Orkney Image Library

I'm sure you are correct Alan. It is fitting that this brave and defiant man's gesture should feature on this site. See also picture #11478

[Despite this comment being anonymous, and despite this promoting a pointless argument in favour of the older, uglier, 'unofficial' flag which I understood to have been just made up quite recently, I'm approving it so that people can follow the link and see how spurious the 'Nazi flag' argument is. The flag shown is a swastika on the Norwegian flag, and has nothing to do with the new community flag. So should Norway not fly its own flag as it is just a Nazi flag without a swastika? - Steven]

The old Orkney flag was the best one and the new Orkney flag resembles the Norwegian Nazi flag !! I would say that this is an insult to Norway and the connection we have with them. please take the time to look at this link also notice the similarities between the flags ! ok the swastika is missing on the "new" Orkney flag www.epier.com/store/outpostflags/viewitem.asp?id=21594

"Big" sisters house is the one behind the flag pole. "Big" sis being Carol Ann Jolly!

Why was the "new Orkney flag" not flown on Saturday when the Norwegians were here during the parade??? Why was the people of Orkney not asked for the opinion and vote of the new "official" Orkney flag! [They were!- Steven] It was a rushed OIC blunder that's why. Thanks Steven. Mr anonymous lol

The "Nazi flag" question is not quite so simple. The flag of Quisling's Norwegian fascist party was a yellow nordic cross on a red background. No problem there, so far as Orkney is concerned. However, the question is whether Quisling's supporters incorporated their own flag into the Norwegian flag by changing the white strip around the cross of the latter to yellow, thus giving the identical design to the new Orkney flag. Evidently this is what the Norwegian visitors who objected to the new flag believed. I don't know the answer. Surely someone checked with an authoritative Norwegian source before the new flag was approved? (the piece of classic diplomatic language reported by Norwegian Consul Bill Spence in a letter to the Orcadian that the Norwegian authorities were "relaxed" about the matter merely raises the suspicion that there was something not to be relaxed about!)

Pauls right, it is not a simple debate. I wish I could remember the name of the book, next time I'm south I'll check. However from what I remember when Germany invaded in April 1940 Vikdun Quisling declared himself prime minister of Norway live on Radio without the approval of the Nazi's. This display of arrogance stopped any chance of Norway just surrending to the Germans, like Denmark had done. When Germany finally conquered the german Reichskommisar (governor) used the Norwegian flag with a swastika added to it. This allowed the existing norwegian flags to be used, and had to be flown from all goverment buildings in Norway. A lot of Norwergians were shot or badly beaten up in displays of ripping these flags down. In 1942 Quisling had been forgiven, and the Nazis aware of the symbol of a native in power appointed him in charge with the position of Minister President. This is when he changed the Norwegian flag to incorporate the party colours of the Nasjonal Samling (National Unity) party, which is indeed by descrition identical to our new flag. I've never seen a colour photo to prove it though. The new flag was similary hated and in the liberation was proudly burnt all over Norway, because of this there are few surviving examples. There is mention of one in the Norwegian national museaum but it is not on display.

However I think personally the debate is bit pointless as the origianal Nasjonal Samling flag is pretty much identical to the Cross of St Magnus. As a Historian I'm much more interested in the debate over the legality of the Court of the Lord Lyon to dictate to our Udal Islands what flag we can use!

here's a link to a poster of the Najonal Samling party. You can see the flag of the party and it'd colours.. Like our old St Magnus flag but inversed colours. www.kildenett.no/imagearchive/20155.jpg

Very interesting, Graham, though I don't think you can say that the Nasjonal Samling flag was the same as the so-called "St Magnus Cross" when the colours were the other way around. Not that I am in favour of the latter. It is just something got up in the 70s by a couple of Scot Nats in the south. They surely took a break from bleating about what they thought the English were doing to Scotland in order to do some meddling of their own in Orkney. Admittedly it was taken up by certain people in Orkney in the 90s who promoted it without checking whether it would receive official sanction (and the Lord Lyon certainly does have jurisdiction in Orkney - udal law has nothing to do with it). If only people had stuck to the design shown on the blazer badges in picture #3024. It's a lot more historic.

See this link for the unofficial flag's dubious origins, and the flag from the crest mentioned by Paul.

And just to murky the waters a little bit you have it appearing as the flag of the Kalmar Union, which Orkney was part of.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalmar_Union

Though I have to admit I agree with Paul, the old old flag looks the best!

I note that the old flag is part of the company logo of Orkney Builders (Contractors) Ltd.

I am American of Norwegian background. My parents came from Norway, and as a child I lived there. I speak and write Norwegian almost as
good as English. As to the subject matter I have been informed in the past that the Norwegian National Flag was never changed during World War 11. There was no national flag with the german swastika in the center. This can be confirmed by reading "Norwegian Flag during World War 11" which is on the internet. Josef Terboven the Reichkommissar did not concern himself with the flag of Norway, however restrictions were put into effect as to when it could be displayed.
I would like to point out that the Nasjonal Samling had a party flag with a red field and yellow cross. Vidkun Quisling even though he was a nazi was proud of the existing flag and used it often in parades and meeting halls.
In no way did Quisling take out the white border and replace it with yellow.
So to make it simple you had at that time a National flag [unchanged], and a Party flag.
There is an article showing a Norwegian Flag on the internet with the german symbol in the middle but this is a false flag and to my knowledge never used.
If I am mistaken please let me know. Thank you.

Rober Sletholt on June 09 2008

The real problem is that Lord Lyon stated the St Magnus Flag was too similar to the Provincial Ulster flag. Flags are often similar in design but the St Magnus flag is NOT the 9 Province Ulster flag. the new design looks more like the norwegian flag and thus Lord Lyon should have removed this new flag from the suggested flags for Orkney.

Orkney has got a new flag, which was adopted from a net page owned by a local historian in the former norwegian landscape of Båhuslen, today in Sweden north of Gothenbourg. This county was ceded to Sweden after war in 1658, and confirmed two yrs later in Copenhagen in an international peace treaty.What will happen with the original proposition, to introduce this flag in todays county of Bohuslän, no one seem to know. The old norn heritage has been kept in place names in both these old landscapes, and now has got an addition in a strickingly similar flag to the norwegian! Your are of course welcome!