Last modified: 2006-09-30 by bruce berry
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This flag was registered with the South
African Bureau of Heraldry as the flag of the Republic of Orange Free
State for the Office of the Prime Minister, together with the flag of the
South African Republic, on 30 April 1983 (application
08 January 1982, amendment
05 March 1982). Certificates were issued for both in Afrikaans on 14 October
1983.
The text in English for the flag Republic of Orange Free State reads as
follows:
A rectangular flag proportions three by two, consisting of seven horizontal
stripes of equal width alternately white and orange and a canton of three
stripes, red, white and blue in the proportions four by three.
Source: "Some South African Flags, 1940-1990"
compiled by F.G. Brownell,
the State Herald, June 1991. (SAVA Journal 1/92)
[brl92].
Mark Sensen, 08 Mar 1999
Were any British Ensigns in use in South Africa pre-1910? What were
the flags of the Cape Colony and Natal? Did the Boer states retain their
"native" flags under British control?
Josh Fruhlinger, 01 Oct 1996
Yes - SAVA published a Journal entitled "The Union Jack over Southern
and Central Africa, 1795 - 1994" in 1994 [brl94] which covers all these flags
(and those used in what is now Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Botswana, Malawi etc).
Orange River Colony flew a Blue Ensign with badge in the fly between 1904 -
1910.
Bruce Berry, 07 Oct 1996
Notes from the Public Records Office (Kew):
Regarding draft of Seal of the Orange River Colony (on which the flag badge was
based) - A distinctive stripe does not appear on the flank of the springbok and
in view of the importance attached in the Colony to correct representation of
the animal I am to request that the picture of it in Mr G.Millais' book "A
Breath from the Veldt" may be closely followed.
David Prothero, 21 Mar 2005
The actual arms of the Orange Free State republic were quite different, as you'll see
at my website.
Arms taken into use on 23 February 1857, the third anniversary of the
Oranje Vrij Staat. The blazon, as quoted by F G Brownell, reads:
Arms: On a shield Argent, between three bugle horns Azure, garnished
and stringed Gules, a representation of the seal of the Orange Free State
Republic as adopted in 1856, viz. on a white roundel, in chief a tree on
an island, between dexter, three sheep and sinister, a natural lion supporting
the tree with his dexter paw, in base a Voortrekker wagon on an island
all proper; on a ribbon draped fesswise, the motto GEDULD EN MOED, above
the tree the word VRYHEID and below the wagon the word IMMIGRATIE; behind
the shield on two staves in saltire with ball and spear point Or, two flags
of the same Republic draped on both sides, each with seven stripes visible,
alternately white and orange and a canton of three stripes, red, white
and blue.
The story of how the OFS got its odd concoction of a coat of arms was
especially interesting to me, since it involved a tricky situation that
my ancestor President Boshof had to deal with.
You'll see on my page an illustration of one of the drafts put forward
to the Dutch king for his grant to the Boer republic. I hope to have a
second illustration, of a rather different draft design, on the page early
next year.
Mike Oettle, 14 Dec 2001
I found interesting
Coat of Arms for the Orange Free State. Why the flags which decorated
the shield are 'Vierkleur' of South African Republic? Why not Orange striped Flags?
Victor Lomantsov, 26 Dec 2000
That's a curious coat of arms you illustrate for the
Oranje Vrijstaat.
It's certainly irregular, and it seems to me to have been concocted by
some European supporter of the Boer republics during the South African
War.
I did try to find the website where the odd illustration came from,
but the URL seems to have changed or been cancelled.
Mike Oettle, 14 Dec 2001