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Natal colony -1905 (South Africa)

Last modified: 2005-09-10 by bruce berry
Keywords: natal | gnus: 2 |
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  image by Martin Grieve, 9 Apr 2003

  image by Martin Grieve, 9 Apr 2003

See also:

Natal Colony - Red Ensign (1870-1910)

  image by Martin Grieve, 9 Apr 2003

Were any British Ensigns in use in South Africa before 1910? What were the flags of the Cape Colony and Natal? Did the Boer states retain their "native" flags under British control?
Josh Fruhlinger, 1 Oct 1996

Yes - SAVA published a Journal entitled "The Union Jack over Southern and Central Africa, 1795 - 1994" [brl94] in 1994 which covers all these flags (and those used in what is now Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Botswana, Malawi etc).
Natal - Red and Blue Ensigns with badge in fly (1870 - 1910)
Natal - simplified version of badge on blue ensign (1907 - 1910)
Bruce Berry, 7 Oct 1996

There is a problem concerning the Natal flags. My information does not agree with two items in:
The Southern African Vexillological Association Journal (SAVA) SJ: 3/94, 'The Union Jack Over Southern and Central Africa 1795 - 1994' by F.G.Brownell, [brl94] and 'Sovereign Flags of Southern Africa' by A.P.Burgers [bur97].

1.  Was the first badge used on the Red Ensign?
Both books have illustrations of the ensign, but the text, page 25 in the Journal, reads, "A physical example of this Red Ensign is in the Killie Campbell Museum in Durban."  According to an illustration in C. Pama's 'Lions and Virgins' [pam65] the flag in the museum has a variation of the badge, in which the royal arms have no supporters and the wildebeest are running in the opposite direction.
I am sure that there was no official Natal Red Ensign, but am quite prepared to believe that there might have been unofficial ensigns that used the official badge, if there is any evidence.

2.  When did the second badge replace the first badge?
The books have 1875, but I am certain that the correct date is 1905.
On page 26 of the SAVA Journal is written: "In line with the Colonial Office dictum of 23 August 1875, the device on the fly of the Natal Blue Ensign was simplified as illustrated below." 
This does not agree with the reply to that letter.  The original badge was in colour and the simplification was to change it from multi-colour to monochrome, not from one design to another.

"16 February 1876.  Government House, Maritzburg, Natal to Col