Hi Red, answer to your query, the Royal Cape Yacht Club was granted the warrant for a blue ensign after the WW1. It was defaced in the fly with a white anchor capped by a tudor crown. It was flown from the club flagstaff until 1966 when only three members were entitled to fly it on their yachts. A special meeting of the club resolved to cease using this flag and replace it with the South African national flag and the club's warrant was returned to the (UK) Admiralty.

Cheers, Nerys

Interesting info

Hi Nerys ,
What flag would the Royal Cape Yacht Club be allowed to fly ? - maternal great grandfather was the commodore for quite a while at the turn of the 19th & 20th century. Not a member but belonged to the much humbler (and far less expensive) Hout Bay Yacht Club - much more pleasant sailing water in a protected bay - based in Hout Bay harbour - unlike Royal Cape which is based in the Cape Town Dockyard and so exposed to the rollers which come up from Antartica.............

Another anomaly. The white ensign can only be used by units of the Royal Navy and by members of the Royal Yacht Squadron whose yachts have the correct paperwork. However there is a defaced white ensign which is the flag of the British Antarctic Territory.
And when you think this all started when they wanted to differentiate between the three fleets, the red, the white and the blue.

Nerys

Hi Nerys, we still have a few down here, NZ, (we looked at changing it, -Maori have their own semi-unofficial flag,- pic), Aust, (they looked at changing it) Cook Islands, Fiji (they are looking at changing it) Tuvalu, Falklands, I think there are still around 21 countries with the UJ on the flag (could be a few more?) but it's slowly disappearing, where it used to be everywhere. Mainly now just used by smaller Island nations and Australia, (the only continent to use it). BTW, fun fact for those who haven't thought of it,- NZ and UK have almost the same land area, (we are 10% larger) totally different population figures though.

JB

Well my posting on getting the correct size flag has stirred a hornets nest. When i photographed to flags they were the correct way up and they are correct in my file but when i posted them they flipped upside down, anybody know why?
anyway here is the flag on its staff.

Most Commonwealth countries have a defaced blue ensign, but there is an anomaly. The state flag of Hawaii has a union jack in the top left corner, then eight horizontal stripes, white, red, blue, white ,red, blue, white, red, in the fly. These represent the eight main islands. The reason for an American state to have a Union flag incorporated in it seems to be mixed up with the Royal Navy and King Kamehameha of Hawaii.

Cheers, Nerys

Doug.
You are correct in stating that flying the union flag upside down DELIBERATELY on board is a sign of distress.
We used to get the Cadets in training in a right pickle on board when trying to catch them out along with all the other tricks.
It is also deeply offensive to the Queen and Country.
It is not however illegal from memory unless I am mistaken,and will stand corrected.
Regards
Bill

The flag of Ontario is a 'defaced' Red Ensign Ron 😮
Similar to the previous Canadian national flag - prior to the Maple Leaf flag of 1965.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Ontario#Other_flags_of_Ontario
😎

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg

Interesting, the Union Jack 🇬🇧 is the national flag correct? That design is then applied to various other Ensigns depending upon the person, organization, group. The Ontario flag also has the Union Jack in the upper corner.

How dare you sir, what sacrilege, defacing a colonial flag like that, our cousins across the ditch won't like that😂

JB

Hi Ron,
You can find info and pics of British Ensigns here -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_ensign
Cheers, Doug 😎

"but please do turn them round and display them the right way up"
That had occurred to me as well Nerys 👍
I have also heard that deliberately flying the Union Flag upside down was intended to signal -
"I am in distress and require assistance". Don't know if that's true or just apocryphal!
Cheers, Doug 😎

Would you please display the two ensigns for us none U.K. folks?

Red Ensign is used by Merchant Navy and privately owned boats registered or resident in UK. Blue ensign, Fleet Auxiliaries and defaced with a badge in the fly for many official organisations and registered yachts owned by members of certain yacht clubs, who hold the right to use the blue ensign.

Cheers, Nerys

Could you not fly the red or blue ensign just a thought?

Clever idea , but please do turn them round and display them the right way up. It's an insult to the Queen and country to have them upside down

Nerys