Formally the civil ensign of a British colony was always, and still is, an un-defaced Red Ensign (or 'Red Duster'). Only a few dominions and one colony obtained the right to use the British Red Ensign defaced with a badge. The privilege was first granted to Canada (1892), then to New Zealand (1899), Australia (1903), South Africa (1910), Bermuda (1915), the Isle of Man (1971), Guernsey (1985), the Cayman Islands (1988) and Gibraltar (1996). The charges on the last two flags mentioned are of ancient origin. The golden cross on the civil ensign of Guernsey was the main charge of William the Conqueror's gonfanon, accorded to him by the Pope before he embarked on the campaign that ended in victory at the battle of Hastings in 1066. the ensign of Gibraltar displays the arms granted by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain on 10 July 1502. Several former British colonies were so accustomed to the Red Ensign that after gaining independence they introduced a civil ensign in the form of a red flag with the national flag in the canton. The civil ensigns of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the Solomon Islands also have this design. The British innovation of putting the national flag in the canton of a flag or ensign greatly influenced the merchant ensigns of many countries that did not have formal ties with the British Empire. The example of the striped Elizabethan ensigns induced the Portugese to adopt a similar ensign in 1640. The blue and red ensigns served as models for the civil ensigns or national flags of Hanover (1801-1866), Sardinia (1821-1848), Greece (1822-1828), China (1928-1949), Taiwan (since 1949), Spanish Morocco (1937-1956), Samoa (1948-1949), the Khmer Republic (1970-1975), and flags of the French colonies. The flag of the United States was one of the first flags to be modelled on the British ensign.