This flag was souvenired in 1965 from HMAS Curlew, one of the vessels in the Royal Navy’s Inshore Flotilla operating off the coast of Borneo during Confrontation. The emblems on the flag represent the flotilla’s minesweeping squadrons. The footprint symbolises those left by stokers on the teak decks of the 6th British Minesweeping Squadron. The kangaroo represents the Australian vessels which were attached to the 16th British Minesweeping Squadron. The kiwi represents HMNZ ships Santon and Hickleton, which served as part of the 11th British Minesweeping Squadron, represented by the red lion. In the centre of the flag is the ‘Three Legs of Man’ emblem (or Trinacria), which represents the flotilla’s support ship, HMS Manxman, named for the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea.
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