
Last modified: 2003-05-31 by rob raeside
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by Zeljko Heimer
Green over white over blue tricolour. It may be noted that the shades of both
green and blue are lighter then one might expect (if one consider that
British very
dark blue is to be expected as the "normal" blue shade here). Source:
Album des Pavillons (2000)
This tricolour flag is probably derived from the coat of arms, which were
granted in 1960. The flag was adopted in 1961. The green in the coat of
arms is symbolic of the hilly mountains, white and blue are for waves (i.e.
sea). Smith (1975) agrees, adding that the
white in the flag stands for unity and justice (cf. the national motto). Smith
also calls the shades of the colours "leaf green" and "cobalt blue".
Zeljko Heimer, 15 January 2003
by Zeljko Heimer
White flag with the national flag
in canton. Source:
Album des Pavillons (2000)
Neither Smith (1975) nor
Crampton (1990) show this flag - both
reporting the national flag for all purposes.
But maybe this was changed between 1975 and 1990.
Zeljko Heimer, 15 January 2003
I saw the naval flag four years ago flying on Sierra Leonean gunboats in Freetown.
Arthur T Porter, 22 September 2001
Green-white-blue roundel. National flag is painted on the fin.
Zeljko Heimer, 15 January 2003
The national flag defaced with a golden representation of the national coat of arms in the middle of the white stripe. Source: Album des Pavillons (2000)
Zeljko Heimer, 15 January 2003
by Blas Delgado Ortiz, 11 September 2000
Used 1889-1914
David Prothero, 23 September 2000
The none-too imaginative British had the same badge for all their minor West African possessions. This one is for Sierra Leone. The Gambia differs only by having the initial "G." instead of "S.L.", and the Gold Coast (now Ghana) had "G.C."
Josh Fruhlinger, 13 February 1998
They were not that unimaginative! Although what you say is true of Gambia and Gold Coast, Sierra Leone adopted its own coat of arms in 1914. A second coat of arms (still used) was adopted in 1960: a gold lion passant on a green field; a white chief dancetty (zig-zagged) upon which are three torches. At the base two blue wavy lines on white symbolizing the sea.
With the addition of a crown surmounded 'E' on a blue disc surrounded by a chaplet of gold roses, the arms formed the Royal flag of Sierra Leone until the country became a republic in 1971.
Stuart Notholt, 14 February 1996
The Blue Ensign, as used 1934-61. The scroll reads "Auspice Britannia Liber"
(Free under Britain's protection)."
Jarig Bakker, 18 August 2002
Flaggenbuch [neu92], has some small
details slightly different, but most noticable is that it has the tree on a
golden background, clearly different from the coast beside it.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 26 August 2002
The badge is described in Carr's Flags of the World 1953 as follows, "In the top part of the shield is the Union Flag as it was prior to 1801 - with only the Crosses of St George and St Andrew. The lower part of the shield is divided into halves by a vertical line. On the one side is a liberated slave seated on the seashore with a ship in the offing; on the other on a golden ground, is a green palm-tree. Underneath is the motto: "Auspice Britannia Liber" (Free under Britain's protection)."
The National Geographic of Sept. 1934 has the palm tree on a dark brown
background, and the badge generally looks darker than, e.g., in Kannik, from which I've made a scan.
Jarig Bakker, 25 September 2000
by
Zeljko Heimer, 24 March 2003
Queen Elizabeth's personal flag in use since independence in 1961 until tghe republic was proclaimed in 1971. Using the E-emblem from Graham Bartram's site, the banner elements are rather sketchy, but their relative dimensions and disposition should be approximately right. The (real) flag was shown among the royal flags on exhibition in the Hospitium in York during the XIX ICV. (My photo of the flag is take from an odd angle, so it is not of much use.)
Zeljko Heimer, 15 January 2003