The Royal Canadian Air Force Ensign is the official

flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...

which is used to represent the Royal Canadian Air Force. The Ensign has an air force blue field defaced with the Canadian Flag in the canton and the current Royal Canadian Air Force roundel in the fly.

History

In 1921, one year after the

Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environme ...

was founded, permission was granted for the Canadian Air Force to use the Royal Air Force Ensign. In February 1921 the Air Officer Commanding the Canadian Air Force Air Commodore Arthur Tylee turned his attention to the matter of what might make a suitable flag for the Air Force. In a note he wrote to the Inspector-General of the Canadian Air Force, Air Vice-Marshal

Sir Willoughby Gwatkin Lieutenant-General Sir Willoughby Garnons Gwatkin, (11 August 1859 – 2 February 1925) was a British Army officer who served as Chief of the General Staff of the Canadian Militia during the First World War. Military career The son of a barr ...

, Tylee proposed that the

RAF Ensign The Royal Air Force Ensign is the official flag which is used to represent the Royal Air Force. The ensign has a field of air force blue with the United Kingdom's flag in the canton and the Royal Air Force's roundel in the middle of the fl ...

be adopted with a maple leaf at the centre of the roundel. Gwatkin in turn applied to Air Marshal

Sir Hugh Trenchard Marshal of the Royal Air Force Hugh Montague Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard, (3 February 1873 – 10 February 1956) was a British officer who was instrumental in establishing the Royal Air Force. He has been described as the "Father of the ...

, the British Chief of the Air Staff, who rejected the proposal on the basis that "the sentiment of unity between the Air Services of the Empire" ought to be maintained. During World War II the question of a specifically Canadian air force flag was raised again and in July 1940 the Royal Canadian Air Force adopted its own ensign by replacing the red disc at the centre of the RAF Ensign with a red maple leaf. This design remained as the Royal Canadian Air Force Ensign until the

Canadian Red Ensign The Canadian Red Ensign (french: Enseigne Rouge Canadienne ) served as a nautical flag and civil ensign for Canada from 1892 to 1965, and later as the ''de facto'' flag of Canada before 1965. The flag is a British red ensign, with the Royal Un ...

was superseded by the new Canadian National Flag in 1965 and the RCAF ensign ceased to be used officially. In 1982 the then Canadian Forces Air Command adopted the current flag. The ensign has a field of air force blue like the original RCAF Ensign but the Union Flag was replaced with the Canadian Maple Leaf Flag in the canton and the roundel featured a more stylized maple leaf than the original roundel.

References

{{Canadian flags Flags of Canada Royal Canadian Air Force Air Force ensigns Light blue ensigns