^{This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website}

Historical Flags (Vanuatu)

Anglo-French Condominium of New Hebrides / Nouvelles-Hébrides

Anglo-French Commission 1889-1906
British Administration 1906-1980
British Resident Commissioner 1906-1980
Free French Administration 1940-1945
Flag at the 1963 South Pacific Games
Flag at the 1966 South Pacific Games

See also:

Anglo-French Commission 1889-1906

by Ivan Sache

Vertically white-red; in the center, a blue rectangle with five white stars in a pentagonal arrangement. I have not been able to find any trace of that Commission, but the Anglo-French Condominium on the archipelago was established in 1906, so the Commission might have been a bipartite authority which solved the problem of the attribution of the archipelago (which was the last "non-attributed" oceanian territory.). Source: Flags of Paradise 1996 chart.

Ivan Sache, 19 July 1999

British Administration 1906-1980

1906-1953 Blue Ensign (Tudor Crown)
by Santiago Dotor and António Martins

1953-1980 Blue Ensign (St. Edward's Crown)
by Santiago Dotor and António Martins

The flag-badge for the British side of the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu) administration during the Anglo-French condominium was a white disc bearing a royal crown with the words "NEW" (above) and "HEBRIDES" (below) curved around it in black block capitals. The British Solomon Islands had a similar badge, so it looks like the imagination of Whitehall's badge designers had run out by the time they got round to the Pacific. I presume that the French side of the New Hebrides government did not use such a badge.

Roy Stilling, 5 October 1996

I don't know about the French flag during the condominium (probably something straight-forward and logical like the Tricolour), but the British was something like this. In about 1885 the Governor of Fiji, who was also Western Pacific High Commissioner was made responsible for looking after British interests in the New Hebrides. At the time Lord Salisbury said that the Australian colonists of the New Hebrides were,

The most unreasonable people I have ever heard of (...) They want us to incur all the bloodshed, and the danger, and the stupendous cost of a war with France (...) for a group of islands which to us are as valueless as the South Pole.

So if the governor ever went there, his flag would have been the Union Flag defaced with a white disc, containing the letters, "W.P.H.C.", below an Imperial Crown, the disc surrounded by a laurel leaf garland. In 1906 the condominium was established and a British Resident Commissioner appointed. He appears not to have had a flag of his own until 1934, when he got a Union Flag defaced with a garland-surrounded white disc on which was written, in circumferencial writing, "NEW", above a crown (changed in 1953 from Imperial to St. Edward's), with "HEBRIDES" below.

David Prothero, 12 July 1997

Flags of Paradise 1996 chart shows it as [above] reported in FOTW-ws.

Ivan Sache, 19 July 1999

New Hebrides Blue Ensign badge: "NEW" above and "HEBRIDES" below crown (1906-1953 Tudor Crown, 1953-1980 St. Edward's Crown). The circle was white, the lettering was black and the crown was in full colour. On Blue Ensign with no garland for British operated official vessels. Note correction to my posting of 12th July 1997.

David Prothero, 1 October 1999

British Resident Commissioner 1906-1980

1906-1953 (Tudor Crown)
by Santiago Dotor and António Martins

1953-1980 (St. Edward's Crown)
by Santiago Dotor and António Martins

New Hebrides badge on Union Flag with garland (green leaves, red berries and pale blue ribbon) for Resident Commissioner.

David Prothero, 1 October 1999

Free French Administration 1940-1945

by Ivan Sache

French Tricolour with a red Lorraine Cross in the white stripe. Source: Flags of Paradise 1996 chart.

Ivan Sache, 19 July 1999

Flag at the 1963 South Pacific Games

by Ivan Sache

Sports Team - South Pacific Games (1963). French Tricolour with French Tricolour and Union Jack, rotated 270° and placed side by side in the white stripe. Source: Flags of Paradise 1996 chart.

Ivan Sache, 19 July 1999

Flag at the 1966 South Pacific Games

by Ivan Sache

Sports Team - South Pacific Games (1966). Blue field with French Tricolour and Union Jack on yellow crossed sticks. Source: Flags of Paradise 1996 chart.

Ivan Sache, 19 July 1999

According my sources (Michel Lupant, Jorge Hurtado) the blue [on the 1966 flag] must be light.

Jaume Ollé, 26 July 1999