The first Royal Canadian Air Force Ensign was dedicated at All Saints Anglican Church in 1944, but due to deterioration, was replaced in 1982 by an ensign donated by the Wartime Pilots’ and Observers’ Association. The ensign will remain in place until it disintegrates. It is a Royal Air Force blue field with the Union Jack next to the staff and a roundel of blue and white, with a red maple leaf in the center. This ensign hangs above a memorial plaque erected in memory of those who gave their lives serving with the Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force, and the Air Forces of the Commonwealth during the Second World War. Due to All Saints Anglican Church's proximity to Fort Osborne, in their early years they were known as "the military church" and had many military personnel as parishioners.
An ensign is the flag that identifies a unit's or organization’s history. On 30 November 1921, the Canadian Air Force Ensign, identical to that of the Royal Air Force, was unfurled for the first time at Camp Borden, Ontario. In June 1940, the King approved the Royal Canadian Air Force Ensign, which replaced the roundel’s original red circle center with a red maple leaf. The ensign was retired upon the introduction of the National Flag of Canada in 1965 and the introduction of the Canadian Armed Forces Ensign.
In 1972, the Royal Canadian Air Force Association petitioned Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to decree that the ensign, (declared obsolete by the Department of National Defence Director of Ceremonial) should become a living symbol for the Association. In September 1973, the Association was advised that by Royal Decree the ensign was theirs and would henceforth be known as the Royal Canadian Air Force Association Ensign.
The Royal Canadian Air Force Association changed its name to Air Force Association of Canada in 1994, and on January 1, 1997 the ensign was officially trade-marked to be known as the Air Force Association Ensign. In 1984, an Air Command flag was authorized by the Department of National Defence. It resembles the Air Force Association Ensign with the Canadian flag replacing the Union Jack.
