"::darkshadows::" <bat@cave.org> wrote in
news:f11q05dm4s3lkhaupgjl53vme5asiluq0c@4ax.com:
>
>
> The story of the United Kingdom and the Union Flag
>
>
> Picture 01-- A flag containing three other flags.
>
>
> The Union Flag, popularly known as the *Union Jack, is the national
> flag of the United Kingdom. It is the British flag.
>
> It is called the Union Flag because it symbolises the administrative
> union of the countries of the United Kingdom. It is made up up of the
> individual Flags of three of the Kingdom's countries all united under
> one Sovereign - the countries of 'England, of 'Scotland' and of
> 'Northern Ireland' (since 1921 only Northern Ireland has been part of
> the United Kingdom). As Wales was not a Kingdom but a Principality it
> could not be included on the flag.
>
>
>
> ****"'Union Jack' was officially acknowledged as an alternative name
> for the Union Flag by the Admiralty and Parliament in the early 20th
> century. The term 'jack' refers to the flag that is flown from the
> bowsprit of a ship, often denoting nationality."
>
> ****The Union Flag is commonly known as the Union Jack, although the
> exact origin of the name is unclear. One explanation is that it gets
> its name from the "jack staff" of naval vessels from which the
> original Union Flag was flown.
>
> ****Historian David Starkey said that the Union Flag is called 'Jack'
> because it is named after James l of Great Britain (Jacobus , Latin
> for James), who introduced the flag following his accession to the
> throne.
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> -------
>
> The Making of the Union Flag
> St George - England
>
> Picture 02 -- The National Flag of England
> England is represented by the flag of St. George
>
>
> In 1194 A.D., Richard I of England introduced the Cross of St. George,
> a red cross on a white ground, as the National Flag of England.
>
> At this point in the story on the United Kingdom, England, Scotland,
> Wales and Ireland were separate countries. However, this was soon to
> change....
>
> In 1536, under Henry VIII, an Act of Union was passed making Wales, in
> effect a province of England.
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> ------------
>
> Picture 03 -- The Making of the Union Flag
> St Andrew - Scotland
>
> The National Flag of Scotland
> Scottish flag
>
> Scotland is represented by the flag of St. Andrew
> (a diagonal white cross form (called a saltire) on a blue field)
>
>
> After Queen Elizabeth I of England died in 1603, King James VI of
> Scotland inherited the English throne and became King James I of
> England. It was a Union of the Crowns, but not yet of the nations.
> Each country still kept their own parliaments.
>
> Early in his reign James attempted to combine England and Scotland in
> a united kingdom of 'Great Britain'. This was the policy he presented
> to his first Parliament, called on 22 March 1604. The union was
> resisted.
>
> James defied them. On 20 October 1604 he proclaimed a new title for
> himself as 'King of Great Britain'.
>
> But what flag should be used?
>
> A problem arose, which flag should be hoisted on the king's ships.
> English sailors resented the Scottish colours scotand the Scots
> scorned the cross of St. George England.
>
> In 1606 the problem was solved ........
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> ----------
>
>
> ....... A compromise was the answer and it led to the creation of the
> first Union Flag.
>
> On 12 April 1606, the National Flags of Scotland and England were
> united for use at sea, thus making the first Union 'Jack'. Ashore
> however, the old flags of England and Scotland continued to be used by
> their respective countries.
>
> A royal decree declared that the ships of the Kingdom of Great Britain
> "shall bear on their maintops the red cross, commonly called St.
> George's cross, and the white cross, commonly called St. Andrew's
> cross."
>
> English flag + Scottish flag
>
> Picture 04 -- The Union Flag of 1606
> The first Union Flag (1606)
>
> When the red cross of England was put onto the flag of Scotland, a
> white border was added around the red cross for reasons of heraldry.
> (The rules of heraldry demanded that two colours must never touch each
> other.)
>
> On 28th July, 1707, during the reign of Queen Anne, this flag was by
> royal proclamation made the National flag of Great Britain, for use
> ashore and afloat.
>
> The Act of Union of 1707, joined England and Scotland together,
> creating a single kingdom with a single Parliament called 'United
> Kingdom of Great Britain'.
>
> England Wales and Scotland were now united together under one monarch
> and one parliament.
>
> The Royal Navy christened the British flag " The Union".
>
> Interesting Fact:
> When the 'Union Flag' was first introduced, in 1606, it was known
> simply as 'the British flag' or 'the flag of Britain'.
>
> Nearly one hundred years later, another country was added to the Union
> flag ....
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> ----------
>
> Northern Ireland - St Patrick
>
> Picture 05 -- Ireland is represented by the cross of St. Patrick
> (a diagonal red cross on a white background.)
>
>
>
> On 1 January 1801, Ireland was united with Great Britain and it became
> necessary to have a new National Flag in which Ireland was
> represented. The cross St Patrick was combined with the Union Flag of
> St George and St Andrew, to create the Union Flag that has been flown
> ever since.
>
> Picture 06 -- Union Flag
>
> The cross of St. Patrick was inserted so the position given to St.
> Andrew's Cross in one quarter was the same as that given to the Irish
> one in the diagonally opposite quarter; in heraldry this is known as
> "counterchanging"
>
>
> The Union Flag with the St. George's Cross removed showing how the
> saltires (diagonal crosses) are counterchanged.
>
> The 'new' British flag is not symmetrical because of the
> counterchange.
>
> As Scotland joined the Union nearly two hundred years before Ireland,
> St Andrew's Cross was placed uppermost in the top quarter nearest the
> flagstaff, this being the most honourable position according to
> heraldry, while the Irish Cross was given the second most honourable
> position, the top quarter of the fly.
>
> In order to avoid having the red of the Irish Cross directly upon the
> blue field of the Scottish one an edging of the white field of the
> Irish Cross is used.
>
> The symbols of Scotland and Ireland are placed sided by side on the
> Union Flag.
>
> England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland were now all joined together and
> called the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The name was
> later changed to United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
> when the greater part of Ireland left the United Kingdom in 1921.
>
> NB. The St. Patrick's Cross remains in the flag even though today only
> Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom.
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> ----------
>
>
>
> To summarize...
>
> The formation of the Union Flag (Union Jack) came about as the result
> of the progressive merging of the inhabitants of the British Isles
> under one throne.
>
> 1603 - King James VI of Scotland inherited the English throne and
> became King James I of England.
>
> 1606 - the National Flags of Scotland and England were united for use
> at sea, thus making the first Union Flag
>
> The Union Flag of 1606
> The first Union Flag (1606)
>
> 1707 - during the reign of Queen Anne, the first Union Flag was by
> royal proclamation made the National flag of Great Britain, for use
> ashore and afloat.
>
> 1801 - Ireland was united with Great Britain and the present Union
> Flag was formed.
>
> The Union Flag consists of the three heraldic crosses of St George, St
> Andrew and St Patrick.
>
> The flags of the Patron Saints of England, Scotland and Ireland are
> represented on the Union Flag. But, why is Wales not represented on
> the Union Flag?
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> -----------
>
> Why doesn't the Welsh dragon appear on the Union Flag?
>
> Picture 07 -- Welsh Flag
>
> The Welsh dragon does not appear on the flag because when the first
> Union Flag was created in 1606, Wales was already united with England
> from the 13th century. This meant that Wales was a Principality
> instead of a Kingdom and as such could not be included.
>
> In 1536, under Henry VIII, the Act of Union joined England and Wales
> officially.
>
> Please note:
> Wales has never been conquered (forcibly take control and possession
> of a foreign land) not by the Romans and certainly not the English or
> anyone. Partial invasion took place but possession was never fulfilled
> because of the geography and terrain allowed the native population an
> ideal base to operate a very effective resistance. There was always a
>
>
> Picture 08 -- What would the Union Flag look like if Wales was
> represented?
>
> In November 2007, a Welsh MP, Ian Lucas, asked parliament why Wales is
> not represented in the Union Jack. Of course, we have the answer here
> on our website, but what if Wales was represented, what would the flag
> look like?
>
> Below you can see Ian Lucas' version of the Union flag with Wales
> represented:
>
> Union Flag with Wales represented
>
> Does the Union Flag as we know it, have a future?
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> -----------
>
> The Future of the UK's Flag
>
>
> At the moment, the countries representing the UK, are still united
> under one flag. How long this will be so, no one knows. Even now, each
> of the countries which form the United Kingdom, is fighting for its
> own independence.
>
> For the first time since 1707, the Scots now have their own Parliament
> in Edinburgh, and the Welsh their own national assembly in Cardiff. As
> a result, the Scottish saltire and the red dragon of Wales are much
> more in evidence.
>
> Is the Union Flag (Union Jack) on its way out?
>
> In 1997, British Airways decided to scrub the Union Flag off the tails
> of its airliners and replace it with pictures of jackals from Africa
> and other ethnic designs. Its chief executive, Bob Ayling, said that
> the airline was no longer a British company with global operations,
> we want to show Britain as modern, not imperial...We still have our
>
>
> Picture 07 -- Nigel Turner's proposed new multicultural union flag,
> shown here
>
>
> In 2003, a campaign was launched to try and modernise the red, white
> and blue flag by adding a touch of black to reflect multicultural
> Britain in the 21st Century. The proposed new flag (see right) was the
> work of Nigel Turner, an enthusiastic fan of the UK's transformation
> into a multiracial society over the past 50 years. The campaign was
> NOT successful.
>
> 2007
>
> More teenagers see themselves as English, Scottish or Welsh rather
> than British
> A YouGov poll carried out by the Daily Telegraph in 2007 found that
> fewer than one third of today's teenagers instinctively think of
> themselves as British rather than English, Scottish or Welsh. But,
> pressed to say whether they also think of themselves as British, the
> great majority say yes. Only 10 per cent of the teenage sample, many
> of them Scots, reject a British identity altogether.
>
> Most people want the United Kingdom broken up
> An ICM poll published by the Daily Mail in 2007 suggested that
> majorities of voters in both Scotland and England now want the
> countries to split.
>
> The Future?
>
> Will the Union flag be replaced by four separate flags or will all the
> flags and the Union Jack, be replaced by something else?
>
> Only time will tell.
>
> ========================================
>
>
> When is the Union Flag Flown?
>
> The Union Flag is flown on government buildings on days marking:
>
> * the birthdays of members of the Royal family,
> * Commonwealth Day,
> * Coronation Day,
> * The Queen's official birthday,
> * Remembrance Day and
> * on the days of the State Opening and prorogation of Parliament.
>
> It is also flown on St David's Day (Wales), St George's Day (England),
> St Andrew's Day (Scotland), and St Patrick's Day (Northern Ireland).
>
> ========================================
>
AT LAST!! Yes, the UNION JACK is known only as that when flown from the
jackstaff of a moored or anchored British Warship. I have spent decades
telling the ignorant sods who call the UNION FLAG flying on public
building the UNION JACK to get it right. I have even mailed the BBC
whose newsreaders are supposed to be so perfect but to not know the
correct name of our Flag. Trust a texan to find it and post it LOL x 10
Gordon Brown stated some time ago that he wants to see the Union Flag
flying on ALL public buildings permanently. Well it sure flies on my
jacket lapel permanently.
Mercury.
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