Identify strange flag
March 26, 2016 1:46 PM Subscribe
I was driving home today and there is a house at the far end of our street that is only what I can call "compound-like" - trailer, lots of fencing, etc. In addition, it was flying three flags - the U.S. flag, a "Don't tread on me" flag, and a third I couldn't identify.
It is red on the top, blue on the bottom, and with either a white diamond or stylized white cross in the center, I didn't get a good enough look. I thought cross, my wife says diamond. No luck on several flag ID sites, including an "extremist" flag site. Anyone know? Thanks in advance.
It is red on the top, blue on the bottom, and with either a white diamond or stylized white cross in the center, I didn't get a good enough look. I thought cross, my wife says diamond. No luck on several flag ID sites, including an "extremist" flag site. Anyone know? Thanks in advance.
This Etsy listing shows a "Vietnam War 1968 Red, Blue and Yellow Star Flag, Viet Cong". Another image on Ebay.co.uk.
posted by Beti at 2:03 PM on March 26, 2016
posted by Beti at 2:03 PM on March 26, 2016
Response by poster: No, it looked like this with the colors reversed and the diamond or cross in the center.
posted by waitingtoderail at 2:06 PM on March 26, 2016
posted by waitingtoderail at 2:06 PM on March 26, 2016
It's not this one, hung upside-down, is it?
Here's Wikimedia Commons' set of horizontal bicolor red and blue flags for you to peruse.
posted by brianogilvie at 2:06 PM on March 26, 2016
Here's Wikimedia Commons' set of horizontal bicolor red and blue flags for you to peruse.
posted by brianogilvie at 2:06 PM on March 26, 2016
Response by poster: Beti, it was definitely white.
posted by waitingtoderail at 2:07 PM on March 26, 2016
posted by waitingtoderail at 2:07 PM on March 26, 2016
Response by poster: brianogilvie, not that one. I had already checked that Wikimedia page, didn't see it. My wife says there was something she couldn't identify inside the diamond as well.
posted by waitingtoderail at 2:09 PM on March 26, 2016
posted by waitingtoderail at 2:09 PM on March 26, 2016
FlagID has six results, none with cross or diamond.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 2:23 PM on March 26, 2016
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 2:23 PM on March 26, 2016
Response by poster: No red as far as I could tell. My wife is convinced it was a diamond. Maybe I'll go take a ride and look again.
posted by waitingtoderail at 2:24 PM on March 26, 2016
posted by waitingtoderail at 2:24 PM on March 26, 2016
Could you use Google street view to get a picture of the flag?
posted by FallowKing at 2:27 PM on March 26, 2016
posted by FallowKing at 2:27 PM on March 26, 2016
Response by poster: Nope, wife is convinced it's a diamond. I just drove by again and the wind has died down too much, can't see the center. No street view, unfortunately.
posted by waitingtoderail at 2:43 PM on March 26, 2016
posted by waitingtoderail at 2:43 PM on March 26, 2016
Response by poster: A little research has me guessing that this is not an extremist flag but possibly a police/fire/military type flag.
posted by waitingtoderail at 2:53 PM on March 26, 2016
posted by waitingtoderail at 2:53 PM on March 26, 2016
It sounds like a nautical signal flag, although I can't think which one off the top of my head. It's not one of the international standards but since every navy since literally the beginning of time has invented their own it seems, there are a lot of them out there.
posted by fshgrl at 3:11 PM on March 26, 2016
posted by fshgrl at 3:11 PM on March 26, 2016
Flagid.org says it might be the Dallas flag. Sorry, Johnny Wallflower.
posted by jet_silver at 3:50 PM on March 26, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by jet_silver at 3:50 PM on March 26, 2016 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: It appears to be a standard sized rectangular flag, if that helps.
posted by waitingtoderail at 4:29 PM on March 26, 2016
posted by waitingtoderail at 4:29 PM on March 26, 2016
Could you just go take a picture of this flag?
posted by efalk at 6:11 PM on March 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by efalk at 6:11 PM on March 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
What order were the flags being flown in? Was this flag above or below the Gadsen flag?
posted by corb at 7:46 PM on March 26, 2016
posted by corb at 7:46 PM on March 26, 2016
The flag for the Dominican Republic?
The older flag (up to 1844) has the color scheme and a white cross in the center. The more recent flag alternates with the red and blue scheme, has a white cross plus a coat of arms in the center.
posted by Wolfster at 8:14 PM on March 26, 2016
The older flag (up to 1844) has the color scheme and a white cross in the center. The more recent flag alternates with the red and blue scheme, has a white cross plus a coat of arms in the center.
posted by Wolfster at 8:14 PM on March 26, 2016
Arkansas state flag?
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 8:25 PM on March 26, 2016
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 8:25 PM on March 26, 2016
These are wildshots, but...
The National Order Front Movement of Chile?
Obraz Fatherland Movement of Serbia?
posted by Thorzdad at 9:18 PM on March 26, 2016
The National Order Front Movement of Chile?
Obraz Fatherland Movement of Serbia?
posted by Thorzdad at 9:18 PM on March 26, 2016
Response by poster: No, none of those. Whatever organization this is the flag of has to be very tiny. Maybe even a personal flag. It doesn't show up anywhere I can find. Thank you for all your help!
posted by waitingtoderail at 6:17 AM on March 27, 2016
posted by waitingtoderail at 6:17 AM on March 27, 2016
Response by poster: Corb, it was left to right, US, Gadsen, mystery flag.
posted by waitingtoderail at 6:36 AM on March 27, 2016
posted by waitingtoderail at 6:36 AM on March 27, 2016
Response by poster: efalk, it's behind fencing and in a pretty rural area where trying to get a picture would make me stand out like a sore thumb. In the unlikely event it IS an extremist flag, I wouldn't like to be noticed! I'm afraid this is going to stay a mystery.
posted by waitingtoderail at 6:39 AM on March 27, 2016
posted by waitingtoderail at 6:39 AM on March 27, 2016
Okay so this is not going to be a place flag - I am familiar with the type of people who put up Gadsen flags, and they have often internalized flag code priorities. So anything right of the Gadsen is going to be either a group flag or a symbolic flag.
For the love of God, do not take pictures of a rural person's flags. They will not know you are taking pictures of the flags, they will assume you are photographing their property and may be a fed.
Was it possibly a heraldic device? It's not the first thing you think of, but there's a lot of odd Scadian/rural overlap.
posted by corb at 7:04 AM on March 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
For the love of God, do not take pictures of a rural person's flags. They will not know you are taking pictures of the flags, they will assume you are photographing their property and may be a fed.
Was it possibly a heraldic device? It's not the first thing you think of, but there's a lot of odd Scadian/rural overlap.
posted by corb at 7:04 AM on March 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: So here was the best I could do for a picture while driving (just point and shoot and hope something comes out) - can't see much but at least you can see the order of them.
posted by waitingtoderail at 6:16 AM on March 28, 2016
posted by waitingtoderail at 6:16 AM on March 28, 2016
If you search for '[NAME OF THE STATE YOUR PROFILE SAYS YOU ARE IN] flags', the third or fourth result is a massive list of county and municipal flags. I got bored after clicking through all the towns starting with D, but you might find it in there if you recognise any of the municipalities as local to you.
posted by Happy Dave at 3:47 AM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Happy Dave at 3:47 AM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I checked there Happy Dave, and there's no local flags.
So if anyone is still following this, I got another look at the flag, and I see why I thought it was a cross - the center of the diamond has four arrows pointing North, South, East, West.
posted by waitingtoderail at 9:48 AM on March 29, 2016
So if anyone is still following this, I got another look at the flag, and I see why I thought it was a cross - the center of the diamond has four arrows pointing North, South, East, West.
posted by waitingtoderail at 9:48 AM on March 29, 2016
Response by poster: The closest thing I could find to the arrow is here, the flag of the Hungarian Arrow Cross Party, a neo-Nazi organization. However other than half of it being red, the colors are all wrong.
posted by waitingtoderail at 10:22 AM on March 29, 2016
posted by waitingtoderail at 10:22 AM on March 29, 2016
That symbol is called an arrow cross, or cross barby/barbee (apparently).
Maybe you might want to crosspost at the Vexillology Subreddit?
posted by Happy Dave at 11:53 AM on March 29, 2016 [2 favorites]
Maybe you might want to crosspost at the Vexillology Subreddit?
posted by Happy Dave at 11:53 AM on March 29, 2016 [2 favorites]
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posted by Cold Lurkey at 2:02 PM on March 26, 2016