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Unidentified Flags or Ensigns Page 2 (2017)

flags submitted in 2017 - Page 2 of 3

Last modified: 2017-09-29 by pete loeser
Keywords: ufe | unidentified flags | 2017 |
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Below is a series of images of flags that have been provided to FOTW; some we have recognized, and some we have been unable to recognize. If you can help us identify any of these flags, please let us know! Contact the: UFE Editor.

Identification Key:

= Positive ID (Positive Identification)
= Tentative ID (Tentative Identification)
= Some Speculation

Unidentified Flags on Page 1:

  1. China - Two UFE's
  2. Two More Chinese UFEs
  3. Three gold stars on blue
  4. Two Unrecognized Spanish Military Flags in Tucson
  5. Unidentified flag from New Zealand Harbour
  6. Nazi Flag Inquiry
  7. Mystery Flag 1918
  8. French Flag with Rooster?
  9. Unknown Shipping Company (Hamburg?)
  10. European Flag with Stars in Shape of Heart
  11. Flag of Gabon
  12. Micronesian UFE

Unidentified Flags on this Page:

  1. Flag with Maple Leaf on a Yellow-Red-Blue Pall
  2. Flag, Iraq, Tank Corps?
  3. Unknown Russian Flag
  4. Brexit Flag (UK)?
  5. Kyrgyzstan UFE
  6. Australian UFE
  7. Flag Fixed to a Ship Wheel
  8. Unknown Flag from Movie Colossus
  9. Unrecognized Pennant
  10. Unknown Shipping Company (AG/UFE)

Unidentified Flags on Page 3:

  1. Unrecognized Tibetan army flags
  2. Unknown Naval Flag
  3. Sweden - UFE
  4. Unknown Naval Pennant
  5. Anti-fascist Organization Flag, Australia
  6. Some unidentified flags on China
  7. Unknown Pembrokeshire Flag c1886 (Wales)
  8. Alf Monsen Shipowner
  9. Nationaler Widerstand (DE)
  10. Unidentified Czech Sports Flag
  11. Japanese Rare Flag

Unidentified Flags on other pages:


17-13. Flag with Maple Leaf on a Yellow-Red-Blue Pall Positive ID

Image from Rena Madden, 9 March 2017

The picture of flag below was taken on the back of door in my son's room while Skyping with him .. Hanging vertical instead of horizontal. The background is his step-grandfather was born in Quebec but lived in western Canada from early 70's until he passed away several years back. His grandmother then gave my son this flag and didn't know the origins. I have tried Googling flags in various ways with stars and maple leafs, etc, but been unable to locate it.
Rena Madden, 9 March 2017

Just my two-cents here, and I have absolutely no evidence to back up any of this speculation, but the elements of the flag appear to me to represent possibly a pre-1999 proposal for a new Canadian flag. The red, white, blue, and gold colors of the flag would represent the colors of the British and French (fleur-de-lis) flags of the colonial powers that originally settled what is modern day Canada, while the central maple leaf motif would represent the confederation as we know it. The 12 four-pointed white stars would represent the 10 provinces and two territories that existed pre-1999, before the creation of Nunavut as the country's third territory.
Again, I have absolutely no evidence to back up my speculation, and I've tried multiple searches online to no avail. I'm posting this theory of mine hoping that it might trigger someone's memory of actual information. Still, I like my idea.
Randy Young, 9 March 2017

 Brochure Cover     [Editorial enlargement]
Image from Ralph Bartlett, 10 March 2017

This flag is a Canadian unity flag, or "UNI-FLAG"/"UNI-DRAPEAU", dating from 1991/1993. I have a colour brochure about this flag that, if my memory serves me correctly, was distributed to subscribers in either an issue of The Flag Bulletin or the Canadian Flag Association's Flagscan bulletins. In the brochure this flag is described as, "an educational art form".
In brief, the twelve Stars represents the then Provinces and Territory, which make up the Canadian Confederation. The colours represent the following: Red & White represents the Canadian Confederation, Golden-Yellow represents Canadian Culture, and Blue represents Canadian Liberty.
Ralph Bartlett, 10 March 2017

I can confirm that this "UNI-FLAG" was reported upon in the Canadian Flag Association's bulletin, Flagscan No. 22 - Summer (June-July-August) 1991, pp.1-5, and No. 28 - Christmas 1992, p.29. This flag was designed by Ottawa resident, Eric Allen Black, as "a design to promote unity within our country and not one to replace our national flag". The flag was first present at Citizen's Forum in Whitby, Ontario on 11 April 1991, followed shortly afterwards at other forums in Montreal on 20-21 April 1991, and Toronto on 27-28 April 1991.
To reinforce the unity intention of this flag, the central design symbol of the flag is a large red Maple Leaf, representing "Federal Unity - One Canada with a strong central or federal government, will represent our national and international interests." - according to Eric Allen Black.
Ralph Bartlett, 10 March 2017

17-14. Flag, Iraq, Tank Corps? Some Speculation

Image from William Garrison, 21 March 2017

Does anybody recognize this flag? It is possibly that of an Iraq Tank unit, c2017? [Photo tags include: "military offensive; shiite; pro government forces"]   (photo source)
William Garrison, 21 March 2017

What does it say on the white stripe, what does it say on the black stripe, and do we know the emblem? We do have a link to the source photograph, but what is the photograph's source, which might tell us about the context?
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 2 April 2017

The following websites also use the same image (all credits to AFP/Tony Gamal-Gabriel/Getty Images):

  1. France24 - picture caption reads: "© AFP/by Tony Gamal-Gabriel|Iraqi government forces advance northwest of Mosul on March 8, 2017, during the battle to retake the city's west from the Islamic State group".
  2. Press TV Iraq - picture caption reads: "Iraqi army forces, supported by pro-government Hashd al-Shaabi fighters, advance in a village near Mosul during the ongoing battle to retake the city's western part from Daesh militants on March 8, 2017. (Photo by AFP)".
  3. Daily Mail - picture caption reads: "Iraqi forces have surrounded the ISIS stronghold of Mosul and have begun the mission to retake the city, moving slowly into the western suburbs and into the oldest quarter".
  4. Twitter - Tweet by islamicworldupd.
This is clearly a picture of an Iraqi Army tank taken during the ongoing Battle of Mosul. The OrBat (Order of Battle, indicates that the only government Unit involved with armoured capability is the 9th Armoured, as this source mentions: "The 9th Armoured Division and two Shi'ite fighting groups had 'isolated the right bank (western side of Mosul)..." Also, the picture shows a T-72 tank, and according to that Order of Battle, the only Unit within the Division with such equipment is the 37th Mechanized Brigade. [Editor's Note: Sub-units of the 9th "Armoured" Division are called "Mechanized" Brigades]
Now: the emblem on the bottom black stripe of the flag (attached as seems to be two hands, one holding a red flag and the other a weapon (usually an AK-47). This symbol is nothing like the paramilitary/guerrilla Units supporting the Operation, nor it belongs to any Iraqi Army formation. To me, is more of a makeshift flag of Iraq with some adaptations (inscription in Arabic plus such an emblem). By the way: it reminds me of World War II battles where (Soviet) Russian tanks featured such flags with inscriptions on them, or even (Nazi) German aircraft also had on their fuselage (none official symbols, but personal adaptations).
Also important to notice is that other pictures seem to show actual flags of this 9th Armoured Division and some of its subunits: (source #1) (source #2) (source #3)

#14a    #14b
Images from Esteban Rivera, 19 April 2017

Notice on the bottom right of the turret, the "decal" (#14a) showing the Unit this tank belongs to (9th Armoured Division, but some subunit, perhaps a Brigade). When looking at the CoA of the 9th one can see that they use both green and grey colors on their Units. (image) (source). Picture caption reads: "U.S. supplied M113A2 armored personnel carrier alongside Iran-supplied T-72S main battle tank. M113A2 shows markings of the 4-34 Mechanized Battalion, 9th Armored Division." (see #14b above and this picture). (source). Picture caption reads: "Detail of M113A2 hull-side markings of the 4-34 Mechanized Battalion, 9th Armored Division". Notice that the previous two related images and all have the same design scheme as other Iraqi Army Division flags (i.e. "2nd Division").
Esteban Rivera, 19 April 2017

I add a different theory about the flag mounted on the tank. I noticed that the round red and yellow symbol on the bottom of the fly of the flag almost appears to be a variant of the Iraqi Army 1st Division logo. The 1st Army Division was mechanized as the 1st Mechanized Division and has served as that during the Islamic State onslaught, where several of its brigades have been "decimated" in Diyala province northeast of Baghdad. However, the 3rd Motorized Brigade, temporarily assigned to 5th Division in Diyala (armor units get attached to infantry units to support them often in combat), has now been relocated to Mosul - according to this Wikipedia page. Notice that what is left of the 1st Division (see under Engagements in the left hand box) is now serving in the "Iraqi insurgency" in the Northern Iraq Offensive and is at the Battle of Mosul. Could the remnants of the 3rd Motorized Brigade be showing their colors there in what might be a posed PR picture. (You don't usually fly bright colored flags in combat - you usually don't want to attract the attention and become a bigger target than you already are). I also noticed the main gun on that tank has a dust cap over the end of it, and doesn't look combat ready to me (as an old armor officer anyway) - but then again maybe desert warfare demands more dust protection than we did in the mud of Vietnam, however, its still not wise to block your gun tube before firing in combat. (I can't remember if we use tube covers, but maybe we did.... its been over 50 years) I noticed the flag is also not attached, but just slipped in a couple of the hand holds. Anyway, this is just more musing and speculation.
Pete Loeser, 29 April 2017

That is a nice approach to it indeed. However, I have my doubts, since the use of T-72 tanks is solely carried by the 9th as mentioned earlier.
Esteban Rivera, 30 April 2017


17-15. Unknown Russian Flag Positive ID

   Image from David Phillips, 20 March 2017

From a pool photo published today by NY Times. I checked current Russian naval flags - this doesn't seem to be one of them. New flag, or did I just miss it?
David Phillips, 20 March 2017

My guess is it is a different form of the presidential flag than the one we show. That image was contributed over 20 years ago, so there may well have been a change.
Rob Raeside, 20 March 2017

Looks like Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD).
Victor Lomantsov, 12 April 2017

The flag in question is the flag of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. Here the caption says the picture is take at a speech at the ministry, and Wikipedia confrims the flag (here).
Dieter Mayr, 17 April 2017

The following information is extracted and translated from Victor Lomantsov's original research and images): It is the Ministry of Internal Affairs (of the) Russian Federation (Министерство внутренних дел Российской Федерации, МВД РФ - Ministerstvo vnutrennikh Del Rossiyskoy Federatsii, MOIA RF) (official website). The current organization was established on May 16, 1992. The Ministry has two flags: War Flag and Standard (both established by (Presidential) Decree No. 983 of July 12, 2012, by Vladimir Putin (source) - The War Flag, proper (image) (source. Description of the War Flag is as follows: "The flag of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation is a dark blue rectangular panel with the State Flag of the Russian Federation on the canton. In the right half of the panel there is a heraldic sign - emblem of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation and Internal Troops. The ratio of the width of the flag to its length is one to one and a half. The ratio of the area of the cover to the area of the flag is one to four. The ratio of the width of the emblem to the width of the flag is two to three." (source). Some manufacturers offer a variant, but that is not official - Standard Banner of the flag (obverse and reverse)(source). Description of the Standard is as follows: "The banner of the flag of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia is rectangular, dark blue, with a border of crimson color. The cloth and the rim are trimmed with golden fringes. On the dark blue frame there is a golden embroided, along the edges of the panel there are symmetrically arranged 12 ornamental gold eight-ray stars. On the front side of the banner of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, in the center, is the main figure of the State Emblem of the Russian Federation - a gold two-headed eagle that raised its loose wings. The eagle is crowned with two small crowns and - above them - one large crown connected by a ribbon. In the right paw of the eagle is the scepter, in the left is the power. On the chest of the eagle, in a red shield, is a silver rider in a blue cloak on a silver horse, striking with a silver spear a black overturned and dragon-stabbed horse. On the reverse side of the banner of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, in the center, is a heraldic sign - emblem of the internal affairs bodies of the Russian Federation and internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. In the upper part of the panel there is engraved the inscription: СЛУЖИМ РОССИИ (Serving Russia), at the bottom - СЛУЖИМ ЗАКОНУ (Serving Law). The inscriptions are made in golden letters, stylized as Old Slavonic script. The width of the panel - 110 cm, length - 130 cm with a stock of fabric of crimson color for fastening to the shaft. The width of the dark-blue frame with wicker ornament is 15 cm, the width of the outer border of krapovy color trimmed with gold galloon is 9 cm, the diameter of the eight-ray stars is 6 cm. The height of the State Emblem of the Russian Federation is 60 cm. The height of the heraldic sign - the emblem of the internal affairs bodies of the Russian Federation and the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation - is 45 cm. The flag of the Ministry of Interior of Russia is wooden, round section, painted in brown. The diameter of the shaft is 4 cm, the length is 270 cm. The famous brace - in the form of a rectangular plate of golden metal, on which the words МИНИСТЕРСТВО ВНУТРЕННИХ ДЕЛ РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ (Ministry Of Internal Affairs of The Russian Federation) and the date of the delivery of the banner are engraved. The head is metallic, golden, in the form of a slotted spear with a relief image of the State Emblem of the Russian Federation. The flow is metallic, golden, in the form of a truncated cone, 9 cm high. The caps of the standard nails are golden." (source). The Emblem of the MVD was established by (Presidential) Decree No. 1333 of November 10, 1998, and it is described as follows: "a gold (or silver) double-headed eagle under three crowns, in its paws a scepter and power; On the chest of the eagle on the round flap of the colors of the national flag of Russia is depicted a foot soldier striking a dragon with a spear; The shield is surrounded by a laurel wreath of silver (golden) color, followed by crossed swords of eagle color." Its duties have been carried out by the preceding organizations:

  • "Ministry of Internal Affairs (of the) RSFSR" (Министерство внутренних дел РСФСР, МВД РСФСР - Ministerstvo Vnutrennikh, Del MVD RSFSR) October 27, 1989- de facto September 5, 1991, December 8 and December 26 (other sources claim December 25), 1991 with the end of the USSR, and de iure on December 19 with the abolishment of the Ministry (proper) and transfer of functions to the "Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia" (Министерство внутренних дел, МВД России - Ministerstvo Vnutrennikh Del, MVD Russia).
  • "Ministry of Internal Affairs (of the) CCCP" (Министе́рство вну́тренних дел СССР, МВД СССР - Ministerstvo Vnutrennikh Del CCCP, MVD URSS) July 26, 1966 as Министерства охраны общественного порядка СССР, - Ministerstva okhrany obshchestvennogo poryadka SSSR) or Ministry of Public Order Protection (of the) USSR, later renamed Ministry of Internal Affairs of the CCCP on November 25 and ratified on December 13-1989).
  • "Ministry of Internal Affairs (of the) RSFSR" (Министерство внутренних дел РСФСР, МВД РСФСР - Ministerstvo Vnutrennikh Del, MVD RSFSR), March 13, 1948-1966 (other sources claim it lasted until 1962).
  • "People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (of the) RSFSR" (Наро́дный комиссариа́т вну́тренних дел РСФСР, НКВД РСФСР - Narodnyi Komissariat Vnutrennikh Del, NKVD RSFSR) January 21,1937- March 15, 1946 and then merged with the "People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (of the) USSR" (комиссариа́т вну́тренних дел СССР, НКВД СССР - Narodnyi Komissariat Vnutrennikh Del, CCCPNKVDR USSR) July 10, 1934 - March 15, 1946.
  • Its oldest predecessor was founded on March 28, 1802 by Alexendar I, to replace the "collegia". (source #1) (source #2)
The flag of the Minister of Internal Affairs was established by "Order No. 560 of May 22, 2000 of the Ministry, as well as Order No. 596 of June 1, 2000. The text of the Regulations does not describe the appearance of the standard; it is indicated only that the name of the minister and the terms of his/her position should be indicated on the bracket." Description is as follows: "The cloth is square, the main color is a patchwork, made up of a straight crossed cross. The corners of the standard are pentagons of irregular shape, colored with the colors of the State Flag of the Russian Federation - white, blue, red. Tricolors are placed in a mirror image from the top to the bottom. The cross and the corners of the cloth are separated by bands of light golden color. In the middle of the panel is a circle of red color and inside there's the emblem of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, bordered with a golden laurel wreath. The cloth is trimmed on three sides with a fringe of golden color. The top of the shaft is of golden color, it is a form of a spear, inside of which there is a relief image of the State Emblem of the Russian Federation. A gold-colored bracket with an engraved surname, name and patronymic of the Minister of the Interior of the Russian Federation and the dates of his stay in this post is attached to the standard pole. The size of the standard sheet is 100 x 100 cm ". (source), with material by L.N. Tokar, from his website.
Esteban Rivera, 16 April 2017


17-16. Brexit Flag (UK)? Positive ID

Image edited by Rob Raeside , 2 April 2017

Attached is a jpg of a black-colored Brexit (?) flag that I found on a Goggle search of Brexit flags. Can you identify it for me? Image is so small that I can't really read it. Hopefully you can enlarge it.
William Garrison, 1 April 2017

I have trimmed the image a bit and flipped it to make the writing more legible - it says SOUTH ? ? at the top, and "NO SURRENDER" between EST and 2012 at the bottom, with the British arms and two union jacks, so it does look like a demonstration flag of Brexit solidarity.
Rob Raeside, 2 April 2017

There is not really much in real flags one can find with a google search of "brexit flag", but I encountered a cartoon, that I want to share with you. (Weeping away from this union)
M. Schmóger, 2 April 2017

I think it is more likely an Orange Lodge flag. The slogan "No Surrender!" harks back to the siege of Londonderry in the war between the supporters of King James II and King William III which was decided at the Battle of the Boyne on July 12, 1690. The symbols and colours also point in the Irish Loyalist direction. Given that Ulster, like Scotland and the rest of the "Celtic Fringe" voted to stay in the EU, this may have been flown in a some sort of Unionist Party rally rather than in support of Brexit.
Michael Halleran, 2 April 2017

"No Surrender!" has been the traditional watchword of Ulster Protestant loyalists since the siege of Derry.
William Linden, 2 April 2017

It appears to be the flag of the South East Alliance, which describes itself at as "a pro-British, pro-English street movement... against Islamic fanatics here at home and overseas." They claim to be "right wing but we are not Nazis or follow Nazism." A Google search for South East Alliance yields several photographs showing similar black flags to the one in the original e-mail, as well as variations on the English Cross of St. George, the White Ensign, and the Scottish Cross of St. Andrew. Many Neo-Nazi-related flags are also visible.
See also (source #1), (source #2) and (source #3)
Randy Young, 2 April 2017


17-17. Kyrgyzstan UFE Tentative ID

   
Image from Tomislav Ŝipek, 17 April 2017 - Photo from Jens Pattke, 17 April 2017

This flag is very popular in mayors' offices and ceremonies, but I don't know what it is. The flag is red with national coat-of-arms centered on it. Anyone?
Tomislav Ŝipek, 17 April 2017

Here is an example (photo above)
Jens Pattke, 17 April 2017

     The source that Jens provides and the one that Tomislav provides, both show the same flag. The flag is a rectangular red horizontal flag with the National Emblem of Kyrgyzstan in the middle. This link is the official website of the Issyk-Kul Sustainable Development Project for toilets (water sanitation, (source #1) and (source#2) although it is not likely that this is the flag of the project, since they have a different logo. The formal name of the emblem (CoA) is the "State Emblem of the Kyrgyz Republic" or Kirgiz Respublikasinin Mamlekettik gerbi (Кыргыз Республикасынын Мамлекеттик герби), and it was adopted on January 14, 1994. It was designed by A. Abdraev and S. Dubanaev (А. Абдраев and С. Дубанаев). Its colors are white and light blue, color of courage and generosity, with the image of a white hawk waving its wings inside a circle in the middle, the lake is located just behind the mountain ranges of Tian Shan and sun rays. To the left and right of the CoA, wheat (top) and cotton (bottom) are displayed. In the upper part, the name of the country appears in Kyrgyz "Кыргыз" and below "Республикасы" (Respublikasy or Republic). Sources: Office of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic website and Wikipedia.
     Now, the flag is most likely a government flag (perhaps the Ministry of Interior or an alternate Government organization of some sort). I'm discarding the Supreme Council because they have a different logo. Another image of the flag is found here. (source). The formal name of the state flag is the "National flag of the Kyrgyz Republic" or Kirgiz Respublikasinin Mamlekettik tuusu (Кыргыз Республикасынын Мамлекеттик туусу). This flag was designed by the following committee: E.Aidarbekov, B. Zhaichybekov, S. Iptarov, J. Mataev and M. Sydykov (Э. Айдарбеков, Б. Жайчыбеков, С. Иптаров, Ж. Матаев, and М. Сыдыков). (source #1) (source #2)
     After seeing several pictures like this example (source), in which the flag is seen again (third flag from left to right), in this case in the office of the Mayor of the City of Tokmok, I have come to the conclusion that the flag reported by Jens (red background and National Emblem) is also the official flag of the country because it is seen in public offices around the country. We could label it "Government or State Flag", since the official website, featuring the same color combinations (red background for the National Emblem); and claims to be the official website of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic or Kirgiz Respublikasinin Ökmōtu (КЫРГЫЗ РЕСПУБЛИКАСЫНЫН ӨКМӨТҮ)
     I forgot to mention that here's the same flag (source) reported by Jens, displayed in a vertical manner (second vertical flag from left to right, next to the Kazakhstan Presidential vertical flag.
Esteban Rivera, 17 April 2017

Several days ago I asked Kyrghyzstan Embassy in Russia about this UFE, the red flag with the Coat-of-Arms. The Press-Secretary of the Embassy, G. Baiymbetova, answered me on 26 April 2017: "There are not any state bodies which adopted this flag. This variant is not official"
Victor Lomantsov, 2 May 2016

So should we label it de facto government flag instead?
Esteban Rivera, 2 May 2017

More like an "unofficial" variant of the State flag. A de facto flag would be a flag used by tradition when there was no other flag, wouldn't it?
Pete Loeser, 3 May 2017

Not quite: de facto means "adopted" but not by rule of law, but by custom. The opposite concept would be de jure, which would mean a flag established by a government organization through a Law or Presidential Decree (for example).
Esteban Rivera, 3 May 2017

Actually I thought that de facto meant "in fact" and when used as a legal term it means something that is being used because there is no pre-existing legal basis. It certainly doesn't mean "adopted" as that would indicate that it was officially recognized by the government. Anybody out there a lawyer? We need a legal opinion.
Pete Loeser, 3 May 2017


17-18. Australian UFE Positive ID

Image from Esteban Rivera, 15 April 2017

I just came across this image (source) of which I have no information. It is clearly an Australian origin flag (in fact there are three flags: one in blue background, the other one in red background and the third one in white background, all variants, (perhaps a Trate Union flag) but I can't identify it. The article is titled "Dandenong South factory workers picket over pay, conditions as unemployment rises in city", online article published on July 13, 2015 and the picture caption reads: "Nissan warehouse workers show solidarity outside the Dandenong South warehouse in support of 42 workers set to lose their jobs. Picture: Valeriu Campan". Any guesses?
Esteban Rivera, 15 April 2017

Yes, a trade union flag: Australian Manufacturing Workers Union. I have some photos and the white version of the flag was published several years ago in the Flag Report (Issue 43, July 2007).
Jaume Ollé Jolle, 15 April 2017

These are flags of the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union. Such logos-on-bed sheets are common among trade unions in Australia.
Miles Li, 15 April 2017

Here's some additional information: "The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, or more fully, the Automotive, Food, Metals, Engineering, Printing and Kindred Industries Union (AMWU) ("The Metalworkers"). The AMWU has its origins in the amalgamation of four metal trade unions - the Boilermakers and Blacksmiths Society of Australia, the Federated Jewellers, Watchmakers and Allied Trades Union of Australia, the Sheet Metal Working Industrial Union of Australia and the Amalgamated Engineering Union - to form the Amalgamated Metal Workers Union (AMWU) in 1973 (although they claim to have predecessors as old as 160+ years old). Seven years later, after amalgamation with the Federated Shipwrights and Ship Constructors Union of Australia, the AMWU changed its name to the Amalgamated Metal Workers and Shipwrights Union(AMWSU). When the Federated Moulders' (Metals) Union amalgamated in 1983, the union's name changed slightly to the Amalgamated Metals Foundry & Shipwrights' Union, but in 1985 reverted to the Amalgamated Metal Workers' Union. A 1991 amalgamation with the Association of Draughting Supervisory & Technical Employees (ADSTE) created the Metals and Engineering Workers' Union. Two years later a further amalgamation with the Vehicle Builders Employees' Federation of Australia resulted in the Automotive Metals & Engineering Union. In 1994 this union merged with the Confectionery Workers' and Food Preservers' Union. to form the Automotive Food Metals and Engineering Union. Finally, the Printing and Kindred Industries Union amalgamated to form the printing division of the Automotive, Food, Metals, Engineering, Printing and Kindred Industries Union" (source #1) (source#2)
The flag is the logo on the three background colors mentioned in my previous message. They also have a variant flag: a horizontal violet background with the initials in capitals that cover the whole flag, the letters being A, M and W (white) and U (red) as seen here (source)
Esteban Rivera, 15 April 2017


17-19. Flag Fixed to a Ship Wheel Positive ID

Image from Bill Hoffman, 26 April 2017

I am searching for the identity of the attached flag fixed to a ship wheel pin badge. Could you please help me.
Bill Hoffman, 26 April 2017

I don't recognise this pennant, nor do I see it on a perusal of our collection of British, US and a few other countries' flags. Item is being sold on Ebay, under header "1920s 30s Steamship Line Hat Badge - Unknown Company??" It is located in Los Altos, California.
Rob Raeside, 26 April 2017

Not an answer to the question, sadly, but I'm beginning to think that an index of shipping company flags by the initials on the flags might be a useful addition to FOTW.
James Dignan, 26 April 2017

The Blue Pennant is from the Newport Harbor Yacht Club based on the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach, Orange County, California. Hope this helps.
Kevin McGinn, 26 April 2017

Yes, the index you seek exist at House Flags of the World in which you have this indentifer.
Dominique Cureau, 27 April 2017

It's the Newport Harbor Yacht Club Hm, I see they now have a banner with flags on their front page. I'll have to ask them what we see there.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 27 April 2017

We've received William's thanks. Apparently he is satisfied with the identification. I've drawn a simple version of the pennant, but have asked the club for confirmation and details first.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 29 April 2017


Image from Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 27 May 2017

Since I've not seen any messages from the club, I'm now sending my drawing to the mailing list. It's a really dark blue burgee bearing a red ring, and in the ring a white capital letter "N" in a sans font. Presumably, the N stands for "Newport". I followed a printed depiction of the burgee, rather than a photograph of an actual burgee, hence I'm not completely sure about the shade of blue.
The club has a "Non-Calm Advisory Chair". Now, what would the function of such an officer be?
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 27 May 2017


17-20. Unknown Flag from Movie Colossus Positive ID

Image from HC Storage, 11 May 2017

I saw a flag in a brief flash of archival footage included near the end of the 1970 film Colossus - The Forbin Project which I ALMOST know from somewhere, perhaps it was in the FLAG plate section of our old Encyclopedia Britannica, I'm not sure (and don't have that EB set anywhere close). The sequence contains "ethnic" crowds around the world listening to the first solo broadcast on all media by the supercomputer Colossus. The flag is some sort of horizontal split two-color, salmon-orange above and red below, with a triangular pennant at left extending from the top to the bottom, as in the Czech, Philippines and Djibouti flags. This triangle contains an iconized tree or plant symbol in red apparently. At first glance I wanted to say it must be one of the old Sulu Republic, Molluca, Malaya or Indonesian regional flags, but I didn't come up with anything searching those. The crowd is obviously SE Asian and a sign in the back is almost sharp enough to make out what looks like Thai or Burmese, or Cambodian, one of those sorts of scripts, but I can't really tell. It looks AWFULLY familiar and I feel guilty I can't remember whose flag it is?
HC Storage, 11 May 2017

Regarding Colossus, it would help if HC Storage could point out in the movie where to find the flag, then we could look for further information.
Esteban Rivera, 9 June 2017

The German TV broadcast of the film posted at the youTube link crops the frame so the flag is not visible. It's in the scene at 1:49:49 there and I believe the staff of one flag is visible but not the flag itself. In any case, it's almost at the end of the movie, when Colossus is addressing the entire world via tv, radio and loudspeaker.
HC Storage, 9 June 2017

Image from Esteban Rivera, 21 June 2017

Here's the final scene of the movie in which the flag mentioned is seen (at 1:44). It takes place during a world address from Colossus (computer) to humanity in which it states that since man is its worst enemy, it will prevent further wars from happening by controlling the nuclear arsenal available at the time.
The scenario in which the flag appears is clearly a reference to an Asian population (even a country or province) and it is perhaps a reference to the Indochina Peninsula, since the hat worn in the scene is from that area (perhaps it is a religious flag or even a pre-independence flag of any of these countries that make up the Peninsula). The conical hat (Nón Lá in Vietnamese) is very typical from that region.
The closest I can think of is the flag of Sarawak (for the outline and some of the colors, which are similar, but I'm in no position to confirm such claim).
Esteban Rivera, 21 June 2017

This is the flag of the fictional SE Asian nation of Sarkhan from the 1963 movie "The Ugly American," adapted from the 1958 book of the same name, although we have no image for it yet.) The makers of "Colossus" presumably wanted foreign location shots of the global reaction to the supercomputer's ultimatum. Stock footage from "The Ugly American" would have been a low-cost alternative to shooting their own, and availability would not have been a problem as both films were made by Universal Pictures.
Eugene Ipavec, 22 June 2017

     Eugene is absolutely right. That is the flag of Sarkhan and indeed, both movies were made by Universal Pictures. "The Ugly American is a 1958 political novel (in which the 1963 movie was based on) by Eugene Burdick (an American political scientist, novelist, and non-fiction writer, who served in the Navy during World War II) and William Lederer (an American author and captain in the U.S. Navy who served as special assistant to the commander in chief of US forces in the Pacific and Asian theater) which depicts the failures of the U.S. diplomatic corps in Southeast Asia. The book caused a sensation in diplomatic circles, and had major political implications. The Peace Corps was established partly as a result of the book. It was one of the biggest bestsellers in the country, has been in print continuously since it appeared and is one of the most politically influential novels in all of American literature.
     The novel takes place in a fictional nation called Sarkhan (an imaginary country in Southeast Asia that somewhat resembles Burma or Thailand, but which is meant to allude to Vietnam and includes several real people, most of whose names have been changed. The book describes the United States' losing struggle against Communism due to the ineptness and bungling of the U.S. diplomatic corps stemming from innate arrogance and their failure to understand the local culture. The book implies that the Communists were successful because they practiced tactics similar to those of protagonist Homer Atkins. The title of the novel is a play on Graham Greene's 1955 novel The Quiet American and was sometimes confused with it.
     According to an article published in Newsweek in May, 1959, the "real" Ugly American was identified as an International Cooperation Administration technician named Otto Hunerwadel, who, with his wife Helen, served in Burma from 1949 until his death in 1952. They lived in the villages, where they taught farming techniques, and helped to start home canning industries. Another of the book's heroes, Colonel Hillandale, appears to have been modeled on the real-life U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General Edward Lansdale, who was an expert in counter-guerrilla operations." (Source)
     All through the movie trailer one can see images of the flag of Sarkhan (at 1:40, 1:51, 2:36, 2:46). The symbol featured on the flag is very similar to the hammer, sickle and ink brush seen at of the Korean Workers' Party (North Korea).
Esteban Rivera, 22 June 2017

Strangely enough the flag has now received a Positive ID of that of the fictional SE Asian nation of Sarkhan from the 1963 movie "The Ugly American", but we still don't have a clear image of the emblem on it. So no drawn image of the flag yet exists; a remaining challenge for our illustrators. Something about a pot and dragons?
Pete Loeser, 24 June 2017

A pot and (five) snakes, more likely, given that snake is a highly revered animal in South and Southeast Asia.
Tomislav Todorovic, 24 June 2017


17-21. Unrecognized Pennant Positive ID

Image from Bobbe Rose, 20 April 2017

We recently purchased a sailboat and found this pennant on board. We are unable to ID it and hope that maybe someone out there recognizes it. The triangle is deep blue but hard to tell in the photo.
Bobbe Rose, 20 April 2017

I don't recognise this pennant, but the maker is Prestige Flag, which I think is in San Diego, California, so I am guessing it is likely a US yacht club.
Rob Raeside, 21 April 2017

Good guess. Assuming it's upside down in the photograph, it could be the Shennecossett Yacht Club, located in Groton, Connecticut, USA.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 2 April 2017


17-22. Unknown Shipping Company (AG/UFE) Positive ID

Image from Klaus-Michael Schneider, 16 May 2017

A white flag with central dark blue stripe, over all a light blue diamond four times frayed white and charged with a dark blue "G". Via its IMO and port of registry (St. Johns). I found out that the ship was registered in Antigua and Barbuda. (spotted on 26 April 2017 in Brønnøysund) Does anybody know this shipping company?
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 16 May 2017

Can the same data perhaps be used to trace the company?
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 16 May 2017

Sorry, at least I can't. That's why I asked the list.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 16 May 2017

Well, let's see. Took a bit of tweaking to get the right search words, but:
- It's the "Niklas G".
- Its time-share operator is Meriaura.
- Meriaura also time share a Nikar G.
- Mentioned for the Niklas G and Nikar G both is GERDES REEDEREI.
- Reederei Gerdes Gruppe is at this website.
- The site uses as its logo a flag that apart from the shades is identical to your drawing.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 25 May 2017

Didn't see that Norwegian flag. Wonder why they fly the Antigua and Barbuda flag?
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 30 May 2017


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