U.N. Military Flag Command Flag - Korean War.
This United Nations flag was formerly part of the estate of General and Mrs. Matthew B. Ridgeway. This small printed flag was utilized by General Ridgeway, between 11 April 1951 and 12 May 1952, as commander of The United Nations Command (Korea) (UNC), the unified command structure for the multinational military forces supporting the Republic of Korea (South Korea or ROK) during and after the Korean War. As the commanding general of the UNC, General Ridgeway was in charge of soldiers, sailors and airmen from 18 different nations.
Because of its small size, the addition of a three-quarter inch golden yellow fringe and a field expedient parachute cord for attachment it is likely that this was an automobile flag.
The flag of the United Nations was adopted on October 20, 1947. The flag has the official emblem of the United Nations in white on a blue background. The emblem is composed of a circumpolar azimuthal equidistant projection of a world map, enclosed in olive branches. The olive branches are a symbol for peace, and the world map represents all the people of the world. According to the "Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel", the emblem and the flag of the United Nations can be used by the personnel and material of UN Peacekeeping missions as a protective sign to prevent attacks during an armed conflict.
ZFC Significant Flag
Provenance:
• General Matthew Ridgway, 1951.
• Retained by Gen, Ridgway as memento of service until passing, 1993.
• Sold via Dargate Auctions, Pittsburgh, PA to agent Chris Donaghue Books, San Francisco, CA on behalf of Zaricor Flag Collection, 1997.
Sources:
UN Flag and Emblem, Map Library, 18 November 2011, from: http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/maplib/flag.htm
United Nations Organization, Flags of the World, 18 November 2011, from: http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/uno.html
Flag of the United Nations, Wikipedia, 18 November 2011, from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_the_United_Nations
United Nations Command (Korea), Wikipedia, 18 November 2011, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Command_%28Korea%29
Matthew Bunker Ridgway, Wikipedia, 18 November 2011, from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Ridgway
Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection
