Board uses a unique white ensign. It has a blue lighthouse on it and an older version of the Union Flag in the corner.

An unofficial white ensign was created in the early 1900s. It showed symbols of different parts of the British Empire. This flag was flown during events like Commonwealth Day to show the unity of these nations.

The Bahamas uses a version of its white ensign for government and non-military ships. This flag has a blue cross instead of the red St George's Cross.

The Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club in Bermuda uses a white ensign with its own red letters and a crown.

The New South Wales Ambulance service in Australia uses a white ensign with its service badge.

The Sydney Ferries in Australia also use a flag that looks like a white ensign.

The flag of Picton, Ontario.

The town flag of Picton, Ontario in Canada is a white ensign with an older Union Jack in the corner.

See also

• British ensign
• Maritime flag