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General Post Office, United Kingdom

by Miles Li

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United Kingdom

A Blue Ensign defaced by an hour glass in the hand of Old Father Time, being shattered by an electrical discharge, was granted to the cable-laying ships of the General Post Office on 22 January 1877.
1969. The General Post Office, a government department became a government owned public corporation and was separated into two divisions, Posts and Telecoms. The cable ships went to Telecoms.
1981. Telecoms was privatised as British Telecoms.
1994. The cable ships were sold to Cable & Wireless.
1999. The marine division of Cable & Wireless was sold to Global Crossing Inc and became part of Global Marine Systems Ltd. cable ships. Only those ships that were originally owned by British Telecoms, CS's Sovereign, Iris and Monarch, are permitted to wear the defaced Blue Ensign. All other British registered GMS ships wear the Red Ensign.

David Prothero, 24 September 2004

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