THE Story and Origin OF THE Union Jack By Lieutenant-Colonel E. T. STURDEE Past President St. George's Society. (Reprinted from Saint John Globe) PRICE, FIVE CENTS. SAINT JOHN, N. B. The Saint John Globe Publishing Company, Limited. I908 The EDITH and LORNE PIERCE COLLECTION of CANADIANA §)ueeris University at Kingston The Story and Origin of the Union Jack, Banners and Flags have always been Carried. St. George's Cross, St. Andrew's Cross, St. Patrick's Cross. By Lieutenant-Colonel E. T. STURDEE. The following story of the Union Jack, soldiers, but were also used at sea on Empire, has the glorious flag of the British ships and vessels, while in addition the been compiled to assist school teachers and others in imparting instruction on the sails of ships had the particular device meaning of the flag and the histories of thereon, and while the origin of flags also as a the different patron saints, and may be traced to land usage not only guide to those who take an interest in identifying the different nations, but flags and their proper significance, hoping for that it may be the means of more atten- to show the rank or force of each the tion being given by the public to knight or noble holding command in the colors. Many of the facts herein national the recorded have been taken from The History army, it was really at sea that of the Union Jack, by Barlow Cumberland, development of flags and banners was Esq., a most excellent book, and also from thereafter most in evidence, the flag on the World. Hulme's Flags of the mast showing clearly the nation to From the earliest times banners and which the vessel belonged. England was standards were used and carried by one of the first countries to have a nearly every nation and tribe, not only navy and to display the national flag on as a distinguishing mark, or as a point her ships. Alfred the Great from A. D. to indicate where the men of the differ- 871 to 901 encouraged the building of ent parties were to assemble, but as a war ships and ever since has the navy religious sign, and showing the cause of England and afterwards of Great or reason of the conflict; mention is Britain, been the ruling guide, the chief made in the Bible of people carrying defence of our country and the envy of ensigns before their armies, and using all the world; the earliest English flags them as a means to gather the different appear to have borne on them religious tribes or companies, each man knowing emblems and occasionally a lion or a the particular device which represented leopard, while there are instances his party, thus the Lion was known as showing only distinctive colors such as the emblem of the tribe of Judah, each red and white, and later on armorial other tribe of the Jews having also bearings or heraldic devices of a county their own type, while later on the Eagle or a knight were emblazoned thereon, was adopted by the Romans and em- it is unnecessary to trace and describe blazoned on their banners, and so every all the flags used by England during nation had a national emblem, such as the early centuries, but to relate only the dragon for China, the- fieur-de-lys the origin of our present flag, the Union for France, the Crescent for Turkey, the Jack, or Great Union, and as the basis lion for England and Scotland, the harp of that flag is the red cross of St. for Ireland; these flags or standards George; the history of that will first were not only carried on land by the be told. The Story and Origin of the Union Jack. ST. GEORGE'S CROSS. St. George was born about 270 in which the present Union Flag has been Lydda, in Palestine, in the vale of built up, but not only was the red Sharon, celebrated for its roses and so cross seen on the English flag, for on the the rose is the national flower of Eng- invasion of Scotland in 1386 by Rich- land, and always associated with St. ard II. it was ordered that every person George. He was a Christian and when should bear the cross of the patron saint the Emperor Diocletian persecuted the on his coat or jacque both before and Christians St. George openly declared behind, and in 1513 the sailors of the himself and did all he could to save Cinque ports are said to have worn as his fellow countrymen and oppose the their uniform a coat of white cotton Emperor, but was put to death as a with a red cross and the arnrs of the martyr April 23rd, 303; this day is port underneath; another instance is re- known as St. George's day and has been corded in 1588 on the fall of Calais, so kept for hundreds of years; it is also when the city of London raised a thou- related of him that he fought and killed sand men and made them white coats a fierce dragon and thus saved a Prin- and red crosses, thus the red cross was cess from death, so St. George is always established as the emblem of England represented in his combat with the and noble deeds were performed under dragon, he being on horseback and that banner, the crusaders carried it in carrying a banner with a red cross on the Holy Land, the ships of England a white ground; he was thus early look- won the great naval battle of Sluys and ed upon as a saint and his name and the soldiers were victorious under this symbol venerated. In 1190, when flag at Cressy, Poictiers and Agincourt. Richard I. of England joined in the Cabot, Drake and Frobisher sailed under crusades to the Holy Land his ships won it and the ships that defeated the great in a fierce fight with the Saracens near Spanish Armada carried it at their Beyrout, at a spot called St. George's mast heads; it is in compliment to the Bay, so named from the fact that it was ancient victories of the English that to- near this that St. George's famous day the St. George's cross is the dis- fight with the dragon took place. It tinguishing flag of a British admiral and was reported that King Richard had flies on flag ships, those having an ad- seen a vision of St. George and his red miral on board, as his badge of rank, cross banner the night before the battle; and is also used on the command pen- and on his return to England in 1194 nant, a long flag or whip, flown by he adopted the St. George's cross as the every war ship in commission, while the emblem and flag of England and placed white or St. George's ensign is the flag his army and the nation under the pro- of the royal navy. The cross is also tection of St. George; from that date used as part of the arms of the city of this cross became the national flag of London. England, and was the ground work from The Story and Origin of the Union Jack. ST. ANDREW'S CROSS. St. Andrew is supposed to have been flag was carried principally on land, as the first to introduce Christianity into the Scots never made any pretentions to Scotland, and for that reason from having a navy, although there were some very early times he has been known as freebooters, or sea rovers, who preyed the patron saint of that country, and upon English commerce, but they never his anniversary is kept by the Scotch on ventured very far from land. The St. the 30th November. Other reasons are George's cross for England and the St. also given, one being that some relics of Andrew's cross for Scotland were now the apostle were being brought to Scot- firmly established as the national flags land and the vessel being wrecked the of these countries and so continued for sacred bones were landed safely at the many years. port still called St. Andrew's; another UNION JACK OF JAMES I. tradition is that in 987 the Scots being attacked by the English under Athel- The first attempt of combining the stane there appeared in the sky the night two crosses on one flag was made after before the battle the cross of St. An- James VI. of Scotland became James I. drew formed in the white clouds against of England, who as soon as he came to the dark blue sky, and animated by this the throne in 1603 added to the royal sign the Scots the next day defeated the standard the personal flag of the sov- English, whose king was slain; since ereign, the red lion of Scotland and the then the cross of St. Andrew has been harp of Ireland; this flag under Queen adopted by the Scotch as their national Elizabeth had borne the three lions of flag; the St. Andrew's cross is a saltire England and the fleur-de-lys of France or diagonal cross, white on a dark blue only, but it was not until 1606 that any ground, and the origin is said to be change was made in the national flag. from the fact that St. Andrew consid- In that year King James authorized a ered himself unworthy to be crucified on new flag to be borne in the main top of a cross of the same shape as our all ships "The Red Crosse, commonly Saviour, and so chose one of an X called St.