Canadian Bell System Flag (1924-1938)
Canadian Bell System Flag Design Change (1939-1951)
Canadian Service Flag Design Change. (1951)
This is a very scarce pre 1948 very large 6′ X 9′ 1939 Canadian Design Bell System flag that was found in a wooden box in an old storage room in the basement of Bell Telephone building 479 Clarence St. London, Ontario that was built around 1929. The flag was removed from storage in 1972 and kept by a Bell employee until the early 1980’s. Then, an outside HVAC contractor for Bell received the flag from the Bell employee and at that time it was stored again until I received it in February of 2018. It is now been stored in a climate controlled storage area for safe keeping. This is the second design that was introduced in 1939. It had only been flown over the Bell Telephone building in London, Ontario between 1939 to 1949 prior to the 1949 construction of the addition of two floors on the building and the 1951 design change to the Canadian Service flag design. This flag is made out of a woven woollen bunting material. All the logo pieces are stitched together and a jute rope to attach the flag to a pole.
Manufactured by Montreal Tent and Tarpaulin Co Limited. Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Circa 1939 – 1949)
September 28th 2023 Updated pictures showing reverse side.
Different year, different camera
Front side – Reverse side
An article in Bell Telephone Quarterly, July 1923 that claimed the flag was adopted and flown at The President’s Conference, beginning on May 26 1923. Images of the flag photo and the relevant quote are below.
The presidents of the Associated Companies of the Bell System met with the executives of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company for a five-day conference at Yama Farms, on May 26th 1923. A feature of the conference was the adoption of a Bell System flag which is pictured below on the left. They were flown from hundreds of Bell-owned buildings, to suggest the national character of the service as well as the immense physical resources of the Bell System.
The Bell Telephone Company of Canada used the Bell System logo from 1924 until 1951 and this style of flag was flown on all Canadian Bell buildings at the time. This flag came from a Bell building at 479 Clarence St. London, Ontario. The building was built in 1929 and had an upper floor addition added in 1949.
This flag was manufactured by Montreal Tent and Tarpaulin Co Limited Montreal Quebec, Canada. Montreal Tent Awning and Tarpaulin Company was started by WH Griffin, in 1883 and remained a family business until it ceased operations in 1987. During World War I, it was part of the war effort as a Smart/Woods Manufacturing facility (making tents and bags for the war effort). When the Smart/Woods Manufacturing Company disassembled, WH Griffin changed the company name to Montreal Tent and Tarpaulin Company Ltd. They also made canvas manhole covers and canvas bags for the Bell Telephone repairmen.
