Historical Flags (Papua New Guinea)

Last modified: 2006-06-09 by ian macdonald
Keywords: papua new guinea | new guinea | kaiser-wilhelmsland | bismarck archipelago | bird of paradise | crown | ensign: blue | name |
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• Introduction
• Protectorate of the German New Guinea Company 1884-1899 (Schutzgebiet der Neu-Guinea-Kompagnie)
• Protectorate of German New Guinea 1899-1921 (Schutzgebiet Deutsch Neu-Guinea)
• Territory of Papua 1906-1949 (Australian External Territory)
• Territory of Papua and New Guinea 1949-1965
• Australian Trust Territory of Papua and New Guinea 1965-1970
• Australian Trust Territory of Papua and New Guinea 1970-1971

See also:

• Papua New Guinea
• German Colonies
• Australia

Introduction

Papua New Guinea is made up of two former colonial territories:

• The UN Trust Territory of New Guinea, consisting of the northeastern quarter of the island of New Guinea. This was formerly the German colony of Schutzgebiet Kaiser-Wilhelmsland und Bismarck-archipel, later called Schutzgebiet Deutsch Neu-Guinea (1884-1921) and thereafter the Society of Nations' Mandated Territory of New Guinea.
• The Australian External Territory of Papua, consisting of the southeastern quarter of the island of New Guinea.

The Territory of Papua was acquired by Queensland (against the express wishes of Whitehall) in 1884 following a scare that the Germans would be on our doorstep. Germany took the Territory of New Guinea the same year, headquartered in Rabaul. During this period the British exchanged Bougainville and Buka Islands (part of the Solomons) for some other German territory.

During World War One Australian troops captured New Guinea (the North-East quarter) and administered it under German law until 1921, when the League of Nations mandated it to Australia. Papua and New Guinea were administered separately until World War Two when the Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit (ANGAU) amalgamated the two Territories under military law. After the war the United Nations made New Guinea an Australian Protectorate, and both came under a common administration, until independence in 1972/3. A good book on the history is John Reid, The Hot Land.
Garry McKellar-James, 12 September 2001

In 1883 part of New Guinea was annexed by Queensland. In 1884 a British protectorate was proclaimed and in 1888 it was annexed to the British Crown. In 1901 it was assigned to the Commonwealth of Australia for five years and in 1906 it was proclaimed a territory of the Commonwealth under the name Papua.
David Prothero, 13 September 2001

The Territory of Papua was the southern half of present day Papua New Guinea, and was first controlled by the British from 1884-1906, when it officially was transfered to Australian control.

The Territory of New Guinea was the northern half of present day Papua New Guinea and was first controlled by the Germans from 1885-1914/15, when Australian military forces took control. Australian control was officially recognised by the League of Nations as a Mandated Territory from 1920-42, Japanese invasion in early 1942. Australia regained control in 1944, and it became a United Nations Trust Territory in 1949, called Papua and New Guinea.

Between 1920-42 separate flags were approved by the British Colonial Office for use in each Territory:

• Papua: Defaced British Blue Ensign with a white disc containing a coloured Crown and the word 'PAPUA' in black.
• New Guinea: Defaced British Blue Ensign with a white disc containing a coloured Crown above the letters 'T.N.G.' in black.