Air Force Ensign 1921-1949

Flag Adopted: 31 March 1921
Flag Proportion: 1:2

The Royal Australian Air Force was established on 31 March 1921 as the successor to the Australian Flying Corps which had been established by the Australian Army in 1912. The national identity of military aircraft is marked by the use of a roundel - a circle with a distinctive pattern.

From its inception, the RAAF used the same ensign as the Royal Air Force of Britain. This ensign is a light blue (`Air Force Blue') British Ensign defaced with a large RAF roundel. This roundel consists of concentric circles of red, white and dark blue. The blue represented the Royal Navy Air Service and the red the Army's Royal Flying Corps which merged to form the RAF in 1918.

Historical Flags

• Air Force Ensign 1921-1949
• Air Force Ensign 1949-1982

References

• Australian Flags
Department of Administrative Services, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 1995.

• Information Sheet on the Air Force Ensign, Flag Society of Australia, Melbourne, Australia.

• Flags of the World
E.M.C. Barraclough, Frederick and Warne, London, 1971.

• Flag of Stars
Frank Cayley, Rigby Ltd, Adelaide, 1966.