Imperial German Customs Service In The Service Of The Foreign Office Ship’s Ensign, an interesting printed linen example, 106x67cm on a background of the State colours a large central Imperial eagle in full colours, in the upper left canton a gold coloured fouled anchor with red coloured Z and V on either side of the anchor, slight mothing overall but the colours bright £200-300

Note: This is the German Commercial Flag hauled down by Edgar W. Davis on September 19th 1914, at Luderitz Bay, German South West Africa. Davis, a native of Birmingham, served in the quelling of the Rebellion of 1914 and then took part in the campaign in German South West Africa under Generals Botha and Smuts. He returned to Birmingham in 1915 bringing the flag with him, enlisted in the Machine Gun Corps in 1915 and served on the Indian Frontier for the duration of the war. The flag has been passed down in the family since that time.