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Board of Ordnance: War Department Fleet (Britain)

War Department Fleet
Ordnance and Royal Artillery

War Department Fleet

A banner of the shield of the Ordnance Board Seal

by Martin Grieve

A banner of the shield of the Ordnance Board Seal; possibly the flag of the Master General. On 30th July 1806 the shield was registered with the College of Arms.
"Azure, three Field-Pieces in Pale Or, on a Chief Argent three Cannon Balls Sable." To it were added: "Crest - Out of a Mural Crown a Dexter Hand holding a Thunderbolt all proper"; together with the motto : "Sua Tela Tonanti." and supporters, "On either side a Cyclops, in the exterior hand of the Dexter a Hammer, in that of the Sinister a Pair of Forceps resting on the shoulder of each respectively all proper."
David Prothero, 18 September 2004

Ordnance ensign 1801-1855; War Department ensign 1855-1864

by Martin Grieve

The shield, its colours now defined, continued as the badge on the Red Ensign. The registration of the arms was later found to be deficient and a new Earl Marshall's
Warrant was issued on 16th May 1823. The change concerned only the crest; "Out of a mural crown, argent, a dexter cubit arm the hand grasping a thunderbolt, winged and in flames, proper". The incorrect crest was to become the badge on the ensign of the Submarine Mining Service, and the revised crest the badge on the ensign of the Royal Engineers.
David Prothero, 18 September 2004

War Department ensign 1864-1890

by Martin Grieve

Due to its poor performance during the Crimea War the Board of Ordnance was dissolved in 1855, its ships becoming the War Department Fleet based at Woolwich, Portsmouth, Chatham and Devonport. The ensign remained unchanged until 1864, when British maritime flags were re-organised, and ensigns of Public Offices changed from Red to Blue. The Ordnance shield gained a red border to separate the blue ground of the shield from the blue field of the ensign.
David Prothero, 18 September 2004

The ensign shown has a red border to the shield - do you know whether any blue ensigns were made with a light blue border to the shield?
Clive Chapman, 10 June 2005

I have not seen any reference to the shield with a pale blue border, but in 1945 the background colour on which the cannon were displayed was changed from dark blue to light blue. See Army Council 1945-1964. I have heard of the shield with a yellow border, but I do not remember the details.
David Prothero, 11 June 2005

by Clive Chapman

I've had a closer look at a British War Department Blue Ensign. In fact, the shield does not have a light blue border to separate it from the background. It has a white border (same white as the top panel of the shield, behind the cannon balls), but thinner than the red border shown above. The ensign apart from the shield is made up of individually coloured panels of cloth, down to each element of the union flag (the entire ensign less the union flag and shield panel is one piece). The shield is on a single sewn-in panel of the same colour as the main ensign's background, slightly larger in area than the shield. On this panel is painted the shield (on both sides). The thin white border is also painted, and seems intended to visually separate the shield from the background rather than have any meaning? From memory, the cannon fire away from the mast end (to the fly?). The cannon resemble the Ree's Cyclopaedia 1820 version.
Does anyone have information on the possible origins of my ensign?
Clive Chapman, 17 June 2005

In vexillology, there can be fewer more authoritative sources than "eyeball witnesses" (in this case - one who possesses an histo