Last modified: 2015-07-28 by rob raeside
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The Royal Naval Reserve (R.N.R.) was established in 1859 and the first
officers commissioned in 1862. At the end of that year the Shipowners of the
Port of London petitioned the Admiralty to allow merchant ships that were
commanded by an officer of the Reserve and had a proportion of Reserve seamen in
the crew to fly a Blue Ensign with the letters R.N.R
below a crown in the fly. The Admiralty agreed to this, but the ensign was not
popular with Reserve officers who did not see why they should be allowed only a
defaced Blue Ensign while members of some yacht clubs, who had no Reserve
obligations, were allowed to fly a plain Blue Ensign.
This problem was solved when Squadron Colours were abolished by the Order in
Council of 9 July 1864. "It also appears to us to be desirable to grant (under
such conditions as we may from time to time impose) the use of a distinguishing
flag to such ships of the merchant service [ ] whose commanding officer (with a
given portion of the crew) may belong to the Royal Naval Reserve. [ ] The Blue
Ensign and Union Jack, with a White border, to be carried [ ] under our
permission, by ships commanded by Officers of the Royal Naval Reserve Force, and
fulfilling in other respects the conditions required to entitle them to the
privilege."
David Prothero, 13 December 2006
"For the purpose of affording the Officers and Men of the Royal Naval Reserve
an opportunity of undergoing drill whilst at sea, and with a view to conferring
on Owners whose ships are commanded by Reserve Officers and partly manned by
Reserve Men the advantage of an honorary distinction in certain cases the Lords
Commissioners of the Admiralty and the Lords of the Committee of Privy Council
for Trade have adopted and issued the following regulations."
Admiralty Circular No.33, "Blue Ensign. (Naval Reserve Flag)" of 3 August 1864.
A British merchant ship was allowed to wear the Blue Ensign of H.M. Fleet, provided that:
In addition the ensign was restricted to long-voyage vessels, since it was
considered that men on home-traders or short-voyage vessels would be able to
carry out their gunnery training on one of the drill ships that were stationed
at various points around the coast. The ensign was to be returned to the
Registrar General of Seamen when the ship returned to the UK.
David Prothero, 14 December 2006
Not surprisingly no one was interested in such a complicated and impractical
arrangement and on 23 February 1865 Admiralty Circular No.4 changed the
regulations. Warrants allowing the use of a Blue Ensign were introduced so that
the ensign did not have to be returned at the end of each voyage. Carrying guns
became optional, but at least one third of the crew needed to be men of the
Reserve.
At the end of December 1865 the Registrar General of Seamen informed the
Admiralty that there were 117 Lieutenants and 65 Sub-Lieutenants with Active
List R.N.R. commissions, but he warned that officers would resign if the
Admiralty insisted on gunnery drill. By 20 March 1866 only five ships had
qualified for the Reserve Blue Ensign.
On 25 July 1866 Admiralty Circular No.25a was issued. Guns for drill were not
required, and drill was separated from the ensign qualification. A Reserve
officer in command of a merchant ship could qualified for a warrant if ten
members of his crew were men of the Reserve.
In 1871 qualifying members of the crew was not restricted to the R.N.R, but
could include Royal Fleet Reservists and Naval Pensioners. The Blue Ensign was
considered a privilege by Owners and Masters, who were therefore more likely to
employ seamen and stokers who were in the Reserve. This in turn encouraged men
to join the Reserve in the expectation that finding employment would then be
easier.
David Prothero, 15 December 2006
In April 1883 the Admiralty informed the Board of Trade that a Blue Ensign
had been flown by a British Merchant Ship when she was no longer qualified.
Warrants were made out for "a ship" with the "owner's name" and were liable to
misapprehension. It was proposed that the warrant should be altered to make it
personal to the Officer in Command. The Admiralty also pointed out that the
Board of Trade did not appear to have issued a list of ships entitled to fly the
Blue Ensign in accordance with Rule 11 of the Board of Trade Regulations, and
had not returned any warrants for cancellation.
In January 1884 the Admiralty asked the Board of Trade for a reply to their
letter of April 1883. The Registrar General of Seamen replied, agreeing to the
proposed changes and adding that having to return and re-issue a warrant for
each voyage had made unnecessary work. He suggested that the warrant details
should be entered on ship's articles. The new conditions were approved 21
February 1884. The warrant was made personal to the Master and effective for
subsequent voyages providing that the crew requirements were fulfilled. At the
same time Masters who were on the Retired List of the Royal Navy became entitled
to apply for the Blue Ensign, and men holding R.N.R. deferred pensions became
eligible to be counted when calculating the number of Reserve personnel in the
crew.
Old Warrant.
Whereas we deem it expedient that the British Merchant Ship ...... trading to
...... measuring ...... tons and registered at the Port of ...... the Owner
being ...... shall be permitted to wear the Blue Ensign of Her Majesty's Fleet
on board said vessel. We do therefore by virtue of the power and authority
vested in us warrant and authorise the Blue Ensign of Her Majesty's Fleet to be
worn on board the ...... accordingly so long as that vessel shall fulfil the
conditions required by our regulations.
New Warrant.
Whereas we deem it expedient that ...... Lieutenant ...... of the Royal Naval
Reserve being the Officer in Command of the British Merchant Ship ......
Official Number ...... trading to ...... measuring ...... tons and registered at
the Port of ...... the Owner being ...... shall be permitted to wear the Blue
Ensign of Her Majesty's Fleet on board said vessel. We do therefore by virtue of
the power and authority vested in us warrant and authorise the Blue Ensign of
Her Majesty's Fleet to be worn on board the ...... accordingly so long as that
vessel shall be Commanded by said ...... and shall fulfil the conditions
required by the regulations stated on the other side hereof.
Men in a new Division of the Royal Fleet Reserves, created in the Naval Reserve
Act of 1900, could count towards the qualifying number, and in 1903 Masters were
allowed to retain a warrant if transferred to another ship in same ownership.
David Prothero, 16 December 2006
A register of large, fast merchant vessels complying with certain conditions
and suitable for employment in time of war had been established in 1876. In 1884
those subsidised liners that could be fitted with guns for use as Armed Merchant
Cruisers became entitled to fly the Blue Ensign with no conditions relating to
the Master or crew. 155 vessels were on the register in 1885. It appears that no
warrant was issued before May 1890 when a draft of an intended Warrant read:
Whereas we deem it expedient that the British Steam Ship ...... Official Number
...... measuring ...... tons registered at the Port of ...... and owned by
...... being one of the Special Vessels receiving an Admiralty Subvention shall
be permitted to wear the Blue Ensign of Her Majesty's Fleet. We do therefore by
virtue of the power and authority vested in us warrant and authorise the Blue
Ensign of Her Majesty's Fleet to be worn on board the ...... accordingly so long
as that vessel shall fulfil the conditions of the agreement entered into by Us
and the Owners for the purchase or hire of the vessel whenever she may be
required for Public Service.
Applications were made by the owners to the Admiralty, but warrants were issued
by the Registrar General of Seamen.
David Prothero, 17 December 2006
1913. It was ruled that a qualifying ship registered in a Canadian port would fly the plain Blue Ensign not the Canadian Blue Ensign, as the Master was in the Royal Naval Reserve not a Canadian Reserve. It was suggested that defaced Reserve Blue Ensigns might be permitted when the Dominions had their own Reserves.
1931. The Canadian Department of National Defence asked for authority to
issue Blue Ensign Warrants to Canadian applicants as "the applicants were
numerous and the procedure slow." The Admiralty replied that it was not possible
to devolve authority to Ottawa, but instituted a telegraphic procedure to speed
up the process, with paperwork being completed later. The warrants were still
for the Blue Ensign not the Canadian Blue Ensign even though the Royal Canadian
Naval Reserve had been established in 1923.
David Prothero, 18 December 2006
All warrants were cancelled on 21 August 1914 and re-introduced 19 May 1919,
"with some reluctance."
The crew requirement was still Master plus ten, but subject to variation under
the Quota System. This made the qualifying number of reservists in the crew
proportional to the total number of reservists employed in foreign-trade
merchant ships, with a maximum of ten and a minimum of six. It was set at ten
crew members when the total number of reservists in foreign-going ships was
2,250 or more, and reduced by one crew member for every reduction of 250
reservists below 2,250, down to a minimum of six.
"The system was not only a privilege, prized by shipping companies and Masters,
but also an inducement to men to join the Reserves, as it helped them to obtain
employment afloat. Eligible Masters favoured a low quota number which made it
easier for them to qualify for the warrant, while other officers and ratings
wanted the number to be high, as it increased their value to the Master, making
it easier to obtain employment."
Qualifying crew numbers were:
1926. Eight.
1927 - 1930. Seven.
1931 - 1933. Six.
1934 - 1938. Seven
The number was not revised after 1935. In 1937 and 1938 it should have been nine
but this was not enforced.
Members of the Royal Australian Naval Reserve and Royal New Zealand Naval
Reserve could count towards the qualifying number. Volunteer Reserves did not
count. A Master could hold a warrant but was not necessarily entitled to fly the
ensign; if for instance there were insufficient reserve personnel on his ship.
The warrant had to be surrendered if the holder ceased to belong to the Reserve
Forces, but could be held by an officer on the Retired List. In the period
January 1923 to July 1939 162 R.N.R. Blue Ensign warrants were issued, and 48
cancelled.
David Prothero, 19 December 2006
All Blue Ensign warrants were cancelled in 1939 and the scheme re-introduced
on 24 January 1947. Masters who officers in the R.N.R., including R.N.R.(New
Zealand), or were officers on the Retired List of the Royal Navy, Royal
Australian Navy or Royal Canadian Navy were qualified to apply for a warrant.
The crew requirement was a minimum of six Reserve personnel. Officers were not
to be included in the number of foreign-going reservists from which the Quota
was calculated. By 1950 application of the Quota without the requirement for a
minimum of six in crew would have reduced requirement to Master and two
reservists.
Only 38 warrants were issued between January 1947 and January 1951, with 11
cancelled. In 1951 there were 121 reservists in foreign-trade ships, and the
qualifying crew was reduced to Master plus four, or Master plus two in Asian
manned ships. Commodores on Active or Retired List of the R.N.R. or Commonwealth
Naval Reserves were entitled to the Blue Ensign in their own right.
In 1951 Captain H.L.Payne, Commodore of the British Rail Dover-Calais-Boulogne-Folkestone
routes was refused a Blue Ensign warrant for the Ferry "Invicta" on the grounds
that only foreign-trade vessels qualified. Vessels operating around the British
Isles and between the United Kingdom and North European and Baltic ports were
classed as Home-Traders. When this was challenged it was decided that the scheme
should be extended to include Home-Traders and also the Fishing Fleets. Captain
Payne was issued with a warrant, which was publicised in an Admiralty Press
Release as, "the first warrant issued to a ship that was not foreign-going."
This was disputed and found to be incorrect, as Lieutenant-Commander
T.C.Stiff, R.N.R., Master of the London and North Eastern Railway mail-steamer
"St Dennis" on the Harwich-Hook of Holland route, had held a warrant from 29
December 1925 to 18 July 1928, and it was admitted that there never had been a
requirement for applicants to be foreign-trade.
1953. Time expired R.N.R. ratings with 20 years in R.N.R. (mobilised time to
count double) could be counted towards the qualifying number of reservists in a
crew.
1958. Master and one other officer irrespective of R.N.R. rank now qualified.
In the same year the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve merged with the R.N.R.
1965. Captains R.N.R. qualified to fly Blue Ensign in their own right.
[National Archives (PRO) MT 9/20, MT 9/23, MT 9/30, MT 9/230, MT 9/370, MT
9/661, MT 9/5898, BT 238/137, ADM 1/7665, ADM 1/8335, ADM 1/8759/216, ADM
1/18936, ADM 1/19960, ADM 1/24002, ADM 1/25015, ADM 1/26271, ADM 7/891, ADM
116/2195].
David Prothero, 20 December 2006