Flag of Scotland
The flag of Scotland is the national flag of Scotland, which consists of a white saltire over a blue field. The Saltire, rather than the Royal Standard of Scotland, is the correct flag for all private individuals and corporate bodies to fly. It is also, where possible, flown from Scottish Government buildings every day from 8:00 am until sunset, with certain exceptions.
Use of the flag is first recorded with the illustration of a heraldic flag in Sir David Lyndsay of the Mount's Register of Scottish Arms,. It is possible that this is based on a precedent of the late 15th century, the use of a white saltire in the canton of a blue flag reputedly made by Queen Margaret, wife of James III. It is considered to be the oldest flag in Europe.
Design
The heraldic term for an X-shaped cross is a 'saltire', from the old French word saultoir or salteur, a word for both a type of stile constructed from two cross pieces and a type of cross-shaped stirrup-cord. In heraldic language, the Scottish flag may be blazoned azure, a saltire argent. The tincture of the Saltire can appear as either silver or white. However, the term azure does not refer to a particular shade of blue.Throughout the history of fabric production natural dyes have been used to apply a form of colour, with dyes from plants, including indigo and woad, having dozens of compounds whose proportions may vary according to soil type and climate; therefore giving rise to variations in shade. In the case of the Saltire, variations in shades of blue have resulted in the background of the flag ranging from sky blue to navy blue. When incorporated as part of the Union Flag during the 17th century, the dark blue applied to Union Flags destined for maritime use was possibly selected on the basis of the durability of darker dyes, with this dark blue shade eventually becoming standard on Union Flags both at sea and on land. Some flag manufacturers selected the same navy blue colour trend of the Union Flag for the Saltire itself, leading to a variety of shades of blue being depicted on the flag of Scotland.
These variations in shade eventually led to calls to standardise the colour of Scotland's national flag, and in 2003 a committee of the Scottish Parliament met to examine a petition that the Scottish Executive adopt the Pantone 300 colour as a standard. Having taken advice from a number of sources, including the office of the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the committee recommended that the optimum shade of blue for the Saltire be Pantone 300. Recent versions of the Saltire have therefore largely converged on this official recommendation.
| Scheme | Blue | White |
| Pantone | 300 C | White |
| Web colour | #005EB8 | #FFFFFF |
| RGB | 0, 94, 184 | 255, 255, 255 |
| CMYK | 72-35-0-28 | 0-0-0-0 |
The flag proportions are not fixed but 3:5 is most commonly used, as with other flags of the countries of the United Kingdom. Lord Lyon King of Arms states that 4:5 is suitable. The ratio of the width of the bars of the saltire in relation to the width of the field is specified in heraldry in relation to shield width rather than flag width. However, this ratio, though not rigid, is specified as one-third to one-fifth of the width of the field.
Flag of Scotland.svg| Saltire with sky blue field
File:Flag of Scotland.svg| Saltire with navy blue field
History
According to legend, the use of the Saltire as the flag of Scotland originated on the eve of the Battle of Athelstaneford in 832. The 1320 Declaration of Arbroath cites Scotland's conversion to Christianity by St. Andrew, "the first to be an Apostle". Depiction of the saint being crucified on a decussate cross was seen on seals in Scotland from 1180 onwards and was used on a seal of the Guardians of Scotland, dated 1286. Bishop William de Lamberton also used the crucified figure of the saint in his seal.The saltire was used as a field sign in the medieval period without any connection to Saint Andrew. The connection between the field sign and the legendary mode of crucifixion of the saint may originate in Scotland, in the late 14th century. The Parliament of Scotland decreed in 1385 that every Scottish and French soldier "shall have a sign before and behind, namely a white St. Andrew's Cross".
James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas at the Battle of Otterburn reportedly used a pennon with a saltire at the hoist. Similarly, white saltire was shown in the canton of the "Blue Blanket of the Trades of Edinburgh", reputedly made by Queen Margaret, wife of James III. This is the flag of the Incorporated Trades of Edinburgh, and the focal point of the Riding of the Marches ceremony held in the city each year.
Use of the white "Sanct Androis cors" on blue as a naval flag is recorded for 1507, for the carrack Great Michael. As a heraldic flag, the white saltire on a blue field is first shown in 1542, in the armorial of David Lyndsay. Here, the royal arms are supported by two unicorns, each holding the saltire banner.
Protocol
Use by the Scottish Government
The Scottish Government has ruled that the Saltire should, where possible, fly on all its buildings every day from 8am until sunset. An exception is made for United Kingdom "national days", when on buildings where only one flagpole is present the Saltire shall be lowered and replaced with the Union Flag. Such flag days are standard throughout the United Kingdom, with the exception of Merchant Navy Day which is a specific flag day in Scotland during which the Red Ensign of the Merchant Navy may be flown on land in place of either the Saltire or Union Flag.A further Scottish distinction from the UK flag days is that on Saint Andrew's Day the Union Flag will only be flown where a building has more than one flagpole; the Saltire will not be lowered to make way for the Union Flag where a single flagpole is present. If there are two or more flagpoles present, the Saltire may be flown in addition to the Union Flag but not in a superior position. This distinction arose after Members of the Scottish Parliament complained that Scotland was the only country in the world where the potential existed for the citizens of a country to be unable to fly their national flag on their country's national day. In recent years, embassies of the United Kingdom have also flown the Saltire to mark St Andrew's Day. Many bodies of the Scottish Government use the flag as a design basis for their logo. For example, Safer Scotland's emblem depicts a lighthouse shining beams in a saltire shape onto a blue sky. Other Scottish bodies, both private and public, have also used the saltire in similar ways.
Use by military institutions on land
The seven British Army Infantry battalions of the Scottish Division, plus the Scots Guards and Royal Scots Dragoon Guards regiments, use the Saltire in a variety of forms. Combat and transport vehicles of these Army units may be adorned with a small,, representation of the Saltire; such decals being displayed on the front and/or rear of the vehicle. In Iraq, during both Operation Granby and the subsequent Operation Telic, the Saltire was seen to be flown from the communications whip antenna of vehicles belonging to these units. Funerals, conducted with full military honours, of casualties of these operations in Iraq, plus those killed in operations in Afghanistan, have also been seen to include the Saltire being draped over the coffin of the deceased on such occasions.In the battle for "hearts and minds" in Iraq, the Saltire was again used by the British Army as a means of distinguishing troops belonging to Scottish regiments from other coalition forces, in the hope of fostering better relations with the civilian population in the area south west of Baghdad. Leaflets were distributed to Iraqi civilians, by members of the Black Watch, depicting troops and vehicles set against a backdrop of the Saltire.
Immediately prior to, and following, the merger in March 2006 of Scotland's historic infantry regiments to form a single Royal Regiment of Scotland, a multi-million-pound advertising campaign was launched in Scotland in an attempt to attract recruits to join the reorganised and simultaneously rebranded "Scottish Infantry". The recruitment campaign employed the Saltire in the form of a logo; the words "Scottish Infantry. Forward As One." being placed next to a stylised image of the Saltire. For the duration of the campaign, this logo was used in conjunction with the traditional Army recruiting logo; the words "Army. Be The Best." being placed beneath a stylised representation of the Union Flag. Despite this multi-media campaign having had mixed results in terms of overall success, the Saltire continues to appear on a variety of Army recruiting media used in Scotland.
File:050625-Kiel-x82-600.jpg|thumb|left|Royal Navy Sea King Mk5 of HMS Gannet
Other uses of the Saltire by the Army include the cap badge design of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, which consists of a Saltire, surmounted by a lion rampant and ensigned with a representation of the Crown of Scotland. The badge of the No. 679 Squadron Army Air Corps bears a Saltire between two wreaths ensigned 'Scottish Horse', an honour they received in 1971 which originated through their links with the Royal Artillery. The Officer Training Corps units attached to universities in Edinburgh and Glasgow, plus the Tayforth University OTC, all feature the Saltire in their cap badge designs.
The Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy adorned three of their aircraft with the Saltire. Specifically, the Westland Sea King Mk5 aircraft of HMS Gannet, operating in the Search and Rescue role from Royal Naval Air Station Prestwick, Ayrshire, displayed a Saltire decal on the nose of each aircraft.
Although not represented in the form of a flag, the No. 602 Squadron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force uses the Saltire surmounted by a lion rampant as the device shown on the squadron crest. The station crest of the former RAF Leuchars, Fife, also showed the Saltire, in this case surmounted by a sword. The crest of the former RAF East Fortune, East Lothian, also showed a sword surmounting the Saltire, however, unlike Leuchars, this sword was shown inverted and the station crest of the former RAF Turnhouse, Edinburgh, showed a Saltire surmounted by an eagle's head. The East of Scotland Universities Air Squadron crest features a Saltire surmounted by an open book; the book itself being supported by red lions rampant.