The Union Jack

Have you ever wondered about our Australian flag? Our flag is part of the flag of the United Kingdom. The UK's flag is commonly known as the Union Jack. Why is it called the Union Jack?

St Patrick

St Andrew

St George

Australian Flag

The Jack  Staff is a part of the front of a sailing vessel and there are some that will only refer to the United Kingdom's Flag as the Jack when it is being flown in this traditional way while in sail. 

The name has crossed over into contemporary language now and most everyone knows it as the Union Jack regardless of the correct name.   The flag should be referred to as  the Union Flag while on land.

The Union Flag is a combination of three flags.  The flag of the patron Saint of England (St George),  The patron saint of Scotland (St Andrew) and the patron saint of Ireland ( St Patrick).   Wales was already part of the United Kingdom as a principality.

Union Jack

The flag originated as a visual representation of the various political unions of the countries that formed the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.   The present flag design being established in 1801.
The Australian flag has the Union Jack  tucked up into the corner. 
The flag of Australia is a defaced Blue Ensign: a blue field with the Union Jack in the canton (upper hoist quarter), and a large white seven-pointed star known as the Commonwealth Star in the lower hoist quarter. The fly contains a representation of the Southern Cross constellation, made up of five white stars – one small five-pointed star and four, larger, seven-pointed stars.
The flag's original design (with a six-pointed Commonwealth Star) was chosen in 1901 from entries in a worldwide competition held following Federation, and was first flown in Melbourne on 3 September 1901; this date has been proclaimed as Australian National Flag Day. A slightly different design was approved by King Edward VII in 1902. Over the next few years, the exact specifications of the flag were changed several times both intentionally and as a result of confusion. The current specifications were formally gazetted in 1934, and in 1954 the flag became recognised by, and legally defined in, the Flags Act 1953, as the "Australian National Flag".

Images @ Melonpopzdropz Flickr