~ WW2 Leander Class Light Cruiser HMS Ajax Royal Navy White Ensign Battle Of River Plate ~
The flag is stamped boldly ‘AJAX’ and there are some early stamps of ‘1910’ in an oval (the text there is too worn to be read), and ‘WHITE ENSIGN 4.BDS’.
The two proceeding Ajax’s were battleships and this flag is much too small for such a large vessel. This one is the right size for a light cruiser so the flag was reused from earlier but similar unknown ships.
~ HMS Ajax ~
HMS Ajax was a Leander-class light cruiser which served with the Royal Navy during World War II. She became famous for her part in the Battle of the River Plate, the Battle of Crete, the Battle of Malta and as a supply escort in the siege of Tobruk. This ship was the eighth in the Royal Navy to bear the name. In February 1942, she was adopted by the civil community of Halifax.~ Battle Of The River Plate ~
When the German raider, Admiral Graf Spee, became a threat, Force G was formed from Ajax (flagship, Commodore Henry Harwood), Exeter and Achilles, all cruisers. (Cumberland, also part of this force, was undergoing a refit at Port Stanley). Force G located and engaged Graf Spee on 13 December, despite the German warship’s greater firepower. Ajax was hit seven times by the Germans: X and Y turrets were disabled, structural damage was sustained and there were 12 casualties including 7 killed. Exeter, more severely damaged, retired, leaving the two light cruisers to maintain contact with Graf Spee when she withdrew to Montevideo. The reasons for the German ship’s withdrawal and her failure to exploit her advantage are unclear, but there was damage to her bows, that affected her sea-worthiness, and to her fuel systems. Ajax and Achilles, joined by Cumberland, awaited events and successfully bluffed the Germans into believing that a superior force was on hand. Graf Spee was scuttled by her own crew. Ajax refuelled at Port Stanley and resumed her patrol.
In January 1940, she returned to Britain for refit, via Montevideo, Rio de Janeiro and Freetown, Sierra Leone. She was joined en route by the aircraft carrier Ark Royal, the battlecruiser Renown and the destroyers Hasty, Hero, Dainty and Diamond. Ajax arrived at Plymouth at the end of January; the following month, she was handed over to Chatham Dockyard for refit.
~ Condition ~
Please refer to the images, it has obviously been at sea a lot as the fabric has worn thin. There are a couple of very small holes.
~ Dimensions ~
The flag is 180 cm (71 inches) wide and 89 cm (35 inches) tall. It would have been the standard 6 foot (72 inches) by 3 foot (36 inches) originally but has shrunk a bit with time.
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