The West Indies Federation existed from 3 January 1958 to 31 May 1962.
Edna Manley (1900–87), ‘mother of Jamaican art’, designed its flag.
Her design comprised two pairs of wavy horizontal white stripes on blue to represent the Caribbean Sea.
The upper pair reflects the lower, and in their centre sits an orange-gold disc representing the Sun.
No ‘official’ blue was designated, so copies with light blue backgrounds were also produced.
Use in sport
The Federation competed as Antilles at Rome Olympics in 1960, winning two bronze medals in athletics.
Their slightly modified flag had white stripes spanning a greater area, and the disc was red-bronze.
The crest of the West Indies Cricket Board (with white and green horizontal stripes) makes up the flag of the West Indies cricket team.
However, the old Federation flag flew during the 1999 Test against Australia in Barbados.
Bonus facts: The West Indies Federation comprised British Jamaica, British Trinidad, British Leeward Islands, British Windward Islands and Colony of Barbados. Edna Manley was the wife of Norman Manley, founder of the Jamaican People’s National Party and Chief Minister/Premier (1955–62). Their son Michael also served as Jamaican Prime Minister (1972–80 and 1989–92).
Author: Alex Crouch, Flag Institute accredited journalist 2015/16.
