If there’s one thing the Air Force has loved, it’s a pennant. This isn’t exactly unique. Colourful, cheap, and quick to produce, the small triangular flags have immortalised all manner of towns, events, teams, and groups that have nothing to do with the Defence Force. However, our collection of more than 900 pennants shows they were certainly a popular memento within the RNZAF.
Most are made from felt. This is a favourite food of clothes moth larvae, so we’re lucky that so many pennants have survived to make their way to us. Their detail tends to be screen-printed on one side and can be highly decorative, sometimes employing multiple ink colours, metallic effects, and additions such as badges and calendars. Very few have manufacturer’s information, but where they do, the Auckland firm of Philip and Piper makes a regular appearance.
Among our panoply of pennants, many promote individual RNZAF bases and stations, squadrons, and trades. The station pennants give a whistle-stop tour of the places where the RNZAF has been active, with some of the Pacific examples radiating their own kind of tropical glamour. There are also examples for specific reunions, training sessions, intake groups and other one-off occurrences. ‘Victory’ and ‘Peace’ flags celebrate the end of World War Two, and a pennant for ‘Operation Overtime’ recognises those Defence Force personnel brought in to work on the wharves during the 1951 Waterfront dispute. Fire fighter? Pennant. Aerodrome construction? Pennant. Making deliveries around the Pacific? You bet there’s a pennant for that.
Whatever the group within the Air Force, there is a good chance it had a pennant.
(All images Air Force Museum of New Zealand)
