Flag of Transvaal

It formed part of a system of colonial flags that was used throughout the British Empire.

In a series of decisions made in 1864, 1865, and 1869, the British government decided that every colony should have a distinctive badge, to be displayed on flags at sea.

The governor was to display the badge in the centre of the Union Jack when travelling by sea; vessels owned by the colony's government were to display it in the fly of the Blue Ensign; and, with Admiralty permission, privately owned ships registered in the colony could display the badge in the fly of the Red Ensign.

[1] A flag badge was duly approved for the Transvaal Colony (formerly the South African Republic), shortly after it had been annexed to the British Empire in 1902.

The lion was no doubt derived from the colony's new Public Seal, and it had also featured on the former South African Republic's coat of arms.