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Rhine police (The Netherlands)

by Markus Schmöger, 15 Dec 2002

Rhine police

See also:

Rhine police

The article "150 Jahre Rheinstromflagge" [dum51] reports on all transnational Rhine flags since about 1800. The first should have been introduced in 1804 with the Art. 88 of the convention: the ships shall "hoist a divided flag with the colours of the two empires". How this flag really looked like, is unknown. The diagonally striped one is a later variant, according to [dum51] (different from [neu39a]) in use until 1815.
Later the civil ensigns of the Rhine states should add the word "Rhenus" (Latin for Rhine).
For the river police from 1913 onwards there was a specific recognition flag, made of triangles in the national colours black-white-red (Dutch police boats in red-white-blue).
In 1924 this was replaced by black-red-gold triangles, switching back to black-white-red in 1933. A temporary police flag was introduced in 1949, showing on a white field two black diagonal stripes, and a "P" at the hoist. In 1951 the 1924-1933 flag was reintroduced.
Unfortunately, I do not have more material on these flags, neither if they are still used, nor do I have an illustration of the 1949 flag.
Markus Schmöger, 15 Dec 2002