Bangladesh Army

Last modified: 2006-02-11 by rob raeside
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• Description of Army Flag

• Bangladesh

The Army flag follows the British model, consisting of a dark green field with the army badge (crossed scimitars with a lotus leaf cluster above them) in yellow. The flag is shown, among other places, flying in front of the Eternal Flame Monument to the Martyrs (of independence) at the Dhaka cantonment.

In two different photos, the national standard for an infantry battalion (equivalent to Sovereign's Colour in the British Army) is the national flag with an inscription in gold Bengali letters in the upper hoist, presumably the name of the unit or possibly a motto. The standard appears to follow the British dimensions of 36 x 45 inches; it has a yellow fringe and is mounted on a staff surmounted with what looks like a flaming grenade. The cord and tassels appear to be red and yellow.

The battalion colours shown in the background of one photo are orange with yellow fringe, the same size as the national standards and equipped with similar finials. They appear to be embroidered with regimental badges in gold and white.

A photograph of a street parade by troops of the Guards shows an entire rank of 12 orange flags without fringe, approximately 2:3, with the Guards badge in golden-yellow and a white scroll at the bottom inscribed (in English) "Guards" in orange letters. The finial is an orange disk rimmed in silver with the Army badge in golden yellow.

This may be duplicating material we already have, but a description of the national flag gives the specifications (6:10 with the radius of the red circle equal to 1/5 of the fly, centered 9/20 of the way from hoist to fly). The description says the green is for the greenery of the country, its vitality and youthfulness, while the red disk is for "the rising sun of independence after the dark night of a blood drenched struggle." It goes on to say that the prescribed sizes for hoisting on buildings are 183 x 305 cm and 46 x 76 cm, and for cars 23 x 38 cm and 16 x 25 cm.

A photo of three army helicopters shows the national aircraft marking in two different forms. Two helicopters show the marking with a white fimbriation around the outside while the other shows it without. A photo of light aircraft on the same page shows the fimbriated version on one fuselage, with the national flag also fimbriated in white on the tail.

Source: the picture book "Bangladesh Army" (Dhaka: Bangladesh Army Headquarters, 1990).

Joe McMillan, 1 January 2003