Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-10-18
UNION JACK HISTORY.
Curious Points About the Banner of Great
Britain and Ireland.

Britain and Ireland.
We are all familiar with the white,
blue, and red ensigns, and with the
union jack which occupies the upper
quarter nearest the flagstaff The white
ensign has the red cross of St George
in addition to the union jack. Without
the jack this white ensign with red
cross represents our old national flag as
it existed from the time of Richard /.
until the death of Elizabeth. This red
cross flag, the banner of St. George APP
pears to have been chosen by the Sol
der King IN honor of the saint who was
the patron of soldiers. 1t remained for
more than four hundred years the flag
under which the English warriors fought
on land and on sea. When James vi.
of Scotland succeeded Elizabeth the
Scotch had national flag. That also
was a cross, but it was shaped different
ly from that of st. George and was
known as the Cross of ST. Andrew. The
ground of the Scotch flag was blue, and
its cross was white, To mark the union
of the two Kingdoms under one SOW
ereign the national banner underwent
q change, although Scotland still re-
tanned its separate Parliament. In the
new flag the two banners of England
and Scotland were united. There APP
peared in it the oblique white cross Of
st. Andrew on blue ground, and the
red cross of st. George on white mar
gin, worked in the blue field. The king
was accustomed to sign his name in the
French form of James, Jacques" He
was, in fact, the Union Jacques, or, as
we improperly pronounce it, Jack. For
local purposes the Scotch still continued
to use the white ST. Andrews cross on
the blue field and the English the red
cross on the white field. 1t was stated
by royal proclamation in 1906 that
whereas some difference hath arisen
between our subjects of South and
North Britain, travelling by seas, about
the bearing of their flags. For the
avoiding of all such contentious here
after we have, with the advice of our
council, ordered that from henceforth
all our subjects of this Isle and king
dom of Great Britain and the members
thereof shall bear in their maintop the
Red Cross. commonly called st. Georges
Cross, and the White Cross, commonly
called st. Andrews Cross, Joined to-
gether, " 'and i'll their foretop our sub
iects of South Britain shall wear the
Red Cross only, as they were wont; and
our subjects of North Britain in their
foretop the White Cross only, as they
were accustomed. In 1907, when the
Scotch and English Legislatures were
united, the distinctive flags ceased to be
used, and the united flags as arranged
in 1906 became the single ensign for the
United Kingdom. 1t was the sovereign
that made the union and established
the national flag and an establishment
of distinct Legislatures again would not
alter the flag. Ireland would take pre-
sumably for its local ensign the red
cross of st. Patrick. This Irish banner
ought to have appeared in the Union
flag of 1906, but it did not Ireland had
no distinct recognition in the union flag
until 1901, when the Irish and British
Legislatures were united At that date
the union jack underwent a further
change, and the red diagonal cross of
St Patrick on a white field was intro
duced. Since that date the union Jack
has shown the red cross and white mar
gin, recalling the banner of St. George;
the white diagonal and blue field of st.
Andrews banner, and the red diagonal
cross of St Patrick showing over the
white diagonal cross of the Scotch BAN
ner. The blue ground of the jack is,
therefore, due to Scotland, and the red
and white rs crosses and margins to
England and to Ireland London DaiIy
NeaOS