The English Flag (i.e. the red cross on a white background) is the cross of St. George and probably originates from when England became England sometime after the invasion of Vikings, Danes, Angles etc. It is supposed to be the signal of the patron saint that he carried in battle. This is the same as the Scottish and original Welsh flag.

The British flag or Union Jack, is a combination of the three, English, Scottish and Irish. The Welsh flag is part of this union of countries, but it was not ruled like these countries were so it was not included in the Union Jack flag.

The Scottish flag, the white cross on a blue field, is St. Andrew's cross. That's where the blue comes from in the British flag. (which isn't the answer to the question see paragraph 1 above).

The traditionnal flag of England was the Norman golden leopards on the red ground, "de gueules � trois l�opards d'or". During the crusades, beginning in 1095,European knights had a common cross but in different colours:

French had the red cross English had the white one German had the black one...

However when French army enlisted Swiss mercenaries during XV� century, wearing a white cross on a red ground, English adopted red cross on a white ground to avoid confusion. This was during the last part of the Hundred Years War, during the reigns of Charles VI of France and Henry V of England.

Here is I read in a book at the library. Philippe

The Union Jack - (Only called this when flown on a ship)

The flag of the United Kingdom, the Union Jack, is a superposition of the flags of Saint George (for England), Saint Andrew (for Scotland) and Saint Patrick (for Ireland). The creation of the original Union Flag started in 1603 when James VI of Scotland also became James I of England and on April 12, 1606 the first 'Union Flag' was created. It was a superposition of the red cross of St George of England and the saltire of St Andrew of Scotland. The Welsh flag never became part of the Union Flag, as Wales had been annexed by Edward I of England much earlier on and so was considered part of the kingdom of England.

The above answer is essentially correct - but in reality desrcibes the Flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Norhern Ireland, which is a constituational state of different nations.

The English National Flag

The English Flag of the English nation is the blood red cross of St George on a White background. It forms the central cross of the Union Jack described above. It is the flag of the English Patron saint and christian martyr St George. A very good book to read on this subject is St George by Giles Morgan http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Special:Booksources&isbn=0785522321

The Flag of the Ethnic English People

Many English claim that the original flag of the Ethnic English going way back to Anglo-Saxon times is the White Dragon Flag - which probably would have been a wind sock type standard carried in battles. See http://www.englandandenglishhistory.com/English-white-dragon/default.aspx for an outline of the flag and its origins.

Use of St George's Cross as the English Banner:

The original English flag consisted of the English Royal Banner of three golden lions (or leopards) on a red background. However, St George began to become prominent in Edward I's rule and came to the fore under King Edward III as one of his saints. It was Edward III who began the habit of flying the banner of St. George in battle. Sometimes hundreds of banners would be flown in battle for the English to rally round (as well as their own lord's banners and of course, the English Royal Banner).

As the Hundred Years War progressed the banner of St. George became more important especially after English victories and was soon adpoted as the de facto national flag for English troops and eventually the nation as a whole as common folk had no right to their own banner like the magnates of the land.

The Union Jack in the upper left quadrant of the Australian flag is an historical reminder that Australia was settled by the British. It represents Australia's relationship with Britain as a member of the Commonwealth and also as the parent nation. The Union Jack is a combination of the flags of the United Kingdom - England (St. George's cross), Scotland (St. Andrew's cross) and Ireland (St. Patrick's cross).

The group of five stars on the right hand side form the constellation of the Southern Cross, a valuable navigation aid to early sailors travelling through the southern hemisphere, and an unofficial symbol of Australia, the southern continent. It is visible and distinctive in Australia and other parts of the Southern Hemisphere, so it relates to Australia's geographic position.

The sixth star, situated below the Union Jack, is known as the Federation star or Commonwealth star. It has seven points, with six of the points representing the six states of Australia, and the seventh representing Australia's two mainland territories as well as its numerous external (offshore) territories.

The design of the Australian flag came about following Federation of the Australian states on 1 January 1901. On 29 April 1901, the new Commonwealth Government announced a Federal Flag design competition which attracted over 30,000 entries. The idea for the competition was initiated by Melbourne journal Review for Australiasia in 1900. The competition rules stipulated that the flag would need to feature a British Ensign with a badge representative of Australia.

Five almost identical entries were selected to share the prize, and there were two designs selected: two designs were announced as the competition winners - a blue flag which would be used by the government, and an identical design on a red background, to be used by merchant ships.

The five entries came from Ivor Evans, a fourteen-year-old schoolboy from Melbourne; Leslie John Hawkins, a Sydney teenager who was apprenticed to an optician; Melbourne architect Egbert John Nuttall; Annie Dorrington, an artist from Perth; and ship's officer William Stevens who was from Auckland, New Zealand.

The flag was slightly modified by the British Admiralty in 1903, with the stars of the Southern Cross being simplified. In 1908, the Australian Government increased the number of points on the Commonwealth star from six to seven points, with the seventh point representing Australia's mainland and offshore territories.

The design of the Australian flag came about following Federation of the Australian states on 1 January 1901. On 29 April 1901, the new Commonwealth Government announced a Federal Flag design competition which attracted over 30,000 entries. The idea for the competition was initiated by Melbourne journal Review for Australiasia in 1900.

Five almost identical entries were selected to share the prize, and there were two designs selected: two designs were announced as the competition winners - a blue flag which would be used by the government, and an identical design on a red background, to be used by merchant ships.

The five entries came from Ivor Evans, a fourteen-year-old schoolboy from Melbourne; Leslie John Hawkins, a Sydney teenager who was apprenticed to an optician; Melbourne architect Egbert John Nuttall; Annie Dorrington, an artist from Perth; and ship's officer William Stevens who was from Auckland, New Zealand.

On 3 September 1901, the new Australian flag flew for the first time from the top of the Exhibition Building in Melbourne. The flag was slightly modified by the British Admiralty in 1903, with the stars of the Southern Cross being simplified, and the design was approved by King Edward VII in 1902. In 1908, the Australian Government increased the number of points on the Commonwealth star from six to seven points, with the seventh point representing Australia's mainland and offshore territories.