The house flag of David MacBrayne Ltd, Glasgow. A dark blue pennant with two overlapping saltires in red and white at the hoist end. The flag is made of a wool and synthetic fibre bunting. It has a cotton hoist and is machine sewn. A rope and toggle is attached.

The founder of the company, David Macbrayne had worked for the shipping firm of D&A Hutcheson, becoming a partner by the late 1840’s. By 1878 the Hutcheson brothers had retired and in 1879 the company was renamed David Macbrayne. The company had a virtual monopoly in the transportation of agricultural goods and passengers from the Scottish mainland to the Inner and Outer Hebrides. David Macbrayne retired in 1906 and his sons took over the running of the business. The firm became a limited company from this date. After family sold out in 1928, the company, now David Macbrayne (1928) Ltd, was owned jointly by LMS Railway and Coast Lines Ltd, running services to the Western Isles. Macbraynes were nationalised in 1948 at the same time as the railways. In 1969 the company became part of the newly formed Scottish Transport Group and in 1973 was merged with the Caledonian Steam Packet Company to form Caledonian Macbrayne with its headquarters in Gourock. Since then the fleet has been totally rebuilt, routes converted to drive-through and new routes added. It has added services to Northern Ireland services to its traditional routes to the Western Isles and Shetland. (Research: Lionel Moore)