Last modified: 2013-08-03 by rob raeside
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Events from 1815 to 1859 have been covered in the series "Yacht
Club White Ensigns" apart from the following.
1843. Paragraph 1 of
Section VI in the Chapter 'Ceremonies and Distinctions' of the 1824 Regulations
for His Majesty's Service at Sea was amended. To the words, "All Ships and
Vessels, belonging to His Majesty's Subjects, shall wear a
Red Ensign, with the
Union in the Upper Canton next to the Staff " was added, "except such Yachts or
other Vessels as may have Warrants from the Admiralty to display other Ensigns,
Colours, or Pendants."
1844. First original defaced
Blue Ensign warrant
issued to the Royal Mersey Yacht Club .
1847. First warrant for Red Ensign defaced in
the fly issued to the Royal Yorkshire Yacht
Club, and the first overseas warrant outside
Europe was issued to the Royal Bermuda.
1862. First Canadian warrant
issued; a Blue Ensign for the Halifax YC which was renamed the Royal Nova Scotia
Yacht Squadron in 1880.
1863. First Australian warrant issued; a Blue
Ensign for the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron.
1864. The end of squadron
colours in the Royal Navy changed the status of the Blue Ensign. It would have
been sensible if all yacht club Blue Ensign warrants had been withdrawn and
replaced by warrants for defaced Red Ensigns, leaving the defaced Blue Ensign
solely for official vessels, and the plain Blue Ensign for vessels with naval
reserve obligations. The Board of Trade Registrar General informed the Admiralty
that many officers were resigning their commissions in the Reserve because they
thought that, relative to the Blue Ensign, their obligations to serve in HM
Fleet was considered to be of no more account than membership of some yacht
clubs.
1872. First warrant issued to an armed forces club; a Blue Ensign for the
Royal Engineer YC.
1875. First warrant for a Blue Ensign defaced with a
crown on the Union canton issued to the Torquay YC, which was renamed
Royal Torbay Yacht Club in 1885.
1880. Special ensign warrants were issued only to
registered vessels due to the difficulty of tracing unregistered vessels that
flew the Blue Ensign in foreign waters in contravention of article 105 of the
Merchant Shipping Act 1854. In home waters this restricted special ensigns to
vessels of 15 tons or over, since the Board of Trade would not register a vessel
of less than 15 tons unless the owner insisted upon it for the purpose of a
foreign voyage. However on 22 November the Customs Commissioners directed that,
"yachts under 15 tons may be admitted to the registry without a statement that
vessels are to be employed in foreign waters."
1883. Admiralty Circular
of 24 May announced that British yachts in the Dardanelles that were not flying
a Red Ensign would be treated as ships of war by the Ottoman Government, and
were required to obtain an Imperial Irade.
1884. A proposal that the
secretaries of clubs having a warrant should issue certificates for special
ensigns to their members was rejected.
1891. First South African warrant
issued; a defaced Blue Ensign for the Royal Natal YC.
1893. The British Consul in Nice asked whether a British yacht lent to an
American could fly the U.S. flag. The Board of Trade replied that article 105 of
the Merchant Shipping Act 1854 was not concerned with temporary hiring or giving
of a yacht, only with intentional concealment of national character. A foreign
flag could be flown on a British ship loaned or hired to a foreigner.
1893. At this time it was widely believed that a club with the title 'royal' was
more likely to be granted a special ensign than a club that did not have the
title, and some applications for the title were based upon this belief. In
practice the Home Office referred such applications to the Admiralty, asking
whether the club had a special ensign, and if not, would one be granted if one
was requested. If the Admiralty replied 'no', the club was not granted the
title. The Admiralty criteria for a special ensign was whether the club was of
good standing, and had a considerable number of yachts with a substantial
aggregate tonnage.
1894. All existing warrants were cancelled and
replaced by a new warrant dated 15 May. Clubs were issued with a General Warrant
to indicate that members were eligible to apply for a Yacht Warrant. The Yacht
Warrant now included, "The ensign shall not without our authority in writing be
worn on board a vessel belonging to the ............. Yacht Club while such
vessel is lent, on hire or otherwise, to any person not being a member of the
club, or, when being a member of the club, is not a natural born or naturalised
British subject."
The new warrant also abolished flags other than the ensign.
No personal flags were sanctioned in any yacht club. On occasions the Admiralty
had authorised jacks and commodores' flags for some clubs, and I presume that
the restriction applied only to these flags.
1894. It was noted by the
Foreign Office, in contradiction (or reversal ?) of the Board of Trade's ruling
of 1893, that a yacht belonging to a British subject did not forfeit national
character while leased to, or hired by, a foreigner and must not fly a foreign
flag.
1896. The first New Zealand warrant was issued; a Blue Ensign for the Port Nicholson. (Royal Port Nicholson after 1921) The Auckland YC, which was renamed Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron in 1902 when it was granted a Blue Ensign, had been using a defaced Blue Ensign since 1890, but it appears to have been unauthorised.
1896. The Admiralty informed the Home Office that
Their Lordships had no present intention of increasing the number of yacht
clubs that held special ensign warrants.
1897. It was again declared
that "refusal of Admiralty warrants was universal".
1903. The Admiralty
Circular of 1883 about yachts in the Dardanelles was repeated in The
London Gazette of 9 June.
1903. "Admiralty refusal to grant Blue Ensign
now universal. Only granted where special claims exist." Since then
Blue Ensigns have been granted to a total of seventeen clubs but only in
certain categories; eight overseas, five motor yacht, three naval, and one
Scottish. It seems to have been policy to issue only plain Blue Ensign
warrants to coastal motor yacht clubs on the grounds that a motor yacht
flying a defaced Blue Ensign might be mistaken for a vessel operated by a
government department.
1903. The schooner-yacht 'Kon' (formerly 'St
Bernard') owned by a member of the Royal Yacht
Squadron was issued with an
Admiralty Warrant to fly the Blue Ensign. The yacht was used by the Royal
Society to mount a scientific expedition to New Guinea. Dr. Charles
Seligman mortgaged and lent it to an American citizen, Mr.William Cooke-Daniels,
also a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron, who was to be in command of the
yacht. It is possible that the yacht was actually owned by Cooke-Daniels,
but transferred to Seligman so that it could be put on the British
register and sail under a British flag.
1905. First motor yacht club
warrant issued; a Blue Ensign for the British Motor Boat Club. The BMBC
was dissolved in 1933, and oldest existing motor yacht warrant was issued
to the Royal Motor Yacht Club in 1906.
1926. The way in which special ensigns for yacht clubs were administered was
reviewed. The existing warrants were considered unsatisfactory as they
authorised the use of special ensigns by all club members without making it
clear that a further warrant was required for each yacht. This led to several
colonial clubs thinking that individual yacht warrants were unnecessary. The
General Warrant was abolished, and the names of those clubs whose members were
eligible to apply for a Yacht Warrant was to be published annually in the Navy
List. Applications signed by the owner were forwarded to the Admiralty by club
secretaries, who issued the warrant to the owner. Secretaries were required to
send a complete list of their club's registered yachts with the names of the
owners, and to return cancelled warrants on 1 November of each year. Those clubs
that had not been actively applying for warrants had their special ensign
withdrawn. The new measures became effective 1 November 1927, or 1 May
1928 for clubs in Australia and New Zealand.
New warrant forms, coloured
to match the ensign, were ordered; 500 White Ensign, 2000 Blue Ensign, 1500
defaced Blue Ensign, 500 defaced Red Ensign. The warrant now included the words,
"shall have on board Our Authority in writing". The Royal Bermuda and Royal Lake
of the Woods had been exempt from carrying warrants on board. The special
exemption for the Royal Bermuda was ended, but that for Royal Lake of the Woods
allowed to continue as long as the vessels were on inland waters, where the
warrant was not legally necessary.
1927. An owner who belonged to more
than one club that was entitled to the plain Blue Ensign was now required to
have a warrant for each club. It had been proposed that tenders would need to be
registered, and would require a warrant to fly a special ensign. This was
amended to allow the flying of a special ensign by tenders that could be hoisted
on board the parent yacht.
1927. The Head of Naval Law made the following
observations.
1. A special ensign is a national emblem and not a club flag or
personal flag.
2. A burgee is the House Flag of a club. It may be flown
without the ensign, but not vice versa.
3. Ensigns are national colours none
the less for being defaced.
4. A burgee is not a personal flag despite the
fact that it is usually hauled down when an owner is not on board.
1927.
Special ensigns for Dominion and Colonial clubs were granted providing the
application was supported by the Governor-General or the Colonial Office. It was
not necessary for a club to be of certain size or aggregate tonnage for first
issue of a warrant. The Head of Naval Law objected to this privilege. He wrote
that, "Since the clubs are small to begin with, they cannot later be removed
because they are small; only if they are inactive."
Warrants issued:
1927-1928. 1,851.
1928-1929. 656.
1929-1930. 753.
Over the three years 929 warrants were cancelled, not counting re-issued
cancellations.
1928. Royal St Lawrence of Montreal asked if the burgee of
a non-warranted club could be flown with a warranted ensign. The answer was, no.
Only a Red Ensign should be flown with the burgee of a club that had not been
granted a special ensign.
1929. An application from the
Royal Cork for a
yacht warrant was refused. When the Irish Free State was created in 1922 it was
agreed that the Royal
Irish and the
Royal St George would be treated like the
privileged yacht clubs in any other Dominion, that being the Free State's
political status at the time. The Royal Cork was not included because no yacht
warrant applications had been received since 1909. The Dominion Office would not
raise the matter with the Free State government in case it resulted in
objections to the continuation of the privileges of the other clubs.
1929. Oldest defaced Red Ensign (Royal
Yorkshire) cancelled and replaced by
defaced Blue Ensign. Oldest current defaced Red Ensign now
Royal Dart Yacht Club of 1870
(or 1868 ?)
1930. Clubs applying for a special ensign were expected to
have a potential total net registered tonnage of 2,000, over a large number of
yachts. Service clubs were granted an ensign even when this requirement could
not be met.
1930. Efforts were made to prevent motor-boats using the
Blue Ensign on inland waters, where some thought that the Admiralty had no right
to regulate flags. In the opinion of the Law Officers the expression "hoisting
colours on any ship or boat" as used in section 73(2) of the Merchant Shipping
Act 1894, applied anywhere. "It is not material where the boat happens to be."
1930. Query whether there was an obligation to hoist the club burgee when
the Blue Ensign was flown. The point was not covered in the warrant. The
Admiralty's view was that if the ensign was flown, the club burgee should be
flown. It was not a requirement, but was considered correct. It was not
specified in the regulations due to occasions when it might not be appropriate.
By custom the burgee was used to show whether the owner was on board.
1932. Memo by Head of Naval Law. It was recognised that yacht clubs were now
composed of small yachts and new yacht owners. The redistribution of wealth
and the development of motor yachts had forced the Admiralty to a stricter
control of the use of naval ensigns by private yacht owners. The Admiralty
legislated for the least responsible owner, of the least responsible club.
1932. Question of "effective control" raised. The Admiralty ruled that if
the special ensign was flown when a yacht was lying in a port, the owner
must be present, or in the vicinity. Friends or relations of the owner did
not count. This safeguarded control of ensigns as the Admiralty could
exercise a measure of control over the owner of a warrant, but not over his
friends or relations. The Royal Yacht Squadron had objected to this
restriction when warrants were revised in 1927, and temporary warrants were
introduced specifically for RYS, to allow their yachts to fly the
White
Ensign in Cowes Roads in the absence of the owner,
the Squadron being considered to be in effective control.
1932. The
Admiralty investigated a complaint that a motor launch on the Thames in the
Maidenhead area flew the Blue Ensign. The owner agreed to apply for a warrant
through the Royal
Motor Yacht Club. A warrant was refused because the launch
was below the minimum size (two and a half tons gross registered tonnage).
The owner threatened to challenge Admiralty jurisdiction over inland
waters, through parliamentary questions and action in the High Court. The
view of the Registrar of Admiralty Court and Treasury Solicitor was that,
although not tested in courts, Admiralty jurisdiction extended to inland
waters under Section 73 of Merchant Shipping Act, 1894. "The notion that
special ensigns might be flown on the upper Thames or the Cumberland lakes
without a warrant was quite incorrect." Warning notices were displayed at all
Thames Conservancy locks.
1932. Admiralty Memo noted that to qualify for
a special yacht ensign a boat had to be:-
1. Registered as a British ship.
2. Owned by a British subject.
3. Owned by a member of a listed yacht club.
4. Capable of cruising; house-boats not eligible.
5. Not commercial.
1932. Special ensigns not to be flown on a yachts lent or chartered. An
exception was made in the case an entitled member of same club, when a
temporary warrant could be issued.
1936. Memo noted that special ensigns worn by yachts under the authority of
an Admiralty Warrant were issued to the yachts not to the owners; they were the
national colours of the yachts, not the personal flags of the owners, and the
owners had no shadow of right to fly the yachts' flags elsewhere than on the
yachts.
1936. First ensign for an Association as opposed to a Club :
Royal Naval Sailing Association, Blue Ensign.
1937. First overseas
defaced Red Ensign : Point YC, South Africa.
1937. 31 March.
Responsibility for special ensigns of Canadian clubs transferred to
Canada. The nine Canadian clubs affected were authorised
to fly Canadian Blue Ensign.
1937. Query whether a warrant holder
breached the terms of the warrant if a Blue Ensign was flown while he had paying
guests on board. Answer. The terms were broken if used purely for the purpose of
taking paying guests, but not by the presence on board of occasional paying
guests to assist in maintenance costs.
1938. A club asked the Home Office
whether the title Royal was "contiguous with a special ensign warrant." It was
noted that of eighty-seven clubs having a warrant, seventy-nine had the title
Royal. Reply. " 'Royal' may be used only with the express permission of the
King. The grant of a warrant confers no right to use the title and does not
imply permission to use of title, now very sparingly given." In the draft, but
not sent; "Applications for HM permission should be made by means of a petition
addressed to the Secretary of State giving full particulars, standing and
financial position of club, and grounds on which title is sought, plus copies of
balance sheet, statement of accounts, membership of club, and details and
tonnage of yachts owned by members."
1939. 14 September. Wartime
restriction on special ensigns imposed. Suggestion that Canada should prohibit
the Blue Ensign granted to yacht owners under Canada Shipping Act.
1939.
30 November. Restriction extended to colonies.
1940. Restriction also
applied to flying the ensign ashore, but the
Royal Irish, Dublin, was permitted to
fly the defaced ensign on its premises.
1945. May. Resumption of special ensigns. Initially only Europe and Atlantic
coastline. Extended to Far East in September. Noted that, "For some years before
the war it has been the practice to restrict the privilege to ten years in the
first instance."
1949. The Admiralty agreed to issue temporary warrants
in the circumstances where a member of a yacht club that had been granted a
special ensign, chartered or was loaned a boat owned by a person not eligible
for a special ensign warrant.
1949. Query whether charging fees for
giving navigational instruction in a yacht invalidated a special ensign warrant
if the special ensign was not flown while doing so. The warrant was cancelled
and it was noted that the practice of flying a Blue Ensign at one time and Red
Ensign at another was irregular and not to be encouraged.
1949. Owners
of British registered yachts, who were members of 'royal' yacht clubs now in the
Republic of Ireland, or the Republic of
India, that had been granted special ensigns, were allowed to retain their
warrants.
1949. Combined total tonnage of 2,000 registered net tons was
the normal requirement for a yacht club to be considered for a special ensign.
Service clubs were normally granted an ensign even when this requirement could
not be met. Royal Armoured Corps was approved even though tonnage was low (11
yachts totaling 378 tons), but to be for reviewed in ten years. The Royal
Signals Sailing Association, and the Royal Air Force Sailing Association were
refused for insufficient tonnage.
1951. Following consultation with
selected yacht clubs the minimum tonnage requirement for a special ensign was
reduced from 2.5 tons to 2 Registered Net Tons except for White Ensign. The
Admiralty deducted one third from Thames Tonnage to calculate Registered Net
Tonnage.
1985. Royal Yachting Association became responsible for
administering United Kingdom special ensign warrants on behalf of the Ministry
of Defence. Clubs are provided with permits which are issued to authorised
members. Members of non-UK clubs apply for individual warrants which are issued
by the Second Sea Lord on behalf of the Secretary of State for Defence.
1986. Defaced RAF Ensign authorised for Royal Air
Force Sailing Association, which is run independently and issues its own
permits.
2007. Most recent warrant : Blue Ensign for Royal Victorian
Motor YC, Melbourne.
Documents in the National Archives, Kew, that refer to special yacht ensigns.
The 'titles' are mostly mine, not necessarily the documents' official title.
FO 83/139. 1850. French List of British privileged yacht clubs.
HO
45/6620. 1858. Holyhead YC.
FO 83/313. 1869. Foreign Office List of yacht
club ensigns.
HO 45/9295/8624. 1871. Clyde YC.
HO 45/9381/43087. 1875.
Dorset YC crown on burgee.
HO 45/9441/66666. 1877. Southampton YC.
HO
144/19/47924. 1875. Torbay YC.
HO 144/90/A10769. 1881. Highland YC.
MT
10/314(7970). 1886. Registration of yachts under 15 tons.
ADM 116/284. 1888.
YC ensigns from 1875 Admiralty Flag Book.
HO 144/340/B12564. 1892. Southport
Corinthian YC.
HO 144/347/B13878. 1893. Start Bay YC.
HO 144/351/B14545.
1893. Kingstown YC.
MT 9/471. 1893. Foreign flags on British yachts lent to
foreigners.
HO 144/399/B22312. 1896. No more club warrants.
HO
144/408/B23915. 1897. No more AW. 'Royal' relative to warrant.
FO 881/7961X.
1903. Use of Red Ensign by British yachts in Turkey.
ADM 1/7700. 1903. Blue
Ensign for RYS yacht.
HO 144/529/A42020. 1904. Warrant/Royal relationship.
HO 144/598/B16959. 1894-1907. Fowey YC.
HO 144/634/B37144. 1901-08.
Warrant/Royal relationship.
HO 144/875/163339. 1908. Liverpool YC rule book.
HO 144/605/B26398. 1898-1909. Norfolk & Suffolk YC. AW and RT.
HO
144/1060/188865. 1909. Southern YC. Warrant details.
HO 144/1060/188871.
1909. Northern YC. Scottish Blue Ensigns.
HO 144/1060/188873. 1909. Cinque
Ports YC.
HO 144/1060/188874. 1909. Yorkshire YC.
HO 144/1060/188875.
1909. Western YC of England.
HO 144/1060/188880. 1909. Irish YC.
HO
144/957/B1447. 1887-1914. Windermere YC.
MT 23/522. 1916. Ensign for specific
Patrol Yacht.
HO 144/22923. 1920. Solent YC.
ADM 1/8607/104. 1921. Blue
Ensign refused for chartered yacht; R.Northern YC.
ADM 1/8618/6B. 1922. Right
to fly White Ensign Royal Yacht Squadron.
HO 144/1758/426431. 1922. Sussex
Motor YC.
ADM 1/8685/150. 1925. R Nassau SC.
ADM 1/8690/213. 1925. R Lake
of Woods YC.
ADM 116/2500. 1926-28. Priviledged Yacht Clubs: revision of
special ensign Warrants.
ADM 116/2501. 1926-28. Priviledged Yacht Clubs:
revision of special ensign Warrants.
HO 144/9413. 1927-28. Burnham YC. Crown
on burgee
ADM 1/8725/112. 1928. Matching Special Ensigns and Burgees.
HO
144/10105. 1909-29. Title royal; granted and refused.
ADM 1/8744/139. 1930.
Royal Thames advised against applying for White Ensign.
ADM 1/8744/141. 1930.
Under-used warrants.
ADM 1/8746/162. 1930. Irish Free State YCs with
privilege ensigns.
ADM 1/8751/179. 1931. Relationship between burgee and
special ensign.
ADM 1/8751/183. 1931. Flags flown for dressing ship in
foreign waters.
ADM 1/8751/187. 1931. Minimum size yacht for warrant. List of
warranted clubs.
ADM 1/8752/200. 1931. Proposal to charge for warrants.
ADM 1/8759/211. 1932. Effective contol by owner.
ADM 1/8760/235. 1932.
R.Motor Y.C.
CO 323/1182/3. 1932. YCs. Barbados, Jamaica.
HO 144/17258.
1908-33. R.Motor YC.
HO 144/18452. 1933. Household Brigade YC. Crown on
burgee
ADM 1/8770/149. 1933. Refusal Blue Ensign, British Exhibitor, Tai Mo
Shan.
HO 144/18871. 1911-34. Alexandra YC.
CO 323/1333/6. 1935. R.Nassau
SC.
HO 144/20166. 1935-36. Portsmouth YC
ADM 1/9154. 1937. Paying Guests.
ADM 1/22962. 1937. Little Ship Club
ADM 1/9481. 1938. RYS and White Ensign in
Turkish waters.
ADM 1/18910. 1938. Inactive clubs.
HO 144/21138. 1938.
Hamworthy/B'mouth YC.
HO 144/21127. 1938. Poole Harbour YC. Crown on burgee
refused.
CO 323/1642/2. 1939. Discontinue YC special ensigns.
ADM 1/18936.
1919/45. Resumption special ensigns.
CO 323/1870/25. 1945. Colonial Yacht
Club Ensigns.
FO 371/50491. 1945. YC Special Ensigns' resumption.
CO
323/1870/21. 1946. Cancellation and resumption of warrants.
ADM 1/23991.
1947-52. St Helier YC.
ADM 1/24013. 1949-52. Service YC's and general
qualifications needed.
ADM 1/21260. 1948-56. Status of owners in India and
Irish Republic.
ADM 1/21636. 1949. Temporary warrants for loaned boats.
ADM 1/21643. 1949. Warrants cancelled for commercial activity.
ADM 1/21976.
1949. House of Lords YC
ADM 1/21971. 1950. Minimum tonnage reduced to two
tons.
ADM 1/26072. 1955. YC flags on Royal Yacht Britannia.
David
Prothero, 13-23 January 2008
