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Half-mast - Examples

Half-mast - Examples: Encyclopedia II - Half-mast - Examples

Half-mast - Australia. The Flag of Australia is flown half-mast in Australia: On the death of the Sovereign – from the time of announcement of the death up to and including the funeral. On the day the accession of the new Sovereign is proclaimed, it is customary to raise the flag to the top of the mast from 11 a.m.. On the death of a member of a royal family. On the death of the Governor-General or a former Governor-General. On the death of a distinguished Australian citi ...

Half-mast: Encyclopedia II - Half-mast - Examples

Half-mast - Examples

Half-mast - Australia

The Flag of Australia is flown half-mast in Australia:

On the death of the Sovereign – from the time of announcement of the death up to and including the funeral. On the day the accession of the new Sovereign is proclaimed, it is customary to raise the flag to the top of the mast from 11 a.m..
On the death of a member of a royal family.
On the death of the Governor-General or a former Governor-General.
On the death of a distinguished Australian citizen. Flags in any locality may be flown at half-mast on the death of a notable local citizen or on the day, or part of the day, of their funeral.
On the death of the head of state of another country with which Australia has diplomatic relations – the flag would be flown on the day of the funeral.
On ANZAC day the flag is flown half-mast until noon.
On Remembrance Day flags are flown at peak till 10:30 am, at half mast from 10:30am to 11:03am, then at peak the remainder of the day

Half-mast - Canada

Flags are flown at half-staff in Canada:

Upon the death of the Sovereign, the current Governor General of Canada or the current Prime Minister of Canada: from the time of notification of death until sunset on the day of the funeral or the memorial service.
Upon the death of the Sovereign's spouse, the Heir to the Throne, the Heir of the Heir to the Throne, a former Governor General, the Chief Justice of Canada, government ministers, or a former Prime Minister: from the time of notification of death until sunset on the day of the funeral or, if there is to be a memorial service, the half-staff should take place from the time of notification of death until sunset the following day and from sunrise to sunset on the day of the memorial service.
April 28, Day of Mourning for Persons Killed or Injured in the Workplace (coinciding with World Day for Safety and Health at Work)
Last Sunday in September, Police and Peace Officers' National Memorial Day
November 11, Remembrance Day
December 6, National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
Many discretionary provisions apply, and some occasions exist where the flag is half-staff at the Peace Tower but not at other federal facilities. One example was the day of rememberance in the United States for the victims of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans (September 16, 2005)
- On the following days, half-staffing of the flag on the Peace Tower is mandatory:
  - April 9, Vimy Ridge Day
  - Annual memorial service on Parliament Hill to remember deceased parliamentarians
  - September 11, America Remembers. In addition, flags are half-staffed at Canadian diplomatic missions in the United States.
- Sometimes, at discretionary occasions, the flag is half-staffed not just at the Peace Tower, but on all other federal facilities (some examples included 9/11, 9/11 anniversary, state funeral of Ronald Reagan, the tsunami in Asia, the RCMP massacre in Mayerthorpe, Ab., death of Pope John Paul II, 20th anniversary of Air India Flight 182, London bombings, and following the death of Ernest Alvia "Smokey" Smith (the last living Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross)).

Half-mast - India

The flag is flown at half-staff for the death of the President, Vice-President and Prime Minister all over India. For the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of The Supreme Court of India, it is flown in Delhi and for a Union Cabinet Minister it is flown in Delhi and the state capitals. For Minister of State, it is flown only in Delhi. For a Governor, Lt. Governor and Chief Minister of a state or union territory it is flown in the concerned state.

If the intimation of the death of any dignitary is received in the afternoon, the flag shall be flown at half-staff on the following day also at the place or places indicated above, provided the funeral has not taken place before sun-rise on that day. On the day of the funeral of a dignitary mentioned above, the flag shall be flown at half-staff at the place of the funeral.

In the event of a half-staff day coinciding with the Republic Day, Independence Day, Mahatma Gandhi's birthday, National Week (6th to 13th April), any other particular day of national rejoicing as may be specified by the Government of India or in the case of a state, on the anniversary of formation of that state, flags are not permitted to be flown at half-staff except over the building where the body of the deceased is lying until it has been removed and that flag shall be raised to the full-staff position after the body has been removed.

Observances of State mourning on the death of foreign dignitaries are governed by special instructions issued from the Ministry of Home Affairs (Home Ministry) in individual cases. However, in the event of death of either the Head of the State or Head of the Government of a foreign country, the Indian Mission accredited to that country may fly the national flag on the above mentioned days.

Half-mast - Israel

Flags are flown at half-staff in Israel:

On Yom HaShoah, or the Holocaust Remembrance Day.
On Yom Hazikaron, or Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism Remembrance Day.
On other national days of mourning.

Half-mast - Saudi Arabia

The flag of Saudi Arabia is the only flag that is never flown at half mast, because the flag shows the shahadah. Since it bears the "name of God (Allah)", the flag is never lowered to half-staff as a sign of mourning.

Half-mast - United Kingdom

There was some controversy in the United Kingdom in 1997 following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales that no flag was flying (at half-staff or otherwise) at Buckingham Palace. Until 1997, the only flag to fly from Buckingham Palace was the Royal Standard, the official flag of the reigning British sovereign, which would only fly when the sovereign was in residence at the Palace (or, exceptionally, after the death of the sovereign, the flag of the next senior member of the Royal Family would be raised); otherwise, no flag would fly, and a flag would never fly at half-staff, even in times of mourning.

In response to public outcry that the palace was not flying a flag at half mast, the Queen ordered a break with protocol and the Union Flag was flown at half-staff over the Palace on the day of Diana's funeral. Since then, the Union Flag flies from the Palace when the Queen is not in residence, and has flown at half mast upon the deaths of members of the Royal Family, such as the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret, and other times of national mourning such as following the terrorist bombings in London on 7 July 2005.

Half-mast - United States

In the United States, the President or Governor of a state or territory can issue an Executive Order for the flag of the United States to be flown at half-staff upon the death of principal figures of the United States government, and others, as a mark of respect to their memory. When such an order is issued, government buildings, offices, and military bases are to fly their flags at half-staff. Private organizations and individuals usually also fly their flags at half-staff at these times, but are not required by law to do so. Governors, by law and custom of their particular state, are able to direct by Executive Order their respective state flags be flown at half-staff.

Upon the order of the President, the flag is to be flow at half-staff in following circumstances:

For thirty days after the death of a current or former President.
For ten days after the death of a current or former Vice-President, Chief Justice, or Speaker of the House of Representatives.
From the day of death until interment of an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, a Secretary of an executive or military department, a former Vice President, or the Governor of a State, territory, or possession
On the day of death and the following day for a Member of Congress
On Memorial Day until noon
By Presidential proclamation (as requested by U.S. Congress) on September 11 (Patriot Day), and December 7, National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, (see US Code: Title 36, Chapter 1)
Upon Executive Order of the President (some examples include for remembrance of the 9/11 attacks, the death of Pope John Paul II, the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003, the victims of Hurricane Katrina, and the Indian Ocean tsunami)

US Federal law requires the flag be flow on Peace Officers Memorial Day (May 15), unless that day is also Armed Forces Day.