Our National Flag, or, for the Royal Navy ONLY, the Union Jack ! One of the reasons for showing this file is because recently, whilst with members of the RNA preparing their 2011 Remembrance Day parade details, we got to talking about Standards and Flags [even though these are not used at the Cenotaph in Whitehall] but often at local parades. Whilst talking about National Standards which generally use the Union Flag, one Scottish chappie stated that he would prefer the Saltire to the Union Flag, which he believed would be the case when the Scots vote for total independence. Teasingly, I asked him to which Saltire he was referring to, and his answer was a stern repeat of 'the Saltire'. It transpired, that he believed the Scottish Flag to be 'The Saltire' instead of it being 'a Saltire'. He didn't appear to know that a Saltire was a diagonal cross, and being such, the Irish Flag is also a Saltire of St Andrew!

Our National Flag

  ......... leading on naturally to 'Dipping The Ensign'. A 1961 ditty about naughty Americans - or were they ? Dipping the Ensign, Did you know that dipping "flags" was an intra-RN thing? Lord Mountbatten revived this procedure at the Fleet manoeuvres held to say goodbye to him as C-in-C Mediterranean. At the end of manoeuvres there was a sail-by and each of the four Flag Officers present lead their group of ships past the Surprise and dipped their Flags in salute. The C-in-C's Flag was dipped in return. It was an age old tradition, but with so few ships today and even less Flag Officers at sea, it has no meaning or use today!