British Red Ensign Flag

British Red Ensign Flag or "Red Duster" is the civil ensign of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

It is one of the British ensigns, and it is used either plain, or adorned/embellished with a badge or other emblem in the bottom right quarter.

It is the flag flown by British merchant or passenger ships since 1707. Prior to 1707, an English red ensign and a Scottish red ensign were flown by the English and Scottish Royal navies respectively. The precise date of the first appearance of these earlier red ensigns is not known, but surviving payment receipts indicate that the English navy was paying to have such flags sewn in the 1620s.

  For more information on historical flags, please visit our historical flags page.