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11/6/43 - No. 12

FLAGS OF THE UNITED NATIONS

The following details of ,the flags of-the-.nations

fighting for the cause of freedom, are issued in connection with United'Nations Day, Monday, June 14, when there will be ceremonies in London, Cardiff and Edinburgh in honour of the flags,.,. A The list is alphabetical in order to provide ready reference. .

AUSTRALIA

( declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939)

The Australian flag is either the British Blue or Ensign with six the stars on fly, the blue flag being that flown on Government buildings. The Union in the top left-hand.corner is a symbol of the place of Australia in the British Commonwealth of Nations and the strong ties that have always existed between Australia and the since colonists, went out from the British Isles in the early days. ..

Five stars are in the form of a cross and represent constellation of the Southern Cress, seen only in the Southern Hemisphere. The sixth star points directly to the centre .of the St. George's Cross in the .

BELGIUM

(On May *lO, 1940, Germany invaded Belgium, Belgium declared war on Italy on June 10, 1940)

The Belgian flag is composed of three equal stripes of black, yellow and red, arranged vertically. - They are, the colours of the Duchy of Brabant.

At the time of the. revolution of 1780, which originated in the. Duchy of Brabant, this flag became the symbol of the uprising of the Belgian provinces against the exactions of Emperor Joseph II (of Austria). The revolution of 1830,having .ensured the political independence- of _Belgium, the Braban con flag was officially adopted as the of modem Belgium,

BOLIVIA (On April 7, 1943, the Bolivian president declared Bolivia to be in a state of war with- the Axis)

red the and at A-horizontal tricolour of red, yellow and green, at top . green the bottom.

BRAZIL

(On August. 22, 1942, Brasil declared war on Germany and Italy)

* "blue The green flag has a yellow diamond in its centre. On this is a. sphere crossed obliquely by a white equator bearing in green the inscription ‘Ordesm e below the other Progresso’, Above the equator on the sphere are two white stars and twenty stars of the Southern Cross representing the 20 states and the Federal District.

CANADA

( declared ‘war on Germany on September 10, 1939)

is like the ■ The Canadian flag flown on Canadian Government buildings abroad British with the shield of the Arms of Canada in the fly, The Union Jack in the top left-hand comer is a symbol of Canada's place in the British Common- wealth of Nations*

three the two are divided The shield is divided into horizontal strips > top vertically and contain the Lions of England, Lion of Scotland, the Harp of Ireland men have and the Lilies of Franco - the principal countries from which came the ‘who made Canada. In the bottom'"third of the shield are the maple leaves of Canada#

/CHINA ■2

CHINA

December (On 8, 1941, China declared war on Japan, Germany and Italy, Although China and Japan had been at war for five years, there had not been an official declaration of war)

The national flag of the Republic of China was finally adopted in its present form October on 8, 1928, Designed by Dr, Sun Yat Sen, it consists of a red back- ground, with a twelve-rayed white sun on a dark-blue square in the top left-hand corner.

Red represents the firm determination of the Chinese people, the rays of the sun signify the penetration of evolutionary forces into every corner of the Republic, and blue is the colour of the sky, symbolising the qualities of Justice, Fairness and Magnanimity which are necessary to ensure equality among men.

COSTA RICA

( declared war on Japan on December 8, 1941 and on Germany and Italy, on December 11, 1941)

The flag of Costa Rica consists of horizontal bands of blue, white, red, white, blue, the red bond being double the size of the others.

CUBA

(Cuba declared war on Japan on December 9, 1941 and on Germany and Italy on December 11, 1941)

The Cuban flag consists of horizontal bands of blue, white, blue, white, blue, with a red "wedge" jutting from the left as far as the central blue band. In the centre of the wedge is a white star.

The flag was first hoisted ninety-two years ago by the Cuban patriots led by Narciso Lopez, when they raided and captured the city of Cardenas in 1840; it was adopted by the Cubans in arms when they framed the first Cuban Constitution in 1869 and in 1902 it became the flag of .the Cuban Republic.

CZECHOSLOVA

(Germany occupied Prague.on March 15, 1939)

When the Czechoslovak Republic entered the community of European States at the end of 1918 one of its first tasks was to create the external symbols of its outward ex- sovereignty and in particular 0 national flag, Tho flag had to be an pression of the unity between the Czechs and the Slovaks, whose joint effort had established the new State,

which had Bohemia had its own. flag in the national colours of red and white The traditional formed the inspiration for many Czech patriotic poems and songs. colours of Slovakia were blue and white. The problem which faced the officials the how to and artists who were entrusted with the task of designing new flag was national combine the colours,, red, white and blue without copying any of the existing flags. stars and stripe Many proposals were made and rejected, including one containing the a on the American model, Finally the designers hit upon present arrangement; blue "wedge " jutting into two horizontal fields of white and red.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

(Tho Dominican Republic declared war on japan oh December 8, 1941 and on Germany and Italy on December 11, 1941)

The Dominican flag is divided into quarters arranged in the order, of blue top left, with red below and red top right, with blue below* In the centre is a broad the white cross on which is imposed the national coat-of-arms which repeats design of quarters and a white cross.

is the of her The ■white cross in the flag of the Dominican Republic symbol to Christian faith and her love of peace; the blue squares empress her devotion blood her the ideals of this faith and the red squares are a symbol of the people have always been ready to shed in the cause of these ideas. /ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA

of (The Emperor Ethiopia in a cable to president Roosevelt on December 1, 1942, stated that Ethiopia was at war with Italy,. Germany and Japan from that date)-.

A horizontal tricolour of green, yellow and red,, green at the top and red at the bottom.

The present flag only appears to have been in existence since 1894 and even then it took the form of 3 pennants of the above colours, one above the other. In 1898 the 1st Abyssinian mission which to hoisted came, France these colours as a flag. The original idea seems to have been that bodies of troops used different disting- uishing pennants *

Several reasons are given for the adoption of the colours:

(1) They represent the three parts of Ethiopia:- Tigre, red Amhara, yellow; Choa (Shoa), green

The colours of the (2) are those . rainbow, frequently. seen in Ethiopia,

(3) The emblem of the Trinity: Yellow'-for the Father,

M " Red' Son, Green " " Holy Ghost,

(4) They represent the three Christian virtues:- Faith, red; Hope, green; Charity, yellow.

FRANCE

(France declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939. Following an appeal by General de Gaulle on June 18, 1940, free French forces have continued to fight against‘Germany and her allies)

The flag of the free French is the tricolour of the French Republic - blue, white and red - divided vertically into three parts. It is under this flag that General de Gaulle and over 90,000 of his comrades and (from 1942) General Giraud and the North African army are fighting.

The tricolour was born of the' French Revolution, La Fayette, in 1789, commander of the newly formed citizen Garde Nationale, presented to them a rosette. It was of blue and red, the colours of the town of Paris, with white, the colour of between from rosette to the royal flag, them. Later' the colours grew a a flag.

The return of the Bourbons, in 1815, brought back the flag of the monarchy, and the tricolour was not seen again until the Revolution of 1830, which brought of Louis Philippe "the citizen King” to the throne. He appeared on the balcony

the Palais Royal bearing in his hand the tricolour - the first time the monarchy had identified itself with the flag of the people.

GREAT BRITAIN

(Great Britain declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939)

three I the The Union Jack is a combination of flags. n 14th century every red of St, English soldier wore on his surcoat, over the armour, the cross George, of both land and and this cress, on a white background, was the flag battle on sea. At the union of the two kingdoms of England and Scotland under James I, the cross of the Patron Saint of Scotland, St. Andrew, (a white diagonal cross on a blue background) 'Was added.

referred the in a The new flag was to officially as Union ’’Jack” proclamation different heave been for by Queen., Anne, on July 28, 1707. Two explanations given it is derived from the or from which the name; one that upright spar, jackstaff, that it refers to James I the flag is flown in a ship’s bows, and, alternatively,

(Jacques) •

red After the Union with Ireland in 1801 the Cross of St* Patrick (a diagonal and the national as it exists today cross on a white ground) was added, flag the result, /greece .4-

•GREECE

October Greek (.On 28, 1940, the premier having rejected an ultimatum from Italy, war followed. On April 6, 1941, Germany invaded Greece)

The design for the Greek national flag was approved by a decree of the First National of Assembly the Hellenes, held in Epidaurus on January 1, 1822, at the end of the first year of the war of Insurrection against the Turks,

The national flag, it was decreed, should consist of a white rectangular cross a nn blue field for the Army, and of four horizontal white stripes on a blue field, with a white a blue field in the left-hand for cross.,on upper comer, the Navy,

In 1830, on the establishment of Greece as an independent country under a monarchy, a gold’ crown was added to the centre of the white cross, both for the Army - and the Navy, while the Mercantile Marine was assigned the Naval flag without a crown.

GUATEMALA

(Guatemala-declared war on Japan on December 9, 1941 and on Germany and Italy on December 11, 1941)

The Guatemalan flag introduced in 1871 consists of three vertical bonds, the middle one being white, and the other two light blue. These colours represent peace between the two oceans.

The coat-of-arms on the white band consists of a beautiful bird of exceptional plumage, known as the Quetzal, symbolizing Liberty, for it is said that this bird does not live long in captivity. The Quetzal is perched on a scroll of parchment with the following wording: Libertad 15 de Setiembre de 1821. Two crossed rifles and two golden swords are incorporated and all these'emblems are surrounded by two sprays of laurel tied at the bottom by a ribbon of the Guatemalan colours: blue and white.

HAITI

(Haiti declared war on Japan on December 8, 1941 and on Germany and Italy on December 12, 1941).

The Haitian flag consists of two bands, blue over red. This flag was adopted in 1804 when the Republic of Haiti was established according to the Constitution which still exists.

HONDURAS

(Honduras declared war on Japan on December 8, 1941 and on Germany and Italy on December 12, 1941)

The Honduranian flag consists of dark blue, white and dark blue horizontal bands. On the white band are five blue'stars.

It was on October 28, 1838, that Honduras achieved final independence, the first constitutional president being elected in the following year,

INDIA

(The Viceroy proclaimed that was at war on September 3, 1939)

The distinctive is the Union Jack which has in its centre the

Star of India in full colour with a Crown above it, The Order of the Star of India-' be was instituted in 1861 by and was the first decoration to given for important and loyal service to -the Indian It consists of rays of gold surrounding a five-pointed star enclosed in an inscription of the motto of the Order •'Heaven’s Light Our Guide",

The flag is used by the Viceroy and may be used by His Majesty’s Diplomatic Representatives, but by no other bodies without permission*

This flag is- not prescribed by law. The recognition of a national flag for the India was debated in-Council in 1937 and was deferred until such time as Federation provided for in the 1935 Act should come into being* /IRAQ 5

IRAQ

'(*On . January 16, 1945., .Iraq declared war on Germany, Italy and Japan)

A horizontal tricolour of equal stripes of black at the top, white and green at the bottom; in the hoist a red. trapezium charged with two seven pointed stars, one below the other.

■ There ..are-.several interpretations of the meaning of the colours- of the flag*

(1) Red represents- the pre-Islam. Arab colour -Green is the Islamic colour • ■ . Black was adopted by the.-Sheiks after the murder of Husain . And the white may stand for the conquest of Andalusia by the. Arabs,

(2) Red is the blood of the Arabs* enemies, ; t Green the fertility of Arab lands. Black the fate in store for the. Arabs’ enemies. And white represents Arab nobility and chivalry.

LUXEMBOURG

■ (On May 10, 1940, Germany invaded the Grand: Duchy of .Luxembourg, Luxembourg .issued no official declaration,'but the Foreign Minister, in a broadcast on January 25, 1942, stated that Luxembourg considered herself at war with Germany, Italy and Japan)

Tho national flag of the Grand Duchy of. Luxembourg is identical with that of the . It is a horizontal tricolour in red, -white and blue, with the red on top.

The circumstances in which the Netherlands flag Was adopted by Luxembourg are the as follows: . By Treaty of Vienna, Luxembourg, which had been overrun by the armies of the French Revolution and had subsequently formed a part of Napoleon’s restored to old , was its independence and created a Grand Duchy under the personal sovereignty of the King of Holland. 'Under tho London Treaties of 1839 and 1867 the Grand Duchy became entirely detached from the Dutch and Belgian provinces. It still maintained its personal ties with the King of Holland and with it the red, white and blue tricolour.

MEXICO

'(. declared war on Germany, Italy and Japan as from May 22, 1942)

The. Mexican flag of green,-white and red vertical stripes, with a coat of arms in the centre of the -white, is the symbol of peace and struggle and of the ..past martyrdom of Mexico,

coat of and The arms includes an eagle perched on a cactus devouring a serpent, symbolic of liberty exterminating slavery, the whole being pictured on a water- surrounded rock. '

the This placing of the coat cf arms in the flag is connected with legendary history of Mexico. ’Which says that after- centuries of wandering the Mexican people to to to be their came an islet in a lake which, according the omens given, was home, and by thus incorporating the pictured symbol, the flag conveys the idea of of origins reaching into the dark past and an unending future.

NETHERLANDS

(Germany invaded Holland on May 10, 1941)

when Dutch - Holland-came, into -existence as an -independent State in 1579, the. the of of white and adopted as their flag colours William, prince, Orange -; orange,,' blue.* At first the number of bars of each colour end their order was variable but in that -the .blue in 1599 it was laid down officially flag was to be orangey white .and- red - three horizontal stripes of equal width, The'orange was eventually changed to it is...difficult to surmise why - possibly the indefiniteness of the orange and its

- the liability to fade in the sea air but by 1643 the Dutch flag had become tricolour which is used at present* /in 6

f In the early stages of the war with Spain, the eighty-years war, a band of intrepid seamen, the famous Geuzen, adopted the flag and it used to fly from the mastheads of the ships which attacked the Spanish galleons and freighters, Then the Netherlands had fought and won their war with Spain and a Prince of Orange was once more stadtholder, the flag came to be adopted as the *.

NET ZEALAND

(Now Zealand declared war on Germany on September 3,.1939)

The New Zealand flag is similar to the British except that it has four five-pointed stars in the fly. The stars are red edged with white. The Union Jack in the top left-hand corner is a symbol of tho place of New Zealand in the British Commonwealth of Nations and of the ties that have existed strong always w between New Zealand and‘ the United Kingdom since colonists went out from the British Isles in the early days.

The stars* are in the form of a cross and represent the constellation of the

Southern Gross, seen only in the Southern Hemisphere,

NICARAGUA

(Nicaragua declared war on Japan on December 8, 1941 and on Germany and Italy on December 11, 1941)

The Nicaraguan flog consists of horizontal blue, white and blue bands of equal size* The national coat-of-arms appears on the white band.

NORWAY

(On April 9, 1940, Germany invaded Norway)

a blue cross The Norwegian flag consists of a red field on which is imposed bordered with a white edge.

At the time of the dissolution of the; ’union with Denmark in 1814, Norway and merchant a white Denmark had for many centuries shared the present Danish flag, cross on a red field*

from in a union with she Then Norway was declared independent Denmark Sweden, first used the old flag with the Norwegian colours in the hoist, but as this was white as found to resemble too closely the Danish flag, a blue cross with a border, in at present, was substituted for the white cross 1821*

in of the the a yellow cross In 1844, a blending Norwegian' and Swedish colours, In the left-hand field of the Norwegian a blue field, was introduced in upper .flag* then resumed its present; 1898 the Swedish emblem was removed, and the Norwegian flag appearance*

to the of The Norwegian flag is a symbol of strong patriotic inspiration people hove a and the people take Norway. Nearly all houses in Norway flagpole, every a member of the is even on the birthday of opportunity to fly the flag. This done

family •

PANAMA

and (panama declared war on Japan on December 9, 1941 on Germany and Italy on December 10, 1941)

The was born when the Republic attained its independence on November 3, 1903*

the In its top left-hand quarter is a blue-five-pointed star on a white ground: below quarter below is all blue. The top right-hand quarter is all red; the quarter is a red-five-pointed star on a white ground* .

the Its colours - red and blue - symbolise the Liberal and Conservative Parties, white representing the union between the two, /POLAND