What a load of trouble flags cause. Check out the latest headache in this story from Beds on Sunday describing how Bedford's Swan Hotel has been flying the union flag (note flag not jack which is on a ship) the wrong way round because one of the diagonal red stripes is in the wrong place. I did the scout thing as a lad and of course we went through all this and I have level III flag knowledge - sad I know. Thus the jack/flag special knowledge.
But it gets worse...
The first union flag was designed for James I (and VI of Scotland, if Mr Salmond is reading in Edinburgh) with the union of the two crowns. The English red cross was superimposed on the white and dark blue saltire. So far so good, you actually had a asymmetrical flag and no nonsense about what way round. If you see paintings, or models, of the British Army in action in say North America (against the French and Indians in the 1750s and the Americans in the 1770s) you will see no diagonal red stripes in the flags. See below
This came in 1801 with the merging of the Irish and English Parliaments. A red diagonal cross was inserted between St George and the Saltire and the country renamed the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. But they did this strange design where the right hand upper red is higher than the left hand upper so you knew which way is up. Or not.
The ATC fly the flag in Cranfiield and as far as I am aware they always get it right. Next up, Her Maj's birthday on 21 April.
Visit http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/gb-hist.html
But it gets worse...
The first union flag was designed for James I (and VI of Scotland, if Mr Salmond is reading in Edinburgh) with the union of the two crowns. The English red cross was superimposed on the white and dark blue saltire. So far so good, you actually had a asymmetrical flag and no nonsense about what way round. If you see paintings, or models, of the British Army in action in say North America (against the French and Indians in the 1750s and the Americans in the 1770s) you will see no diagonal red stripes in the flags. See below
This came in 1801 with the merging of the Irish and English Parliaments. A red diagonal cross was inserted between St George and the Saltire and the country renamed the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. But they did this strange design where the right hand upper red is higher than the left hand upper so you knew which way is up. Or not.
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| Today: Note top right hand corner |
Visit http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/gb-hist.html
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