1918 - 1948

OFFICIAL DIAGRAM
1913

 

The Official diagram depicts the battleship HMS Neptune and is from
the Admiralty Fleet Signal Book 1913. I have found no photographic evidence that this pattern was ever worn as illustrated.

 

MY DIAGRAMS

Dressing Lines used by some warships between 1919(?) and 1948

 

My diagram depicts HMS Duke of York as she appeared at the Review of the Fleet on the Clyde, Scotland, by King George VI in July 1947. The flags were identified by the use of numerous photos taken at this event. She is also flying the Royal Standard, Union Flag, and Lord High Admiral flags from the mainmast.

COMMENTS

Although the Official Diagram pattern above is from the 1913 Flag Signal Book, photographs show that only the 1908 pattern was being worn up to the start of World War 1. I have found no evidence that the 1913 pattern was changed during the WW1. The first appearance of the 1913-1948 pattern I could find is late 1918/early 1919 in a photo of HMS Erin.

Fore-Down Line.
The order appears to be the same on all ships up to the Red and Yellow Deployment Pennant (31). On ships that used longer lines, the order above the Deployment Pennant appears to have been whatever flags the individual ship chose to use.

(Unfortunately, because I cannot find a copy of the Official Flag pattern after 1913, I cannot tell if more flags were added to the official pattern at a later date, or whether there was a list of flags included on later diagrams setting out the flags to be used when the lines needed to be extended.)

( The "1949-Today" Diagram sets out the flags to be used if extra flags need to be added.)

Changes to the pattern.

There appear to have been minor changes during the life of this pattern.

1. Pennant Y was worn as early as 1921 at the stern end of the Fore to Main line. Although in the 1913 Diagram Flag A is the last flag on this line, no photos show that this occured in actual practice.

2. Sometime between 1918 and 1921, the Preparative Flag became the flag nearest the stern on the Main Down Line.

3. Several ships including the Barham and Nelson Class battleships and the County Class cruisers used the Fishery Pennant as the last flag at the top of the Fore Down line. This may have been common practice after the mid 1930's.

THE LAST DAY OF USE FOR THIS PATTERN WAS 31ST DECEMBER 1948

 



 

 

 

 
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