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Dictionary of Vexillology: G (Guardant – Gyrons)

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GUARDANT
GUBERNATORIAL FLAG
GUEST ON BOARD FLAG (or GUEST FLAG)
GUIDON
GUL(S) (or GULLS)
GULES
GUN SALUTE
GUNTFANO
GUTTÉ (or GUTTY)
GYRONNY
GYRONNY CROSS
GYRONNY WAVY
GYRON(S)

GUARDANT

The heraldic term used when an animal has its face towards the onlooker – gardant (see also ‘affronty’ and ‘caboshed’).

Flag of the Duchy of Lancaster, UK; Flag of Häggenschwil, Switzerland; Flag of the Cinque Ports, UK

GUBERNATORIAL FLAG

In US usage, the term for a flag which symbolizes the office of governor – a governor’s flag – see ‘governor's flag 1)’.

Gubernational/Governor's Flags of Tennessee, Hawaii and California, US

GUEST ON BOARD FLAG (or GUEST FLAG)

In US usage the practice, almost certainly obsolete, of flying a blue flag with a white descending diagonal stripe from the starboard yardarm (or spreader) of a pleasure vessel when a guest is on board but the owner is absent (see also ‘descending diagonal’, ‘dinner flag’, ‘meal pennant’, ‘owner absent flag’ and ‘yardarm’).

Guest on Board Flag, US

GUIDON

1) In US and some other military usage, a small, generally swallow-tailed flag used by army formations below battalion level – company, battery, troop, platoon, detachment – and at group level in the air force (but see also ‘fanion 2)’ and ‘swallow tail(ed)’).

2) In UK and some other military usage, the swallow-tailed flag (sometimes double-tailed descate, descate or other variations) that is the cavalry equivalent of an infantry regimental colour, and still displayed on fighting vehicles by their successors (see also ‘colour 2)’, ‘cornet’, ‘chamfered swallow-tail’, ‘descate’, ‘double-tailed descate’, ‘hussar cut’ and ‘rounded swallow-tail’).

3) A Scottish flag 2.40 m long, tapering to a rounded (or lanceolate) fly, it has a body in livery colours, with the owner's crest or badge at the hoist and his motto in the fly, and is used by lairds who have a following but are not peers or feudal barons – see ‘pennon 3)’ (also ‘badge in heraldry’, ‘lanceolate’, ‘livery colours’, ‘motto’ and ‘pinsel’).

4) Generically, any small swallow-tailed flag.

Guidon of the 511th Military Police Co, US (Tom Gregg); Guidon of the Blues and Royals, UK (Graham Bartram/Željko Heimer); Guidon of the Royal Gloucestershire Yeomanry 1797, UK

Please note, some sources suggest that the term is derived from guide-homme (guide-man), but this remains unproven, and the similarity with the medieval terms ‘geton’, ‘giton’ or ‘gytton’ cannot be ignored.

GUL(S) (or GULLS)

A term used to describe the individual segment or segments of a geometric carpet design and usually employed to describe those on the national flag of Turkmenistan.

National Flag of Turkmenistan and enlarged detail

GULES

A heraldic term for the colour red – see ‘tinctures’ (also ‘rule of tincture’).

GUN SALUTE

1) A form of saluting, ashore and afloat, in which 21 blank rounds are fired by artillery or naval guns to honour a country or its flag.

2) A form of saluting in which an appropriate number of guns are fired to honour a head of state, other dignitary, or a senior officer, or the flag representing him (see also ‘broad pennant’, ‘distinguishing flag 1)’, ‘flag of command’, ‘flagship’ and ‘rank flag 1)’).

Gun Salute, Holland 1707 (Wikipedia); Gun Salute by the Royal Horse Artillery UK (Wikipedia)

Notes
a) With regard to 2), in UK RN and in some other usage during an exchange of such salutes, naval officers receive the number of guns appropriate to their rank – that is an Admiral of the Fleet/five star admiral/grand admiral – 19 guns; Admiral – 17 guns; Vice Admiral – 15 guns; Rear Admiral – 13 guns, whilst a Commodore receives 11 guns and a Captain only seven.
b) In some countries a celebratory salute of as many as 101 guns may be fired at the birth of a royal heir or other occasion of national celebration (example: 50 guns at noon on 4 July at US Army posts), and that minute guns (that is one shot fired every minute) may be fired in connection with the death or funeral of a person entitled to a gun salute.

GUNTFANO

A medieval term, now obsolete, for a gonfanon (see ‘gonfanon’).

Guntfano/Gonfanon of Eustache III of Auvergne c1100

GUTTÉ (or GUTTY)

Alternative heraldic terms covering gouttes – see ‘gouttes’.

Flag and Arms of Samnanger, Norway

GYRONNY

The heraldic term used when the field of a flag, a shield or any quartering thereof is divided into sectors (called gyrons or girons) radiating from or near the centre of the flag or shield – typically eight in heraldic practice, but an undetermined number on flags – Geronny or Gironné. See radiant, cross gyronny and gyron (plus compare with radiating, sector(s) 1), sectored 2) and flammes). ^{See supplemental note}

Flag of Santiago do Cacém, Portugal; Naval Jack of The Netherlands; Flag of Maia, Portugal

GYRONNY CROSS

In heraldry see ‘cross gyronny’.

Flag of Eelde, The Netherlands

GYRONNY WAVY

A heraldic phrase covering the vexillological term flammes – see ‘flammes 1)’.

Flag of Mulhouse, Germany 1770–1798

GYRON(S)

The heraldic term covering an individual segment (or group of segments) that make up the field of a shield or flag divided per gyronny – see ‘gyronny’.

Example (Wikipedia); Flag and Arms of São Bernardo, Portugal

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