Iranian naval ensign : Commander W H Harrington, HMAS Yarra

Wool pennant divided horizontally into green, white and red sections. Near the hoist is a symbol of a lion holding a sword surrounded by a laurel wreath and surmounted by a crown. A small cotton label is sewn to the hoist and printed in black with the text ' "FIB" Pola'.

This ensign was collected in 1941 by Commander Wilfred Hastings Harrington, captain of HMAS Yarra II during engagements with the Imperial Iranian Navy in late August 1941. The Yarra was commissioned on 21 January 1936. In August 1940 she left Australia to join the Royal Navy's Red Sea Force. From April 1941 Yarra was involved in the campaign in Iraq which was successfully concluded in late May. In June 1941 the German Army invaded Russia, causing great concern in Britain for the security of their oil interests in Iran and access to British possessions in India. Britain and Russia agreed to a joint operation to squash any pro-German support in the region. The invasion, the British part of which consisted of three simultaneous operations, was fixed for 25 August 1941. The Yarra, together with a British sloop, HMS Falmouth, a tug and a launch, was detailed to capture the Iranian naval base at Khorramshahr. However, as the ships set off early in the morning, the Falmouth ran aground and the Yarra was forced to continue alone. The Yarra arrived off the base at about 4 am and remained concealed behind a merchant vessel until gunfire downstream indicated that the other operations had begun. Harrington then opened fire on, and sank the Iranian sloop Babr. Continuing closer to the naval base the Yarra encountered little resistance from the two Iranian gunboats stationed there, capturing them both. Meanwhile the Falmouth had freed herself and joined the Yarra about 5.30 am. Troops were disembarked from both ships to capture the naval base. By 10 am the base was in British hands and the Yarra transferred her prisoners to another vessel. By nightfall Khorramshahr was secured and the Yarra sailed for Banda Abbas.