Unidentified Flags or Ensigns - Page 1 (2024) (original) (raw)

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flags submitted in 2024 - Page 1

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Below is a series of images of flags that have been provided to FOTW; some we have recognized, and some we have been unable to recognize. If you can help us identify any of these flags, please let us know! Contact the: UFE Editor.

Identification Key:

= Positive ID (Positive Identification)
= Tentative ID (Tentative Identification)
= Some Speculation

Unidentified Flags on other pages

24-1: Possible naval/aviation badge

Image located by Nick Lamont, 26 March 2024

I’ve been trying to identify this unknown airline badge for literally decades. It appears to have a shipping pennant in the middle with a word that seems to be AMARAUS or similar…it’s hard to read! I assume it’s an early British Airline many of which were associated with shipping companies but I cannot identify it. It has the standard British or Commonwealth airline look with an eagle above the badge. Any help or ideas would be very gratefully accepted.
Nick Lamont, 26 March 2024

Are we sure it is an airline badge? It seems more likely to me to be a shipping or steamship company cap badge or something naval or military. There is an Amasus Shipping Company in The Netherlands, perhaps they could help you in your search? It also could be something for some WWII auxiliary pilot's cap, there were many lesser-known military units with similar sewn cap badges dating from back then. My point is although it is similar to an early airline badge, I think you will have to widen your search, which you probably have anyway. I tried a few quick searches but was unable to hit anything useful. Just wanted you to know you request is not being ignored. Not much help here, but I hope if you have success, you'll let us know.
Pete Loeser, 27 March 2024

Thank you for the help - it's very much appreciated. The pattern is 'classic British Airline' from the 1920s onwards. I've got about 4000 badges of the sort and a great many have this style so I'm pretty sure it's an airline and probably British...but it's not certain by any means. Very few European shipping lines had the eagle above the badge...in fact I don't know of any. Quite a few started small airlines though. Also it came in a bundle of other UK airline cap badges and wings. None of that is conclusive of course. I've searched for the word in the flag all over, on Latin websites etc but to no avail so far. I'll keep searching and widening the search and if I ever find out of course I'll let you know.
Nick Lamont, 28 March 2024

Inscription might be "AMANAUT" as well. Have definitely never seen that pennant.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 28 March 2024

Nick is right - the cap badge is of the 'classic British airline' pattern, featuring a distinctive emblem surrounded by a wreath beneath a pair of wings (typically a RAF-style eagle). My speculation is that the word on the pennant was meant to read AMATEUR - in other words, this could be a 'generic' cap badge intended for private pilots.
Miles Li, 28 March 2024

It appears to be white (maybe yellow) pennant, edged blue, with the word AMARAUS on it, although I am not sure of the last few letters. I make it "Amanaut". That would make it a "sailor for pleasure", but whether that's the name of ship or position of the wearer, I wouldn't know. In the times of the professionally crewed yachts, surely an owner just sailing for the fun of it, not to best his equally rich neighbour, might name his vessel, or himself, "For the fun of it". Do we know when this was, or where? I could look through Lloyd's Register of Yachts, but it would help to know when we're looking for. I see some Amanaut in British newspapers, but I don't know whether Nick already searched those (nor whether they may be misreadings).
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 29 March 2024

24-2: House Shipping flags Tentative ID

(click to expand) Image located by António Martins-Tuválkin, 07 August 2024

Most are well known, but it’s interesting to see photos of actual flags laid flat, showing its actual colors and ratios and other realities of the cloth, often idealized in diagrammatic and artistic representations of house flags we’re more accustumed with. These are mostly old-style / sea-worthy flags made of actual stitched/appliqueed fabric, not printed nylon, and some of them evidencing an interesting degree of rusticness often absent in more professionally created naval and national flags. For each, the source page included for transparency, but mostly these are contentless nonsense. Pinterest has become a garbage heap of bot “curated” random assemblages without rhyme or reason in their contents, title, description, and keywords. I also archived each of these image files (in Archive.ORG and GhostArchive.ORG; Archive.Today remains sadly unavailable [as of this writing]).
António Martins-Tuválkin, 07 August 2024

Image #1 on this graphic is that of Robin Line (Seas Shipping Company)
Image #4 on this graphic is that of Petrinovic Steamship Co (that appeared on another UFE request in 2018).
Image #7 on this graphic is that of Hacklin (Finland)

24-3: Unknown Red Ensign

Image from Peter, 25 September 2024

I was reading your website, flags of the world trying to identify a flag belonging to my Grandpa; Commander Albert Ayre DSO RNR(retired). He was merchant marine through the First World War, then a pilot between the wars. In ww2 He started commanding asw ships, a corvette then a frigate (DSO) becoming commodore of coastal convoys and playing a key role in the d-day block ships, mulberries etc. He was also 4 times head of hull trinity house and a genuine local dignitary. This is just to try and give you some context I have a few of his flags including the blue one for being a commodore but I can not identify this one. I would be grateful if you or the users of your site could provide any assistance
Peter, 25 September 2024