House flags of British shipping companies (10)

Last modified: 2002-07-05 by rob raeside
Keywords: house flag | cunard | white star | lion | star: 5 points (white) | crest | globe |
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• Cunard White Star Company
• White Star Lines

• House flags of british shipping companies
• House flags of shipping companies
• United Kingdom

At the turn of the century the two principal British steamship lines operating in the North Atlantic were the Cunard Steam Ship Company and the White Star Company. These two lines were amalgamated and became the Cunard White Star Company, and for many years the ships of the amalgamation flew the House Flags of both the Cunard and the White Star. The Cunard flag, which used to be flown above that of the White star, has a red field charged with a golden lion rampant guardant. The White Star flag is a “broad pennant” with two tails and charged with a white five-pointed star. In 1968 the flying of the White Star flag was discontinued and only the Cunard flag is flown by Cunard ships.
Jarig Bakker, 14 Feb 1999, quoting [bar71]

The lion holding a globe seems to be the crest of a coat of arms (it is standing on a torse), making some sort of pattern with the Bibby Line house flag: Red flag with a golden crest on it. The lion further shows surprisinggly human features, including even a sailor’s cap.
António Martins, 14 Aug 1999

According to the 1934 flag article in National Geographic magazine [gsh34], Cunard did have a red funnel with a broad black band at the top and three very thin black stripes midway down.
Edward Smith, 19 Oct 1999

It’s a red burgee with a white 5-pointed star.
Jorge Candeias, 14 Feb 1999

The White Star flag is a “broad pennant” with two tails and charged with a white five-pointed star. In 1968 the flying of the White Star flag was discontinued and only the Cunard flag is flown by Cunard ships, except on one day of the year, April 20th, when the two flags are flown together in commemoration that this is the birthday of the last surviving officer of the old White Star Line.
Jarig Bakker, 14 Feb 1999, quoting [bar71]