Blue Ensign, 1876 - 1925

In 1865, the British government asked all of its dependencies to prepare a coat of arms to display on a blue ensign for official business. The Union flag could still be flown in the territory, but it was felt more appropriate to have a flag that showed a local connection. In the case of the Falkland Islands, it was initially felt that a cow or bullock would make a suitable symbol combined with the ship Desire. The cow referred to the main reason that ships used to call at the islands, to get fresh meat from the wandering herds that had been left by the French colony. The Desire was the ship believed to be the first English ship to have sighted the islands in 1592.

Falkland Islands | Falkland Island Flags