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Union Flag on British Military Vehicles


johnwardle

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Does anyone know when and why the British Military stopped putting the Union Flag on the front and rear of military vehicles? It only occurred to me that the flag is not on current vehicles when I was helping to prepare some Foxhounds for an exercise, of all the vehicles that we have at the Land Training Fleet only a couple of Land Rover 110s and a Leyland Daf DROPS have the Union Flag on them. Nobody in the workshops could tell me when the military stopped putting the flag on vehicles and many had not realised that they are now not on the vehicles. Did the government stop this "as it may offend minority's"?

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Does anyone know when and why the British Military stopped putting the Union Flag on the front and rear of military vehicles? It only occurred to me that the flag is not on current vehicles when I was helping to prepare some Foxhounds for an exercise, of all the vehicles that we have at the Land Training Fleet only a couple of Land Rover 110s and a Leyland Daf DROPS have the Union Flag on them. Nobody in the workshops could tell me when the military stopped putting the flag on vehicles and many had not realised that they are now not on the vehicles. Did the government stop this "as it may offend minority's"?

 

I seem to recollect, when I worked for the army that the flag decal was only used on vehicles in Germany BAOR. I think Clive has broached this subject before.

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Equipment Regulations 1959 Amendment No.2 June 1960 implementing NATO Standard STANAG 2027

 

"National distinguishing symbols. These symbols will be used only in those theatres under NATO command where forces of two or more nations are operating."

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Equipment Regulations 1959 Amendment No.2 June 1960 implementing NATO Standard STANAG 2027

 

"National distinguishing symbols. These symbols will be used only in those theatres under NATO command where forces of two or more nations are operating."

 

None of the vehicles returned from Afghanistan have a union flag on them, Operation Herrick was a NATO operation wasn't it?

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All symbols and in some cases VRNs were removed before use on the ground on HERRICK. The only markings other than number plates were the chevron in IRR paint to prevent blue on blue. Units were not allowed to mark vehicles with anything that could be used as propaganda if a vehicle was involved in an incident in which guys were killed. Terry Taliban would not have hesitated to use anything that showed which country, regiment or sub-unit a vehicle belonged to if they ever managed to capture something of use. Lots of the vehicles in service on HERRICK were rushed into service just for that op and many came from the USA so we're not in uk long enough to go through the normal process of painting and marking that normal vehicles go through.

again we only used the Union Jack in Germany due to the large number of military vehicles in the country and on NATO operations. We do still put them on the Trg fleets in Canada and Kenya.

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