British Dependencies and Territories Quiz

Answer: Jersey

The flag of Jersey features a red saltire on a white background, with the badge of Jersey in the upper quadrant. Although the red saltire has been associated with Jersey for many years, the reasons for this are unknown, although in 1906 a letter written by the Bailiff of Jersey indicated that it was used as a symbol of neutrality of the Channel Islands during the wars between England and France in the Middle Ages.

In 1977, a movement was started to bring in a more distinctive flag for Jersey, as it was felt that the red saltire was too associated with Ireland, and would thus cause confusion.

A body of opinion sought to retain the saltire, owing to its historical connection with the island, while another wanted to see the inclusion of the three gold leopards used as Jersey's coat of arms.

The flag can therefore be seen as a compromise between these two opinions. Adopted by the States of Jersey in June 1979, the flag was first officially raised on 7 April 1981.

Answer: Guernsey

The flag of Guernsey features a red St George's Cross, overlaid with a gold Norman Cross. Until 1985, Guernsey had no official flag of its own, with instead the flag of England used for official purposes. However, in 1983, the Bailiff of Guernsey began to make a case for the island to have its own flag, the impetus for this coming with the 1982 Commonwealth Games, in which both England and Guernsey competed under the same flag, which caused confusion among other teams.

A committee set up to discuss the issue considered a number of symbols, such as placing the island's coat of arms on top of the St George's Cross. Eventually, the committee elected to place a focus on traditional Norman symbols, and selected a gold cross, which William of Normandy used as a symbol during his invasion of England in 1066.

The flag was adopted in February 1985, and was officially raised for the first time on Liberation Day, 9 May 1985.

Answer: Isle of Man

The flag of the Isle of Man is a red banner featuring a triskelion composed of three armoured legs, which comes from the Manx coat of arms that was originally adopted in the 13th century. The triskelion is a traditional Manx symbol, although its origins are unclear - a popular symbol in Scandinavia, it may have been introduced to the island by descendants of King Amlaíb Cuarán sometime between the 10th and 13th centuries. An official flag for the island featuring the triskelion was adopted in December 1932, having been used unofficially on Manx merchant shipping since the mid 19th century.

In 1968, the flag was standardised, with the feet of the triskelion to face in a clockwise direction, and the symbol to be balanced on one leg.

Answer: Alderney

Alderney is not a Crown Dependency in its own right, instead forming part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, along with the islands of Guernsey, Herm and Sark. However, the island retains a large degree of autonomy for itself. To distinguish it from Guernsey, in 1993 the island adopted its own flag, which features a St George's Cross, with the island's coat of arms in the centre, which features a crowned lion rampant holding a spring on a green background.

The device itself is circular with a gold border. Alderney's flag was granted on 20 December 1993.

Answer: Falkland Islands

As with many Overseas Territories, the flag of the Falkland Islands is based on the Blue Ensign, a type of maritime ensign that is permitted to be flown by certain types of ship. The Falklands first received a flag of its own in 1876, when a defaced Blue Ensign featuring the coat of arms was adopted.

This coat of arms featured an image of HMS 'Hebe' in Falkland Sound, overlooked by a bullock. The coat of arms was changed in 1925, this time to a shield featuring the ship 'Desire' (which, captained by John Davis, reportedly discovered the islands in 1592) and a sea lion.

This coat of arms was used on the flag from 1925 until 1948, when a third coat of arms was adopted; this featured a ram standing above the 'Desire'. The coat of arms was placed in a white disc initially, but in 1999, the disc was removed and the coat of arms increased in size.

Answer: Cayman Islands

The Cayman Islands flag, as with many other Overseas Territories, is a Blue Ensign defaced with the territory's coat of arms. The flag was adopted in 1958, when the Cayman Islands was granted its first coat of arms. The coat of arms consists of a shield of three green stars, representing each of the three inhabited Islands (Grand Cayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac) on blue and white wavy bands representing the sea. Above this is a gold lion passant guardant representing Britain. Above the shield is a green turtle on a coil of rope, behind which is a gold pineapple.

The turtle represents the Caymans' seafaring history; the rope, its traditional thatch-rope industry; and the pineapple, its ties with Jamaica. As originally adopted, the coat of arms was located within a white disc, but in 1999 the disc was removed and the coat of arms increased in size.

Answer: Gibraltar

Gibraltar's flag is a banner of its coat of arms, which consists of a field that is two-thirds white and one-third red, with a red castle on the white field, from which is suspended a gold key - the castle represents the fortress of Gibraltar itself, with the key symbolising Gibraltar's significance, first as the "key to Spain" during its rule by the Moors and then the Spanish, and subsequently as the "key to the Mediterranean" under the British.

The coat of arms was originally granted to the territory in 1502 by Queen Isabella I of Castile, and is unique in being the only coat of arms of an Overseas Territory to date from before its period of British administration.

The flag itself was first officially adopted in November 1982, and is unique among Overseas Territories in not being an ensign, or featuring the Union Flag.

Answer: Anguilla

Anguilla's flag is a defaced Blue Ensign containing the territory's coat of arms. The coat of arms consists of three orange dolphins leaping over the sea. These represent endurance, unity, and strength, and they leap in a circle for continuity. The badge has a white background, for peace and tranquillity, with a turquoise-blue base representing the surrounding sea.

A banner of the coat of arms was adopted as the national flag of the short-lived Republic of Anguilla by 1967 and 1969, and remains in use as an unofficial flag of the territory. Anguilla's current flag was adopted in 1990.

Answer: Bermuda

The flag of Bermuda is a defaced ensign containing the territory's coat of arms, but unlike the vast majority of other Overseas Territories, it is the Red Ensign rather than the Blue Ensign. This is in keeping with other territories, such as Canada and South Africa, both of which used defaced Red Ensigns as their national flag until the adoption of specially designed replacements.

The coat of arms depicts a red lion holding a shield that has a depiction of a wrecked ship upon it. The red lion refers to Bermuda's relationship with the United Kingdom.

The ship is the 'Sea Venture', which was wrecked off Bermuda in 1609 on its way to resupply the Jamestown Colony. The coat of arms was officially adopted in 1910, although it had been in use since at least 1624.

The flag was adopted at the same time as the coat of arms, and was retained until 1999, when the coat of arms was significantly enlarged to its current size.

Answer: Akrotiri and Dhekelia

The Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia form an Overseas Territory made up of around 98 square miles of the island of Cyprus split across two areas. Unlike other Overseas Territories, Akrotiri and Dhekelia are controlled by the British Armed Forces, as they are the location of the UK's military garrison in Cyprus.

However, upon the establishment of the territory, no individual coat of arms was granted that could be used to deface a Blue Ensign and create a flag. As a consequence, it does not have its own official flag, instead being represented by the Union Flag, which is the national flag of the United Kingdom.

However, a flag consisting of two gold lions passant guardant on a green field and based on the former colonial flag of Cyprus, has been used by the Dhekelia Garrison and is sometimes used as an unofficial flag of Akrotiri and Dhekelia.