Flag of Barbados

Barbados

The Broken Trident
Use	National flag, civil and state ensign
Proportion	2:3
Adopted	30 November 1966 (1966-11-30)
Design	A vertical triband of ultramarine (hoist-side and fly-side) and gold with the black trident-head centred on the gold band.
Designed by	Grantley W. Prescod
Use	Naval ensign
Proportion	1:2
Design	A red cross on a white field, the national flag in the canton

Barbados flag at Carifiesta 2018, Montreal

The flag of Barbados was designed by Grantley W. Prescod and was officially adopted to represent the nation of Barbados at midnight on 30 November 1966, the day the country gained independence. It was raised for the first time in a ceremony by Lieutenant Hartley Dottin of the Barbados Regiment.

History

After some time as a British colony, Barbados became part of the British Windward Islands in 1833, with the Union Jack as its official flag. It was reestablished as the colony of Barbados in 1885, and remained that way until 1958; during this time, the flag of the colony consisted of a Blue Ensign which was defaced with the colonial seal. From 1958 to 1962, Barbados was under the control of the West Indies Federation, who used the so-called "Sun and Seas Flag", consisting of a circular orange "sun" atop a blue field with four wavy white lines. After control was retaken by the United Kingdom from 1962 to 1966, following the dissolution of the West Indies Federation, the Barbadian legislature made their case for independence. Barbados became an independent nation on 30 November 1966. At midnight on that day, the modern-day flag came into effect as the first official flag of an independent Barbados, and was raised for the first time in a ceremony by Lieutenant Hartley Dottin, a member of the Barbados Regiment.

The design of the flag was created by Grantley W. Prescod and was chosen as the winner of an open competition arranged by the Barbados government and judged by seven individuals. Over one thousand entries were received, with the exact number being 1,029. He was awarded a $500 cash prize, which was donated to a popular newspaper publishing company, a scroll from the Barbadian government, and a gold medal. In addition to designing the flag, Prescod also constructed the first physical flag, at the request of Prime Minster Errol Barrow. After choosing fabrics of the right colors at a department store, Prescod made "approximately seven flags".

• 
  Flag of the British Windward Islands (Union Jack), 1833–1885
• 
  Flag of the Colony of Barbados, 1885–1962 and 1962–1966
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  Flag of the West Indies Federation, 1958–1962

Design

The trident symbol featured in the flag of Barbados

The flag consists of a triband of two bands of ultramarine, which are said to stand for the ocean surrounding the country and the sky, though some sources attribute both blue stripes to be representing the ocean. The blue stripes are separated by a golden middle band, which represents the sand. A black trident head, commonly called the broken trident, is centred in the golden band, and the fact that the staff is missing is significant. The trident symbol was taken from Barbados' colonial badge, where the trident of Poseidon is shown with Britannia holding it. The broken lower part symbolises a symbolic break from its status as a colony. The three points of the trident represent the three principles of democracy: government of the people, government for the people, and government by the people.

The official British Standard colour code numbers for the flag are: Ultramarine — BCC 148, Gold — BS O/002.

Variant flags

From its independence in 1966, Barbados had standards for Queen Elizabeth II, as well as the governor-general and prime minister. The first of these consisted of a yellow field with a blue circular disk containing the letter "E" and a crown in the centre, surrounded by gold roses; this device is displayed on Elizabeth II's personal flag. This logo is placed atop a giant bearded fig (Ficus citrifolia), and a pride of Barbados flower (Caesalpinia pulcherrima) is displayed in each upper corner. The standard of the governor-general is a navy blue field with a crown in the centre; atop the crown sits a lion which is itself crowned, and below the crown is displayed a banner which reads "BARBADOS". Both of these flags were retired when Barbados gained full independence and became a republic effective 30 November 2021.

• 
  Royal standard (1966–2021)
• 
  Standard of the Governor-General (1966–2021)
• 
  Standard of the Prime Minister (1966–present)
• 
  Standard of the President (2021–present)

Historical flags

Flag	Duration	Use	Description
	1870–1966	Flag of the Colony of Barbados	A Blue Ensign with an emblem of Barbados.
	1958–1962	Flag of the West Indies Federation	Known as "Sun and Seas Flag" — A blue field with four white horizontal wavy bars (the top pair of bars being parallel and the lower pair also parallel) and an orange sun in the centre.
	1966–2021	Royal Standard of Barbados	A bearded fig tree (with the leaves coloured blue) in the centre and a Pride of Barbados flower in each of the top corners on a yellow field. A blue disc of the letter "E" crowned surrounded by a garland of gold roses defaces the flag.
	1966–2021	Standard of the Governor-General of Barbados	A crowned lion standing on a crown, on a blue field, with the words "Barbados"

See also

• National symbols of Barbados
• List of Barbadian flags

External links

• Barbados at Flags of the World
• Barbados - Colonial Flag at Flags of the World