Malawi - military flags and ensigns

Last modified: 2000-01-21 by ole andersen
Keywords: malawi |
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• Naval Ensign
• Army
• Fin flashes

• Malawi

Naval Ensign

I lived in Malawi for a couple of years, and discovered that the army naval unit had an ensign for it's patrol boats. It looks much like the naval ensign of Brunei with the skinny blue St. Georges cross illustrated in Whitney Smith's 1980 abbreviated book, except (obiviously) the Malawian flag serves as the canton. Also, there is a red rampant lion over a gold anchor defacing the lower fly quarter. The proportions are roughly 2 to 3. Has anyone seen this flag besides me? William Smith and Gourock in Harare now produce a Malawian naval flag using a red St. Georges cross. However, this flag has not yet been seen flying on Lake Malawi. If nyone else has seen the blue crossed ensign, please respond.
Clay Moss - 9 April 1997

Regarding Malawi, it would not be correct to say that Malawi has a Naval ensign since it is a landlocked country, but it does have a "Naval Unit" which operates on Lake Malawi (one of the largest lakes in Africa).
The flag of the Naval Unit is based on a naval ensign pattern and has a white field with a red cross (as in the British White Ensign) with a Malawi national flag in the canton. In the fourth quarter is a yellow anchor, above which is a red lion. Under the anchor are the words "Malawi Naval Unit" in black.
I have one of these flags and can take a photograph of it if you are interested.
Bruce Berry - 19 january 1998

Army

The flag used by the Malawi Army comprises two thin vertical stripes of green and black at the hoist with a larger red panel in the fly (same basic design as the former flag of Lesotho). In the centre of the red panel is the insignia of the Malawi Army in yellow (lion above yellow rising sun as found on the COA with inscription "MALAWI ARMY" in black below). The regimental flags follow the same design with the regimental insignia being placed in the red stripe.
Bruce Berry - 18 November 1998

Fin flashes

According to John Cochrane & Stuart Elliot: "Military Aircraft Insignia of the World", 1998, Malawi uses two versions of fin flashes:

• The first horizontal black-red-green (but without the red sun like in the national flag).
• The second the flag of the army: horizontal black-red-black, a big white diamond over all in the center with a yellow device in it.