HOW THE UNION JACK ORIGINATED.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 348, 31 December 1915, Page 2

HOW THE UNION JACK ORIGINATED.

In the first place, it should be explained’that the name “Union Jack” is more often than not -wrongly applied. This name really belongs to a miniature union flag, displayed from a staff at the end of the bowspit on His Majesty’s ships, and known for many years past as a jack; whence the name of “Union Jack,’’ whic»t has come to be wrongly applied to the larger as well as the smaller Union Flag, the correct name when displayed otherwise than on His Majesty’s ships. The jack,' properly so called, is never flown on shore. Until' the fifteenth century, England, Scotland, and Ireland had separate flags. The English flag consisted of the Red Cross of St. George on a white ground, that of Scotland the -white diagonal cross of St. Andre-

on a blue ground, and that of Ireland the red diagonal cross of St. Patrick, also on w'hito ground, and it is from a combination of those three flags that

we got the Union Jack. It was Jamesl. who first began the formation of the Union Jack, by combining the crosses of St. George and St. Andrew, and thus formed the Union Jack, which was the national flag for 200 years. It was after the Union of .1801 that the cross of St. Patrick was added, though in this case the diagonal red stripes were narrowed down in order that they would not obliterate the white stripes of St. Andrew’s cross. It will thus be noticed that the latte" shows on either side of the cross of ; St. Patrick, while the narrow white margin round the inside of the cross <~f St. George was added to separate the red of the cross from,- the blue field of the flag. It will be; noticed, too, on looking at the Union Jack that the Scottish and Irish crosses are so arranged that in the first and third divisions, counting from left to right, the white of Scotland has precedenr-

while in the second and fourth ttic red of Ireland is ■ uppermost.

The easiest nil' to remember in dis pi a vine: a Union Jack is that tIK broad diagonal white stripe, the St Andrew’s cross, should bo uppermost in the first and “third quarters, i.c. nearect the staff, and the red die g w ' St. Patrick’s cross uppermost in th • ecor.d and fourth Quarters.