union flag diagram

[Theyoungkiltman]

This is a interesting diagram showing how the union jack was formed. RE: the flag by Ron Abbott, I was in no way referring to the referendum. I do not show my politics on this forum.

[JohntheBiker]

Once upon a time, more than half a century ago, studied that as a young Cub Scout - actually had a two fold learning aid that built the union flag the way your diagram does. Why would a Canadian be taught about the components of the union flag, way back when? In those days the Canadian Flag was based on the Red Ensign (red flag with the union jack in the corner). The current Canadian Flag was not adopted until 1965.

[Father Bill]

I had to learn that too, but the explanation I had was that Canada technically had no flag. While we used the red ensign to separate us from the UK, the Union Jack was still Canada's flag.

[Mike_Oettle]

Wolf Cubs (as they were known in those days) and Boy Scouts in South Africa also had to learn the British Union Flag (of Union Jack) diagram, because the South African Union Flag in use at the time incorporated a miniature Union Jack.
The claim that Canada technically had no flag makes no sense to me, but requiring Canadian Scouts to learn about the Union Jack makes a great deal of sense, because the Red Ensign (initially used by both Canada and South Africa with the respective national coat of arms in the fly) incorporates the Union Jack in its upper hoist quarter.
When I was a Scout, the South African version of the Red Duster was no longer in use, having been retained as a merchant flag until 1951.
When South African forces captured Windhoek in 1915, General Louis Botha ensured that it was the Red Duster that was hoisted over the town, indicating that it was a South African conquest, not a British one.
The emblem in the middle of the orange-white-blue flag (adopted in 1928) had the Oranje Vrij Staat flag in the middle, “hanging” vertically, the flag of the Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek on the fly side, horizontally (both these flags were known as Vierkleur, each having four colours). And on the hoist side of the OVS flag was the Union Jack.
An odd aspect was that the British flag was shown in reverse, its hoist side being adjacent to the OVS flag, the object being to prevent it being said that it had precedence over the other two.

Since 1965 Canadian Scouts have no doubt first had to learn about the Maple Leaf flag, but because the Canadian Red Duster was used for so long, it would surprise me if no information about it was either available or required to be learnt.
Regards,
Mike

[Father Bill]

As an explanation; my understanding is that while we used the ensign to distinguish ourselves from the Brits, it was never actually adopted by parliament as a Canadian flag, thus, in the absence of anything else, we technically had none except the Union Jack under whose banner we were founded. Early Canadian history is exceptionally British, particularly Scottish and English.

[JohntheBiker]

As an explanation; my understanding is that while we used the ensign to distinguish ourselves from the Brits, it was never actually adopted by parliament as a Canadian flag, thus, in the absence of anything else, we technically had none except the Union Jack under whose banner we were founded. Early Canadian history is exceptionally British, particularly Scottish and English.

To be precise, the Canadian Red Ensign was formally adopted by parliament in 1945 and lasted until replaced in 1965. From Confederation in 1867 until 1945, versions of the red ensign were in common use (although so was the Union Flag - I have one that is over 100 years old that my grand parents flew on Victoria Day and now I do as well). I was a Wolf Cub (correction noted) in the '50's, so, indeed the Canadian Red Ensign was the Canadian flag at the time.

[Pleater]

Aboard a yacht belonging to an ex navy man he had both a 'flag' - the long one, and the 'jack', the squarer one - presumably for different purposes, but he'd thought it necessary to have an extra hole in the flag box so as to have both variants.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[Mike_Oettle]

There are probably flag gaffes made regarding the ensigns of most nations.
In South Africa in the 1980s, the Union Jack was used to make political points. A series made about subversion during the Second World War (widely supported among Afrikaner nationalists) showed an army camp (quite definitely South African) sporting a Union Jack and no South African flag.
While in law the SA flag had equal status with the UK flag, and in some places the two were hoisted side by side, in South African military installations it was always the SA flag, or a military ensign derived from it, that was flown.
At flying schools erected under the British Joint Training Scheme, the South African Air Force ensign and the RAF ensign flew side by side – because the personnel were both South African and British, not because of any undue British influence.
The producer of the TV series was trying to prove that in the 1939-45 conflict, South Africa was under the British jackboot. The contrary is true. South Africa voluntarily joined in the war effort. But had Prime Minister J B M Hertzog won the parliamentary division in 1939 (instead Jan Smuts won it and became Prime Minister), South Africa would have been under the Nazi jackboot to a greater or lesser extent.
Regards,
Mike