Flags of Sweden 1844-1905

On the front page of the latest Nordisk Flaggkontakt (nr. 39, automn 2004) there is shown the Swedish Royal Command Flag (Kongl. Komandoflagga) adopted in 1902.

More information is on page 10 of the same issue.

I suppose that this is a flag that is in function matching to the current "Personal Command Sign of H.M. the King". That one was aodpted in 1943. As the above flag should have been abolished in 1905 (with dissolution of the Union) what was the matching flag between 1905 and 1943 (and before 1902, for that matter)?

As far as I am aware, there is no matching flag in Norway (that is, the King would use his personal rectangular standard of the same design in any such occasion, I guess).
Željko Heimer, 1 November 2004

This flag is from a booklet that I obtained in Stockholm during the ICV: a Swedish postal ensign, photographed real flag in slightly unusual retio for the Swedish enisgn and certainly unusual by not having the middle tail.

If I translate the caption correctly, this was the ensign used on the ships owned by the postal service, in use 1898 until 1905.

There is a short article considering the use of postal flag in Sweden on page 12, but I am afraid that I would not be able to translate it word for word.

The postal ensign seems to have been introduced in 1844, being the national Swedish ensign with the postal symbols defaced. There was no specific regulation as where the symbols should be placed, so it was found in the middle or in other positions. Even the private ships carrying mail used the emblem on their ensign in periods 1838-1844 and 1897-1906. [And what about 1844-1897? Odd!].

Željko Heimer, 15 December 2004