Flag of Tanganyika Territory

Prior to 1916, Tanganyika was a part of German East Africa and used the flag of the Reichskolonialamt. In 1916, Tanganyika was taken from Germany as a result of the First World War and given to the United Kingdom as a League of Nations mandate. Upon Sir Horace Byatt becoming the first Governor of Tanganyika as a British mandate, he designed a badge of a giraffe on a white disk for Tanganyika. This was because of a custom of British East African territories adopting native animals as a symbol of national identity, with the giraffe being chosen for Tanganyika based on their ubiquity within the territory.{{sfn|Dyus|2011|page=18}} Byatt then placed the badge on a Red Ensign to be used as the official flag of Tanganyika.{{cite book | first =Gavin | last =Bone | title =The Crown Colonist, Volume 12 | publisher = Crown Colonist | volume = 12 | year = 1942 | page = 266}} The Governor also adopted the giraffe badge in the centre of a Union Jack as the governor's flag.{{sfn|Longford|2001|page=208}}

Though the Red Ensign became the main flag to represent the territory individually, there was also a variant of the flag including a Blue Ensign with the giraffe head not being surrounded by a white disk.{{cite book | first =Gilbert | last =Grosvenor | title =The National Geographic Magazine |volume=66 | publisher =National Geographic Society | year = 1936 | issn = 0027-9358 | page = 380}}{{cite web|url=http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/tz_tng.html |title=Tanzania : Tanganyika (1919–1961) |publisher=Crwflags.com |access-date=2016-07-09}} In 1961 when Tanganyika was granted independence from the British Empire, it was the Union Jack and not the colonial flag that was lowered at the independence ceremony.{{sfn|Longford|2001|page=417}} As a result, the Tanganyikan Red Ensign ceased to have official usage and was replaced by the flag of Tanganyika and later the flag of Tanzania though the giraffe was retained as the national animal of both successor countries.{{cite web |url=http://www.thecitizen.co.tz/oped/National-symbols--What-happened-to-the-giraffe-/-/1840568/2029084/-/mikixd/-/index.html |title=National symbols? What happened to the giraffe? |publisher=The Citizen |date=1990-03-21 |access-date=2016-07-10 |archive-date=2016-08-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828211909/http://www.thecitizen.co.tz/oped/National-symbols--What-happened-to-the-giraffe-/-/1840568/2029084/-/mikixd/-/index.html |url-status=dead }}

This flag has a place in the history of the flags of Tanzania.{{cite web |url=https://www.flagmakers.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Flag-of-Tanzania-A-Brief-History-Download.pdf |title=Flag of Tanzania - A Brief History |access-date=18 July 2016}}

• Vexillology

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{cite book | first =Gordon | last =Dyus | title =The Twilight of the Bwanas | publisher = Xlibris Corporation | year = 2011 | isbn =978-1465366559 | chapter = 2 |page=18}}{{Self-published inline|date=January 2018}}
• {{cite book | first =Michael | last =Longford | title =The Flags Changed at Midnight: Tanganyika's Progress Towards Independence| publisher = Gracewing Publishing |location=Leominster | year = 2001 | isbn =0852445512 | page = 208 }}

{{Union Flag}}

Category:1961 disestablishments in Africa

Tanganyika Territory

Category:Red Ensigns

Category:Tanganyika (territory)

Category:Flags displaying animals