Today 9 March 2015 is Commonwealth Day.
The current flag for the Commonwealth of Nations was introduced in November 2013, just 16 months ago.
It contained a number of small but significant changes to the original flag, first adopted on 26 March 1976.
Three year earlier at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Ottawa, Canada, the 1976-version was developed from, of all things, car pennants. Arnold Smith (the first Commonwealth Secretary-General) and then-Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau are credited with the flag’s initiative.
The 2013-version.
Most notably on the 2013-version the number of ‘spearheads’ surrounding the globe in the flag’s centre was reduced from 64 to 34, though the ‘C for Commonwealth’ motif around the globe remained. The globe itself was titled slightly and the colour of the flag changed from Pantone 286 to Pantone 280, making it a slightly lighter blue.
The 1976-version.
Two 2013-versions exist, a standard 3:5 version and a 1:2 version – every British Overseas Territory has a 1:2 ratio flag.
Bonus fact: Commonwealth Day is not a fixed date in the calendar. It takes place on the second Monday of March each year.
Author: Alex Crouch, Flag Institute accredited journalist (2015/16).
This ‘flag’, created by a French leaning Canadian, clearly mirrors the despised EU flag and in no way shows any historic link to Britain. Why was this approved without any element of The Union Flag, the Crown or red, white and blue? Obviously styled to look like an EU flag from a distance with even the same ‘ring of Stars’ type format. Disgusting, and further evidence of the sinister plot by the autocratic EU to usurp everything British!
I agree that the flag looks too EU although I would not agree with the other comments made about individuals etc by mr Caslaw. But I would say the time is right for the common wealth to have a new flag that is distant from the EU and perhaps incorporates the spirit of its heretage. What about the queen launching a project between the schools of the common wealth to come up with a new design? After all are we not now looking forward to build better opportunities for future generations after Brexit?
Thank you everybody.