# Modern use of inverted flags for distress
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-use-of-inverted-flags-for-distress/833992
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [May 15, 2019, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-use-of-inverted-flags-for-distress/833992 "2019-05-15T10:16:35Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2019, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-use-of-inverted-flags-for-distress/833992/1 "2019-05-15T10:16:35Z")
It’s common knowledge that flying a flag upside-down is supposed to be reserved for cases of distress. The US flag code even spells this out, saying that “[t]he flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property”.[sup]\*[/sup] I can well imagine that inverted flags were commonly used as distress signals in the maritime world back in the pre-radio days. But are there any documented modern-day cases of someone hoisting a flag upside-down in order to signal an urgent and life-threatening emergency, and of someone coming to the rescue because of that signal? Bonus points if the emergency doesn’t involve watercraft. For example, has anyone been kidnapped and successfully alerted the police or passersby by flying an inverted flag from their place of confinement?
[sup]\*[/sup]Yes, I know that this code is not binding on most civilians. My question isn’t about the legality of the practice; only whether it’s actually been used recently to communicate genuine dire distress.
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### Author:  [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2019, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-use-of-inverted-flags-for-distress/833992/2 "2019-05-15T10:56:35Z")
Borderline contribution at best …
I first heard of the upside down flag = distress signal in the early 90s. An Australian flag postage stamp had been issued, and a political campaign began to stick them upside down on envelopes to show that people were really, really, REALLY upset about some particular issue involving the government of the day.
I cannot remember the particular issue as it was not central to my life, but I’m sure it fits the OP’s ‘urgent and life-threatening emergency’ criterion.
Don’t know but I feel deep down that the cause was well served, government took heed of the consistently upside post they received and realised that they were one step short of societal collapse and stopped doing that thing forthwith. Huzzah for postage!
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### Author:  [@Bert\_Nobbins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bert_Nobbins)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2019, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-use-of-inverted-flags-for-distress/833992/3 "2019-05-15T11:55:55Z")
The inverted flag was certainly a convention:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distress\_signal#Inverted\_flags](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distress_signal#Inverted_flags)
though I wonder how much it was actually used.
You would have to be pretty close to the union jack to see if it was upside down.
If of course you’re from France, Belgium, Nigeria, Japan, Ireland, or Italy etc you’re never going to get rescued because those flags are vertically symmetrical.
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2019, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-use-of-inverted-flags-for-distress/833992/4 "2019-05-15T12:50:02Z")
And the flag of Thailand is specifically designed to be symmetrical. Supposedly, there was a case where the King was coming to visit a village, and one of the villagers, in a show of patriotism, was flying the flag, but accidentally flew it upside down, and so to spare any such future embarrassment, the King ordered the flag to be re-designed so that any way it was displayed would always be correct.
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### Author:  [@ticker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ticker)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2019, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-use-of-inverted-flags-for-distress/833992/5 "2019-05-15T12:56:01Z")
The British union flag is flown upside down almost as often as it is right side up, mainly because far too many Brits are entirely ignorant of the fact that there is a right and a wrong way.
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### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2019, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-use-of-inverted-flags-for-distress/833992/6 "2019-05-15T13:08:29Z")
> [@ticker](#):
>
> The British union flag is flown upside down almost as often as it is right side up, mainly because far too many Brits are entirely ignorant of the fact that there is a right and a wrong way.
Surely you jest.
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### Author:  [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2019, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-use-of-inverted-flags-for-distress/833992/7 "2019-05-15T13:13:38Z")
I think the ubiquity of using the upside down flag to signal political “distress” means that any hypothetical kidnap victims with access to windows/flag poles and flags are still languishing in captivity.
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### Author:  [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2019, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-use-of-inverted-flags-for-distress/833992/8 "2019-05-15T13:36:15Z")
> [@naita](#):
>
> I think the ubiquity of using the upside down flag to signal political “distress” means that any hypothetical kidnap victims with access to windows/flag poles and flags are still languishing in captivity.
Yeah, its use as a political statement has probably long eclipsed its use as a bona fide SOS. Still, I’d be interested to know if anyone in modern times (maybe before the political “distress” thing got popular) ever got rescued from harm by flying an inverted flag.
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### Author:  [@ticker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ticker)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2019, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-use-of-inverted-flags-for-distress/833992/9 "2019-05-15T14:22:42Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#):
>
> > [@Ticker](#):
> >
> > The British union flag is flown upside down almost as often as it is right side up, mainly because far too many Brits are entirely ignorant of the fact that there is a right and a wrong way.
>
> Surely you jest.
What part do you think I am joking about? That there is a right and wrong way up, or that many Brits don’t know that? Either way I stand by what I said.
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### Author:  [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2019, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-use-of-inverted-flags-for-distress/833992/10 "2019-05-15T14:25:23Z")
> [@ticker](#):
>
> What part do you think I am joking about? That there is a right and wrong way up, or that many Brits don’t know that? Either way I stand by what I said.
I think he wants you to explain the difference between the right and wrong way, not just state that there is a right and wrong way. This is GQ, please provide a cite.
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### Author:  [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2019, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-use-of-inverted-flags-for-distress/833992/11 "2019-05-15T14:34:33Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#):
>
> I think he wants you to explain the difference between the right and wrong way, not just state that there is a right and wrong way. This is GQ, please provide a cite.
Really? It’s not exactly a secret, and “Surely you jest?” seems like a weird way to express the desire for a cite.
> **[Union Jack | Flying](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Jack#Flying)**
>
> The flag does not have reflection symmetry due to the slight pinwheeling of the St Patrick's and St Andrew's crosses, technically the counterchange of saltires. Thus, there is a correct side up. The flag does have two-fold rotational symmetry, though. The original specification of the Union Flag in the royal proclamation of 1 January 1801 did not contain a drawn pattern or express which way the saltires should lie; they were simply "counterchanged" and the red saltire fimbriated. Nevertheless, a ...
> [@](#):
>
> The flag does not have reflection symmetry due to the slight pinwheeling of the St Patrick’s and St Andrew’s crosses, technically the counterchange of saltires. Thus, there is a right side up. The original specification of the Union Flag in the Royal Proclamation of 1 January 1801 did not contain a drawn pattern or express which way the saltires should lie; they were simply “counterchanged” and the red saltire fimbriated. Nevertheless, a convention was soon established which accords most closely with the description.
> [@](#):
>
> It is often stated that a flag upside down is a form of distress signal or even a deliberate insult. In the case of the Union Flag, the difference is subtle and is easily missed by the uninformed. It is often displayed upside down inadvertently—even on commercially-made hand waving flags.
>
> On 3 February 2009, the BBC reported that the flag had been inadvertently flown upside-down by the UK government at the signing of a trade agreement with Chinese premier Wen Jiabao. The error had been spotted by readers of the BBC news website who had contacted the BBC after seeing a photograph of the event.
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### Author:  [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2019, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-use-of-inverted-flags-for-distress/833992/12 "2019-05-15T16:06:20Z")
> [@naita](#):
>
> Really? It’s not exactly a secret, and “Surely you jest?” seems like a weird way to express the desire for a cite.
No it’s not. But it is kind of understood in GQ that facts to back up statements are preferred over IMHO statements or go look up my statement for proof responses.
[See GQ Rules and Facts #7.](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=466202)
And I quote “If you post a factual claim, be prepared to back it up with a citation. If someone asks for a citation, don’t take it personally, we’re trying to get to the facts here, and that’s how it’s done.”
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### Author:  [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2019, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-use-of-inverted-flags-for-distress/833992/13 "2019-05-15T16:55:45Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#):
>
> No it’s not. But it is kind of understood in GQ that facts to back up statements are preferred over IMHO statements or go look up my statement for proof responses.
>
> [See GQ Rules and Facts #7.](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=466202)
>
> And I quote “If you post a factual claim, be prepared to back it up with a citation. If someone asks for a citation, don’t take it personally, we’re trying to get to the facts here, and that’s how it’s done.”
Let me rephrase my previous response to make it clearer what I intended to convey, and why I find this harping on the rules absurd. When I wrote:
> [@](#):
>
> Really? It’s not exactly a secret, and “Surely you jest?” seems like a weird way to express the desire for a cite.
What I meant wasn’t “It’s dumb to ask for a cite”, it was:
How do you come to the conclusion that “Surely you jest?” was a request for a cite for it being possible to fly the Union Jack upside down, and not for a cite that it often is, or even not a request for a cite at all, but a joke that fell flat, or a reference to obscure Scottish comedy, or something other, as to me at least, “Surely you jest?” is not a request for a citation.
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2019, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-use-of-inverted-flags-for-distress/833992/14 "2019-05-15T17:03:24Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#):
>
> No it’s not. But it is kind of understood in GQ that facts to back up statements are preferred over IMHO statements or go look up my statement for proof responses.
>
> [See GQ Rules and Facts #7.](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=466202)
>
> And I quote “If you post a factual claim, be prepared to back it up with a citation. If someone asks for a citation, don’t take it personally, we’re trying to get to the facts here, and that’s how it’s done.”
**carnivorousplant** did not ask for a cite (and even if it was, what was being asked for was unclear). That’s your speculation, not backed up by facts.😉
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### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2019, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-use-of-inverted-flags-for-distress/833992/15 "2019-05-15T18:11:04Z")
The flag looks symmetrical to me. The cross is offset, but it looks to me that if it is rotated, the offset remains the same. Perhaps I am mistaken.
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### Author:  [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2019, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-use-of-inverted-flags-for-distress/833992/16 "2019-05-15T18:44:43Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#):
>
> The flag looks symmetrical to me. The cross is offset, but it looks to me that if it is rotated, the offset remains the same. Perhaps I am mistaken.
It depends on which way you rotate the flag. If rotated ‘horizontally’, i.e. in the plane of the flag, it doesn’t change. But if rotated top to bottom, it will. The red and white saltires (X-shaped crosses) will be switched. But this is real subtle and not very obvious.
As far as the OP, flying the flag upside down to indicate distress has been a trope in at least one TV show. In particular, I remember an episode of _Baa Baa Black Sheep_ where they used it to trick some Japanese who supposedly were sufficiently unfamiliar with the US flag that they didn’t notice it being upside down. How plausible that is is questionable. And it was not based on any actual events, as far as I know.
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### Author:  [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2019, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-use-of-inverted-flags-for-distress/833992/17 "2019-05-15T18:47:36Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#):
>
> The flag looks symmetrical to me. The cross is offset, but it looks to me that if it is rotated, the offset remains the same. Perhaps I am mistaken.
Rotated, yes, but there are only grommets for attaching the flag to the pole on one side - you can’t rotate it. You can, however, flip it, and switch the bottom grommet with the top one. It will then be upside down.
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### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2019, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-use-of-inverted-flags-for-distress/833992/18 "2019-05-15T19:05:45Z")
I wonder why the cross is offset.
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### Author:  [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2019, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-use-of-inverted-flags-for-distress/833992/19 "2019-05-15T19:23:28Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#):
>
> I wonder why the cross is offset.
My WAG would be that it’s to make it clearer that unlike the horizontal/vertical white, which is the white background of the red on white cross of St. George, the white diagonal cross is the white on blue cross of St. Andrew and not just a white background for the red on white cross of St. Patrick.
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### Author:  [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2019, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-use-of-inverted-flags-for-distress/833992/20 "2019-05-15T19:28:23Z")
> [@naita](#):
>
> My WAG would be that it’s to make it clearer that unlike the horizontal/vertical white, which is the white background of the red on white cross of St. George, the white diagonal cross is the white on blue cross of St. Andrew and not just a white background for the red on white cross of St. Patrick.
Yes, this is it. If the cross of St Patrick weren’t offset, the cross of St Andrew would be interpreted as simply an outline to keep from displaying the dark red color directly on the dark blue. The white around the cross of St George is just such an outline, and is not offset. You call such outlines on flags “fimbriations”, BTW.
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