<Li> The existing flag is historically not the prime national symbol . For most of the time since Federation, it was flown alongside the British Union Jack which took precedence as the national flag from 1924 to 1954 . Until the late 1920s the Federation Flag remained more popular than the Australian flag for public and even some official events . For example, the Federation Flag was flown during the 1927 visit to Australia of the Duke and Duchess of York . The number of points of the stars have varied since 1901 and the present blue version was not adopted as the "national" flag until 1954 . Before then, the Union Jack took precedence and confusion reigned between whether the red or blue version of the Australian flag was to be preferred, with the red often winning out . </Li> <Li> It is spurious to claim that Australians have "fought and died under the flag", given that during most of the wars Australians have been involved in, they have usually "fought under" various British flags or the Australian Red Ensign . Prior to 1941 only 10 per cent of military ensigns were Blue and in 1945 Red ensigns were flown along the route of the official end of war parades . The flag made in secret by the Changi prisoners - of - war was a red ensign . The coffins of Australia's war dead were draped with the Union Jack . </Li> <Li> Although the flag was designed by four Australians, including two teenagers, and a man from New Zealand and chosen through a public competition, the conditions of entry for the Review of Reviews competition--which was integrated into the government initiative--were highly suggestive that the winning design must include the Union Jack and Southern Cross, and final approval lay with King Edward VII and, because both the red and blue versions were considered naval ensigns, the British Admiralty . </Li> <Li> There are 52 countries in the Commonwealth of Nations--only five of them, including the United Kingdom, have the Union Jack in their own flag . </Li>

Why is the british flag in the australian flag
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