British Empire flag

The early 1900s saw many calls for the British Empire to adopt a new flag representative of all its dominions, Crown colonies, protectorates, and territories. Such a role was already fulfilled by the Union Jack of the United Kingdom, but some regions of the empire were beginning to develop distinct national identities that no longer seemed appropriately showcased by that flag alone. For example, after achieving self-governance, Canada used a British ensign emblazoned by its coat of arms as a flag to represent itself internationally.^[1] Other regions such as Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa began using similar flags as they gained autonomy as well.^[2] Although the Union Jack in the canton of these flags was a natural inclusion to their primarily British settlers, who considered the United Kingdom to be their homeland, some believed that the growing status of all these new nations deserved to be highlighted in some form. This led to the creation of Empire flags, which saw use from the beginning of the reign of George V to the end of the Second World War.^[3]