The civic flagstaff in Royal Parade, which at that time was outside the Civic Centre, was unveiled on October 29th 1947 by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth to mark the beginning of the rebuilding of the City.  The base is a replica of Drake's Drum, with his motto 'Sic parvis magna' "Out of small things great can come".

It should be mentioned that in 2004 the Civic Flagstaff was moved eastwards slightly to make room for the removal of the subway underneath Royal Parade and the new level area outside the Civic Centre.  The Flagstaff is now immediately outside the Guildhall rather than the Civic Centre.

After an absence of many years, the Union Flag was once again hoisted on the Civic Flagstaff on Monday June 15th 2009.  The Lord Mayor of Plymouth, Councillor Ken Foster, performed the ceremony.  It will be flown only on Mondays to Fridays and will be flown at half-mast when a member of the City's armed forces are killed in action.