RAF Ensign Flag

RAF Ensign Flag (Royal Air Force Flag)

The RAF Ensign flag is the ensign of the Royal Air Force: an air force blue flag with the Union Flag in the top corner by the pole and the red, white and blue RAF roundel in the fly. It is the flag flown at every RAF station and the one people mean when they search for a Royal Air Force flag or RAF flag.

• Flagtex (woven polyester, eyelets): 18x12in, 3ft x 2ft, 5ft x 3ft, 8ft x 5ft
• Flagtex Nylon (eyelets): 3ft x 2ft, 5ft x 3ft
• DuraFlag (150gsm knitted polyester, rope and toggle): 20x12in, 3ft x 2ft, 5ft x 3ft, 2 yard (180 x 90cm), 8ft x 5ft

History of the RAF Ensign

The Royal Air Force was formed on 1 April 1918 by merging the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service, the first independent air force in the world. The new service wanted an ensign of its own, and after objections from the Admiralty, which guarded the right to ensigns, the design with the light blue field and the roundel was approved by King George V in 1921. The roundel itself came from the marking painted on British aircraft in the First World War so they could be told apart from German machines.

Who flies it, and when

RAF stations raise the ensign in the morning and lower it at sunset. It is flown at RAF Association and Air Cadet events, at memorials and squadron reunions, and on the dates the air force marks every year: the RAF's anniversary on 1 April, Battle of Britain Day on 15 September, Armed Forces Day in June and Remembrance Sunday in November. It is not a sea flag and there is no restriction on displaying it at home, a club or a business.

Care

Flagtex suits occasional display, nylon gives the brightest colour, and DuraFlag is the grade for a pole that flies every day. Take flags in during gales and wash by hand in cool water.

Also in this design: RAF Ensign hand flags, table flag, satin table flag, RAF bunting, triangle bunting and the RAF windsock. For squadron and other air force flags see Royal Air Force flags.

RAF Ensign FAQs