White ensign of the task-force leading the British invasion of Sicily.
This white ensign was formerly part of the collection of Wall Street financier, business man and promoter of Anglo-American goodwill Calvin Bullock. His 1 Wall Street offices in New York City contained the world leading collections of memorabilia pertaining to Napoleon & Lord Nelson. In the 1930s he sought to collect Confederate Flags and during World War II he acquired a representative collection of US, British, French and other allied ensigns from his many international, military and naval acquaintances. After his death in 1944 his son, Hugh Bullock kept the flags on display as a memorial to his late father.

In 1864 the Admiralty decided to end the ambiguity caused by the Red Ensign being both a civil ensign and a naval ensign, and the White Ensign became the sole ensign of the Royal Navy. It was also used by vessels from the Empire serving with the Royal Navy.

This white ensign was presented to Calvin Bullock for display in his lecture room by Commander Anthony Kimmins, R.N.; a famous British actor and radio personality who returned to the Royal Navy as a liaison officer during World War II. Kimmins served in every major theater of the war and presented many flags to Bullock, among them this white ensign.

Due to wartime security constraints, the name of the vessel that wore this ensign remains unknown. The documentation states only that it flew on the task force leading the allied attacks on Sicily, Operation Husky and Salerno and Operation Avalanche. Both of these forces were commanded by the most famous British admiral during the Second World War Andrew B. Cunningham, or ABC as he was known in the Royal Navy, who had a superb fighting record in the early war years and served as First Sea Lord between 1943 -1946.
The Royal Navy was tasked with the Eastern Task Force, commanded by Admiral Bertram Ramsey, who planned the amphibious landings. However more research needs to be undertaken in order to determine the vessel upon which this ensign was flown.

The pole was added by Calvin Bullock for the purposes of display in his offices and lecture rooms.

ZFC Significant Flag

Provenance:
• Royal Navy Lead Vessel, Operation Husky, 1943.
• Acquired by Royal Navy Commander Anthony Kimmins, 1943.
• Presented to Calvin Bullock, New York, New York, 6 Oct. 1943.
• Calvin Bullock Collection, until passing, 1944.
• Hugh Bullock, until passing. 1966.
• By descent in Bullock family to daughter of Hugh Bullock, until 1997
• Purchased for the Zaricor Flag Collection by private treaty from the estate of Calvin Bullock, New York City, 1997.


Sources


Kimmins, Anthony, Half-Time: The Autobiography of Captain Anthony Kimmins, London, William Heinemann Ltd., 1947.

United Kingdom: the White Ensign, Flags of the World, 18 November 2011, from: http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/gb-ensw.html

White Ensign, Wikipedia, 18 November 2011, from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Ensign

THE COLOURS OF THE FLEET, The Flag Institute, 18 November 2011, from: http://www.flaginstitute.org/pdfs/the_colours_of_the_fleet.pdf

White Ensign, Information about White Ensign, 18 November 2011, from: http://english.turkcebilgi.com/White+Ensign

Allied invasion of Sicily, Wikipedia, 18 November 2011, from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allied_invasion_of_Sicily

Sir Bertram Home Ramsay, Wikipedia, 18 November 2011, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertram_Ramsay

Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection


RTZFC