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# Victory Loan Flags (Canada)

##

Last modified: 2026-05-09 by rob raeside
Keywords: victory loan flags | world war ii | torch |
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- Overview
- World War I Victory Loan Flags

- Victory Loan Flag - Fifth Campaign
- Victory Loan Flag - October 1919

- World War II Victory Loan Flags

- Victory Loan Flag - First Campaign
- Victory Loan Flag - Second Campaign
- Victory Loan Flag - Third Campaign
- Victory Loan Flag - Fourth Campaign
- Victory Loan Flag - Fifth Campaign
- Victory Loan Flag - Sixth Campaign
- Victory Loan Flag - Seventh Campaign
- Victory Loan Flag - Eighth Campaign
- Victory Loan Flag - Ninth Campaign

See also:

- Prince of Wales Honor Banner (Ontario)
- Canada: Historic, Cultural, Economic, Government
- Canada

## Overview

The Canadian government issued flags for two of the campaigns during World War I. The fifth campaign was the first to issue a flag bearing the 9-province arms. The five blue diagonal stripes represent the campaign - in this case the 5th. The sixth campaign used in lieu of the stripes the British Union flag and coincided with a visit by the Prince of Wales to Canada, which is why the campaign used his image in the poster Pascal cited.

According to Fraser [fra98], there were 9 loan campaigns in the Second World War - and beginning with the fifth campaign there was also not only campaign flags for locales, but also campaign broad pennants for companies where employes subscribed to the loan campaign, both augmented when the community or company went over the quota.
Phil Nelson, 18 December 2005

## World War I Victory Loan Flags

### Victory Loan Flag - Fifth Campaign

image by Dave Martucci, 26 June 2010

Canada 5th Victory Loan Honour Flag 1918. Note the peculiar order of the 9 province badge. This flag was awarded when the recipient met 100% of their assigned goal.
Dave Martucci, 26 June 2010

image by Dave Martucci, 26 June 2010

The flag could be augmented with a Royal Crown to be sewn on anywhere for each 25% raised over the assigned goal. This image is based on an actual flag that still exists.
Dave Martucci, 26 June 2010

image located by William Garrison, 26 April 2026

A flag of the "Canada 5th Victory Loan Honour 1918", but with only 4 crowns instead of the 7 shown in the drawing. This flag is different from the similar sounding "Victory Loan Flag - Fifth Campaign".

Source: https://www.facebook.com/photo
William Garrison, 26 April 2026

### Victory Loan Flag - Sixth Campaign

image by Dave Martucci, 26 June 2010
The Prince of Wales Victory Loan Honour Flag 1919. The awarding was done in the same manner as the 1918 flag. Instead of crowns, the augmentation badge was a "feather" or a "plume" as described in the news accounts of the day. Probably this was a representation of the crest or part of the crest that shows the three feathers originally used by the Black Prince. I have no image of this badge.
Dave Martucci, 26 June 2010

This campaign coincided with the presence of the Prince of Wales, and used his arms on the flag. The post-War campaign was designed to raise funds to pay for the cost of World War I.
Phil Nelson, 18 December 2005

This flag is shown at the Ontario Archives
Peter Johnson, 3 August 2008

image by Dave Martucci, 26 June 2010

Detail of the (incorrect) Prince of Wales Arms used on the flag. Note the Arms of Saxony used here as an inescutcheon, which were no longer used by the Prince of Wales at this time.
Dave Martucci, 26 June 2010

A photograph of the actual flag was posted on https://www.ebay.com/itm/316341968701

image provided by Zach Hartwell, 9 August 2011

I have acquired several news clippings about this flag and one other image with the augmentation of the "plumes" as described in the clippings. Here's how it worked in 1919 (which is different than WWII): an entity (usually a municipality, county, or major employer) was given a quota to meet by the local Victory Loan Committee (who in turn were given a total to raise for their district). When the entity reached their quota they got a flag. For every 25% above the quota they got a "plume" to sew on the flag. So this flag shows whoever was awarded this flag raised 250% of their quota.
Dave Martucci, 10 August 2011

## World War II Victory Loan Flags

Below are images of the nine Canadian Victory Loan Honour flags of World War II. Note the following. Although always described as having a red bordure, in practice after the 3rd Loan the bordure was just on three sides, with no red bordure at the hoist. These flags were awarded upon making a pledge and were used to raise the funds to fulfill that pledge. Upon raising 100% of the pledge, a white pennant with red bordures at the top and bottom with the appropriate badge in the center was awarded and flown beneath the honour flag. For each 25% above the pledge, a blue pennant with the badge was awarded and flown beneath that (although I have seen one 2nd loan pennant that was red with white bordures at the top and bottom and the Maple Leaf in Blue). In addition, for the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th loans, there was a distinctive "V" flag for industry. (I have seen some variants of these as well.)
Dave Martucci, 26 June 2010

### Victory Loan Flag - First Campaign

image by Dave Martucci, 26 June 2010

This was a Canadian flag of the early 1940s connected with raising money for the war effort. It was the first in a series of nine Pledge Flags, each with a different badge, that were used in promoting the Victory Loan campaign.
David Prothero, 27 September 2001

### Victory Loan Flag - Second Campaign

image by Dave Martucci, 26 June 2010

### Victory Loan Flag - Third Campaign

image by Dave Martucci, 26 June 2010

An example of a Third Campaign flag, located by William Garrison, 7 September 2015
[Click on image for larger version]

A 1940s WWII flag that hung outside a Halifax, Nova Scotia, business to show that they were active in the Victory Loan campaign during WWII. Measures over 8.5 feet in length and over 4’ in width.
William Garrison, 7 September 2015

### Victory Loan Flag - Fourth Campaign

image by Dave Martucci, 26 June 2010

### Victory Loan Flag - Fifth Campaign

image by Dave Martucci, 26 June 2010

### Victory Loan Flag - Sixth Campaign

image by Dave Martucci, 26 June 2010

### Victory Loan Flag - Seventh Campaign

image by Eugene Ipavec and Martin Grieve, 9 August 2008

Alistair B. Fraser's online The Flags of Canada, Chapter VIII: National Flags of Occasion states the Seventh loan started 23 Oct 1944. "Badge: flaming sword over a 7 on a shield". A bit further on, Fraser describes the accompanying "broad pennant".
Jan Mertens, 3 August 2008

The image lacks the fly border because, in the eBay photo I sent serving as a model, that part of the flag remained out of sight.
Jan Mertens, 26 June 2010

### Victory Loan Flag - Eighth Campaign

David Prothero, 11 April 2004

This one was for the eighth campaign of 23 April 1945.
David Prothero, 11 April 2004

### Victory Loan Flag - Ninth Campaign

image by Dave Martucci, 26 June 2010

A photo of a large Ninth Campaign flag is available.
Dave Robinson, 7 February 2021