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Belgium: Naval flags, 1936

Part 3: Rank and service flags (continued)

Last modified: 2023-05-13 by olivier touzeau
Keywords: maritime police | anchors: 2 (black) | swords: 2 (white) | sword (white) | minister | ambassador | envoy | consul | lieutenant-general | general-major | crown (black) | governor | pilot | scheldt |
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Introduction

A Royal Decree dated 28 October 1936, modified on 12 May 1938, approved the Regulation Règlement relatif aux Pavillons, Honneurs et visites en usage dans la Marine Belge (Regulation prescribing Ensigns, Honours and Visits in use in the Belgian Navy).
The text prescribes ensigns, salutes and other courtesy items, including two new ensigns for State and private ships, whereas the merchant ensign is not changed. House flags have to be allowed. A yacht ensign was also adopted.

Sources:

  • L. Nyssen. Einige Flaggen der belgischen Marine von 1815 bis heute [nys96], Flaggenkurier [dfk] (1995), also available online.
  • M. Lupant. Flags and Coats of Arms of the Kingdom of Belgium [lup98]

All the images shown on this page were drawn after Flaggenbuch [neu92]. The flag construction details come from the same source.

Ivan Sache & Jan Mertens, 12 May 2004


Maritime Police

[Maritime Police]

Flag of the Maritime Police - Image by Željko Heimer, 3 March 2001

The flag of the Maritime Police is a triangular Belgian tricolor flag, in proportion 3:4, with two black anchors crossed in saltire. A yellow shield (therefore outlined in black) charged with the lion of Brabant is placed over the anchors.

Ivan Sache, 3 March 2001


State Ministers and Ambassadors

[State Ministers]

Flag of State Ministers and Ambassadors - Image by Ole Andersen, 3 March 2001

The flag of the State Ministers and Ambassadors is a square Belgian tricolor flag.
This flag is still in use.

Ivan Sache, 3 March 2001


Lieutenant-General

[Lieutenant-General]

Flag of a Lieutenant-General - Image by Željko Heimer, 3 March 2001

The flag of a Lieutenant-General is a square Belgian tricolor with two swords crossed in saltire in the yellow stripe.
This flag is used nowadays by Flag Officers.

Ivan Sache, 3 March 2001


General-Major

[General-Major]

Flag of a General-Major - Image by Željko Heimer, 3 March 2001

The flag of a Lieutenant-General is a square Belgian tricolor with a vertical sword in the yellow stripe.

Ivan Sache, 3 March 2001


Envoy and General-Consul

[Minister plenipotentiary]

Flag of Envoys and General-Consuls - Image by Željko Heimer, 3 March 2001

The flag of an Envoy or a General-Consul is a square Belgian tricolor with a black crown in the yellow stripe. This flag is still in use.

Ivan Sache, 3 March 2001


Province Governors

[Governor's honorary flag]         [Governor's honorary flag]         [Governor's honorary flag]         [Governor's honorary flag]

Flags of Province Governors, from left to right, Brabant, Antwerp, East Flanders and West Flanders - Images by Mark Sensen, 27 January 2001

Flaggenbuch [neu92] shows the flags of the Governors of the Povinces of Brabant, Antwerp, East Flanders and West Flanders, as square Belgian tricolor flags with the respective provincial arms placed in the middle of the black stripe. These flags are still in use, except for the province of Brabant, which has ceased to exist.

Ivan Sache, 3 March 2001


Pilot call flag

The Pilot call flag is a Belgian tricolor flag in proportion 10:13, with a white border all around. The height of the Belgian tricolor is 3/5th of the flag heigth. The width of the Belgian tricolor is 9/11th of the flag width.

Ivan Sache, 3 March 2001


Pilots of the Scheldt estuary

[Scheldt pilot]

Flag of the pilots of the Scheldt estuary - Image by Ivan Sache, 3 March 2001

The flag used by the pilots of the Scheldt estuary is a rectangular red flag in proportion 2:3, charged with a white number.

Ivan Sache, 3 March 2001

Red pilot flags with white numbers are mentioned as "Antwerp Pilot flags" in Le Gras' Album des Pavillons (1858) [leg58] and in Album des pavillons nationaux et des marques distinctives des marines de guerre et de commerce (1889) [f9r89].

Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 19 May 2022.