It Was Supposed to Be Blue: Roads Not Taken with the Canadian Armed Forces Naval Jack, 1967-68
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25071/2561-5467.1045Keywords:
Canadian Armed Forces Naval Jack, Canadian Naval Ensign, Defence Council, General Jean V. Allard, unificationAbstract
The Canadian Armed Forces Naval Jack, which is today the Canadian Naval Ensign, went through a far more complicated
gestation in 1967 than has heretofore been recognized. Using the minutes of two meetings of the Defence Council conducted in the middle of 1967 and other contemporary documents, this commentary examines the process by which today’s design was created, discarded, and taken up again. These discussions also provide essential context to an otherwise puzzling passage in the memoirs of the chief of the defence staff at the time, General Jean V. Allard.
Le Pavillon de marine des Forces armées canadiennes, renommé le Pavillon naval canadien, a connu un développement beaucoup plus compliqué en 1967 que ce qu’on avait reconnu jusqu’ici. À l’aide des procès-verbaux de deux réunions du Conseil de la défense tenues au milieu de 1967 et d’autres documents contemporains, cet commentaire examine le processus selon lequel la conception que nous connaissons aujourd’hui a été créée, abandonnée puis reprise. Ces propos fournissent également un contexte essentiel à un extrait par ailleurs déroutant des mémoires du chef de l’état-major de la défense de l’époque, le général Jean V. Allard.
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