Last modified: 2006-04-22 by rob raeside
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![[Joint services flag]](../images/g/gb-jsf.gif)
image by Eugene Ipavec, 6 March 2006
Recently I came across a picture of the badge of the British Ministry of
Defence: it's a crowned 'combined services' emblem (crossed swords, eagle and
anchor). Can anybody tell me if this badge is used on flags? I'm guessing
that the Minister of Defence would have a Union Flag defaced with this badge,
while defence establishments not service-specific would use a blue ensign
with this badge in the fly.
Tom Gregg, 18 December 1996
Strictly speaking, the badge is termed the 'joint services' badge. A slightly similar badge for 'combined operations' was used in World War II, with a tommy gun representing the Army. I don't have a reference for the date the current badge was first designed, but I presume it was sometime after the war when things had settled down and the College of Arms could 'correct' the crude design adopted by the military.
A flag for the Chief of the Defence Staff was first approved in 1956 (H. Gresham Carr, Flags of the World, 1961, p. 133) - this was a horizontal tricolour of dark blue (Royal Navy) over red (Army) over air force (light) blue (Royal Air Force) - the order of seniority of the services - with the joint services badge overall. Originally the white circular background of the badge was surrounded by a gold cordon. The garter that is currently used was added when Lord Mountbatten was appointed Chief of the Defence Staff in 1965.
However, in 1964 when the unified Ministry of Defence was formed the 1956 flag was adopted as the joint services flag. It flies from the Ministry of Defence building along with the three services' flags, but I don't think it is the Ministry of Defence flag per se - it is meant to be flown wherever the three services have headquarters together. The Chief of the Defence Staff, having lost his flag, was given a new one - still the same tricolour and badge, but with a Union Flag in the canton and the badge shifted to the centre of the fly (William Crampton, Observer's Book of Flags, 1991, p. 33). As to the Secretary of State for Defence, I think he is entitled to fly the joint services flag from his car, but I don't have a reference to support this.
Roy Stilling, 19 December 1996
In a question directed to the UK government it was determined that no Cabinet
offices except the Ministry of Defence has its own specific flags.
However, I believe the Ministry of Defence flag is made only in miniature as a
car flag, but even that is exceptional. In Britain it has never been considered
necessary for ministerial cars to have flags. At Imperial Conferences in the
1930's, flags were supplied to the delegates of other participating governments,
but not for the cars of British ministers. [National Archives (PRO) DO 35/132/3]
The provision of a car flag for the Minister of Defence was the result of a
problem that arose when visiting military establishments with an accompanying
officer who was entitled to a car flag. On these occasions the officer displayed
his flag on the car, and it was argued that salutes given, on the arrival or
passing of the car, were to the flag displayed, and not to the minister. After
one Minister had improperly used the Combined Operations Flag
on his car, a special flag was devised and approved by the Queen on 10 May 1957.
[National Archives (PRO) DEFE 7/569]
Apart from the Admiralty, War Office, and Air Ministry, British Government
Departments have not had land flags. A Public Office was entitled to a Blue
Ensign, with its badge in the fly, for any boats or ships it operated, and did
not need to obtain approval for it, although the Admiralty were often consulted
in those cases where the design of the badge, or the right of a department to be
classified as a Public Office, was in doubt. These Blue Ensigns were not flown
on land, except by Customs and Excise who by tradition flew their Blue Ensign on
Customs Houses.
In 1960 the Ministry of Transport asked if it could fly its ensign from its
offices in London. It was told that the approval of the Lord Chamberlain would
be required if they wanted to do it on other than appointed "flag flying days".
On those days the Union Jack should be flown in addition to the Transport
Ensign. Since this would have involved putting up additional flag poles the idea
was abandoned. The Ministry was also told to stop flying its flag on the Sea
Transport Offices in Aden and Singapore, but allowed it on Coastguard Stations,
and colonial lighthouses. [National Archives (PRO) MT 45/580]
David Prothero, 16 April 2003
Since 1964 when the Ministry of Defence was created and the Board of
Admiralty abolished, the old 17th century Navy Board flag (three vertical plain
yellow anchors on maroon) has been used by both the Navy Board and the Admiralty
Board (Navy Board plus Government Ministers), and often known as the Admiralty
Board Flag. It was decided that the old Navy Board Flag should be used by only
the new Navy Board, and that the Admiralty Board should have its own flag, a
yellow vertical foul anchor on a maroon field. It was designed earlier this year
by the College of Arms.
David Prothero, 1 October 2003
A Union Flag is the rank flag of a Field Marshal in the British Army. It is
the only rank flag in the British Army, the others being post or appointment
flags, which also include the Union Flag as the flag of the Commander-in-Chief
Forces in the Field. Incidentally if you want the source for this information,
it was one of the corrections Field Marshal HRH The Duke of Edinburgh made to
the draft of my book [British Flags and Emblems]!
(See page 46).
Graham Bartram, 29 August 2005
During WWI era, it was common for general officers of the British Army to
participate in parades (on horseback) with a tiny Union Jack (carried by an
officer also on horseback) behind him. This of course was not a rank flag as
such, but a distinguishing flag for the commander-in-chief in the field.
Miles Li, 30 August 2005
What does actually constitute a 'commander-in-in chief the field' in these
circumstances? The BEF (British Expeditionary Force) in 1918 was (without
looking it up) composed of five Armies (perhaps six), each composed of two or
more Corps and each commanded by a full General, but these were not independent
commands as I understand the term. If an order for an attack was passed by the C
in C (Field Marshall Sir Douglas Haig) to one of these officers, did that
particular general then become the commander-in-chief in the field for the
period of the resulting battle? As a matter of interest, I know of two instances
(and there were almost certainly more) when the C in C had an escort of lancers
whilst conducting a ceremonial inspection, and a fine sight it must have been.
Christopher Southworth, 30 August 2005
Haig was the C-in-C in the field. He commanded the British Expeditionary
Force, and the various army commanders were his subordinates. Similarly,
Montgomery was C-in-C in the field in 1944-45, with two armies under him. I'm
not sure about the status of Alexander, as Supreme Allied Commander in the
Mediterranean at the same time. I assume he would also be entitled to the UJ.
Mountbatten as Supreme Allied Commander, South East Asia, had a UJ with a
formation sign and inscription in the centre (but then he was always showy!). I
guess you could describe the post as the one directly responsible to the chiefs
of staff / government for the conduct of the campaign.
Ian Sumner, 30 August 2005