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- Windward Islands Colony
- former possession of United Kingdom
• Flags
• Meaning/Origin of the Flag
• Coat of Arms
• Meaning/Origin of the Coat of Arms
• Map
• Numbers and Facts
• History
• Origin of the Country's Name
1834–1886,
Flag of United Kingdom,
ratio = 1:2,
Source, by:
Die Welt der Flaggen
1903–1958,
Flag of the government (state flag),
ratio = 1:2,
Source, by: Flags of the World
Flag of Windward Islands Cricket Team,
ratio = 2:3,
Source, by: Wikipedia (EN)
The flag of the Windward Islands was a so called "Blue Ensign", a dark blue flag with a flag depiction – the British Union Jack – in the upper left staff quadrant. The Union Jack pointed to the connections to United Kingdom. United Kingdom introduced a flag system in 1864 in which:
• war ships fly the "White Ensign" (naval flag), a white flag often with an uninterrupted red St. George's-Cross and with the Union Jack in the upper staff quadrant of the flag,
• merchant ships fly a "Red Ensign" (also named "Civil Ensign" → civil flag, the real merchant flag), a red flag with the Union Jack in the upper staff quadrant of the flag, and
• governmental ships fly the "Blue Ensign" (flag for the use by the gouvernment → the actual state flag), a blue flag with the Union Jack in the upper staff quadrant of the flag.
Since 1865 ships of colonial governments were permitted to fly the Blue Ensign with a badge in the flying end of the flag. The Windward Islands became awarded an own badge in the year 1886. It showed a fourfold divided shield with the colours red, yellow, green and white, surrounded by a white belt with the inscription "Governor in Chief, Windward Islands", above the British crown. Below a white banner with the motto of the islands: "i pede fausto" → "go with blessed foot". In 1903 the design of the crown was changed a little bit (to the Tudor crown). The separate colonies of the Windward Islands had however mostly used their own "Blue Ensigns" with an own badge. The flag of the Windward Islands was only used by the government of the colony. To this day, the Windward Islands have their own common cricket team, which includes Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The flags of these countries are united on the flag of the Windward Islands Cricket Team.
Source:
Die Welt der Flaggen,
Wikipedia (EN),
Flags of the World
Badge,
Source, by:
Flags of the World
The Windward Islands became awarded an own badge in the year 1886. It showed a fourfold divided shield with the colours red, yellow, green and white, surrounded by a white belt with the inscription "Governor in Chief, Windward Islands", above the British crown. Below a white banner with the motto of the islands: "i pede fausto" → "go with blessed foot". In 1903 the design of the crown was changed a little bit (to the Tudor crown).
Source:
Wikipedia (EN),
Flags of the World
Interactive Map of the Windward Islands:
Source: Freeware, University of Texas Libraries,
modyfied by: Volker Preuß
Area: 810 square miles (1960), thereof (between 1939 and 1958) the today's states: Grenada, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Dominica
Inhabitants: ca. 261.100 (1938)
Capital: Saint George's (on Grenada), 8.000 inh. (1960)
official Language: English
Currency: East Caribbean Dollar (EC-$) = 100 Cent
Time Zone: GMT – 4 h
Source:
Wikipedia (EN),
World Statesmen
1834 · establishment of the colony of the British Windward Islands (by unification of the possessions of Barbados, Grenada, St. Vincent and Tobago)
1838 · St. Lucia becomes affiliated to the colony
1871 · introduction of federal structures with limited self administration for the separate islands "Federal Colony of the Windward Islands"
1885 · Barbados becomes excorporated out of the colony
1889 · Tobago becomes excorporated out of the colony
1939 · Dominica becomes excorporated out of the colony of the Leeward Islands and affiliated to the colony of the British Windward Islands
1956 · rename in "Territory of the Windward Islands“
1958 · the Windward Islands become a part of the Federation of the West Indies
1st of January 1960 · dissolution of the colony in several self-contained colonies: 1.) Grenada, 2.) St. Vincent, 3.) St. Lucia, 4.) Dominica
Source:
Wikipedia (EN),
World Statesmen
The name "Windward Islands" means "the windward placed islands" (on the from the direction of the wind turned towards side). In this way the in the sorthern Lesser Antillas placed islands are called until today. The name has its roots in the trade winds of this geographical latitudes. In German they are called "Inseln über dem Wind" (Islands below the Wind).
Source:
Volker Preuß
