WORLD FLAGS PRE- 1914

[Mervyn Mitton]

During the approach to the start of World War 1 in 1914 there was great activity to 'educate' the British public - most of them had no idea of the politics - or, for that matter - where our opponents were in relation to Great Britain.

Many papers printed supplements showing maps of Europe - our Overseas possessions and in many cases , flags of the allied nations. This example is one of the best I have seen from that period and shows names from Countries which have been totally forgotten today.

Printed on linen it is 29 inches wide ( 74 cms.) and 23 inches deep (64cm) - a little large for a tea cloth, so I suspect it was intendced to hang on a wall for inspection. Could be pre 1914 - or, just at the beginning. A very interesting item and worth printing for reference on old flags. The study of flags is called 'Vexiology' and a collector - a 'vexiologist'. Surprisingly, it is a big collecting field. Do we have any members within GMIC who have an interest in flags ?

I will show the complete cloth and then each quarter - hopefully it will be legible.

[Mervyn Mitton]

[Mervyn Mitton]

[Mervyn Mitton]

[Mervyn Mitton]

[Hugh]

My favorite flag story:

I was once Flag Lieutenant to the Commander, Cruiser Destroyer Force, Atlantic (US Navy). As such, I had a mixed bag of subordinates - stewards, bandsmen, Marine orderlies and signalmen. The signalmen decided to dispose of a huge White Ensign; probably 15' x 30' or so. On the occasion of the mixed-manning NATO frigate to Newport, we entertained the wardroom mess officers, and I hung it between our apartment windows to show where the party was taking place. (That was a long night, during which I made the acquaintance of Brian Boru, High King of Tara, thanks to the Irish navigator.)

During the Falklands fracas, I was serving as a Naval Intelligence Reservist in the Chief of Naval Operations Intelligence section, supporting flag plot. Because of frequent travel to the area, I was supporting the South American analyst. As things started to heat up, he brought in a small Argentine flag, about 3' x 5', and displayed it over his desk. The UK analyst responded with a little Union Jack, the size you wave at parades. I decided that wasn't adequate, and brought in my battle White Ensign, with which Andy proceeded to cover the entire wall behind his desk. We had to fold up the bottom to keep it from lying on the floor. A few days later, the RN attache came into the spaces for a "courtesy" visit, looked at the flags, and split a huge grin. The soul of discretion, he never said a word. We all got a kick out of it. Unfortunately, the White Ensign disappeared in one of the subsequent moves. I hope it found a good home.

[Hugh]

I will show the complete cloth and then each quarter - hopefully it will be legible.

For those whose old eyes may have trouble reading even the enlarged iamges, a tip (PC users only). Hit Control + (the plus sign) to enlarge the screen image further. When you've finished, hit Control - (minus) to take it back to normal size. This works on almost any screen.

Mac users - You're on your own.

Hugh

[Brian Wolfe]

Hi Hugh,

Thanks for that tip, I never knew that (along with about a million other things about computers).

I am now one step closer to enlightenment.

Regards

Brian

[Brian Wolfe]

Hi Mervyn,

I always like to see pictures of these older flag groupings, especially with the original Canadian flag. I have one of the old originals tucked away for future generations.

Regards

Brian

[Mervyn Mitton]

Hugh - the tip on instant enlargement is fantastic. I had never heard of this and I don't think many people have. In fact a Moderator should 'pin' it for future reference. However, don't do what I did - make the enlargement, but forgot to note the cancellation - took five minutes to go back - in very large type....

Your stories were also very good - pity you lost the large ensign - I would have thought fairly rare.

[Hugh]

I love Control Plus. It has helped me to see detail on medals, squinchy little pages, etc. You can repeat it until you have only one letter covering the whole page!

Hugh

[GRA]

Hello Mervyn!

I'd say that this cloth most certainly were made before 1905, since the Swedish and Norwegian flags shown were used during the Union, which ended in 1905. The Swedish union flag were used 1844-1905, and the Norwegian union flag 1844-1899. Are there any more give aways as to dating the cloth?

/Jonas

[Mervyn Mitton]

Jonas - thankyou for that info. - there were no dates and with the German and Austrian flags it seemed likely it was around 1914. You have now proved pre-1905 - hopefully other members will know when other Countries ceased to exist - or, came into being. The other interesting problem, is that the names have changed over the years - there are several I'm not sure about.