1st Canadian Bell System Flag (1924-1938)
2nd Canadian Bell System Flag Design Change (1939-1951)
3rd Canadian Service Flag Design Change. (1951)
This rare pre-1948 Canadian Bell System flag measures an impressive 6 ft. × 9 ft. (1.8 m × 2.7 m), covering a total area of 54 square feet.
The design dates to 1939 and represents the second Canadian Bell System flag introduced. It was originally displayed in the Bell Telephone building at 479 Clarence Street in London, Ontario. It may have hung in the building’s foyer until it was replaced by the newer Bell Canada Service flag, although the exact dates of its display remain unknown.
Excellent condition for it’s age.
Made of woven wool bunting, this flag features individually stitched Bell System logo pieces and is fitted with a jute rope for hoisting on a flagpole.
It was manufactured by Montreal Tent and Tarpaulin Co. Ltd. of Montreal, Quebec, sometime between 1939 and 1949.
This flag was later discovered stored in a wooden box in a basement storage room of the Clarence Street building. It was removed from storage in 1972 and kept by a Bell employee until the early 1980s. It was then passed to an HVAC contractor working for Bell, who stored it for many years before it came into my possession in February 2018. Since then, it has been carefully preserved in a climate-controlled storage area in my home.
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 was displayed in the 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. Ltd. of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The company began in 1883 when W.H. Griffin founded the Montreal Tent, Awning and Tarpaulin Company. It remained a family-owned business until it ceased operations in 1987
During the First World War, the company contributed to the war effort as part of the Smart/Woods Manufacturing Company, producing tents and bags for military use. After Smart/Woods Manufacturing was dissolved, W.H. Griffin renamed the business Montreal Tent and Tarpaulin Co. Ltd.
In addition to manufacturing tents and tarpaulins, the company also produced canvas manhole covers and canvas tool bags used by Bell Telephone repairmen.
