Factsheet of the British flag
The Union Flag
The flag of Britain –that is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland –is officially called the Union Flag because it embodies the emblems of three countries united under one sovereign.
The flag is commonly known as the Union Jack; whilst the origin of the name is uncertain, the following explanation is the most probable. The original Union Flag was designed for use at sea and the term jack was first used in the Royal Navy during the seventeenth century to describe the Union Flag, which was flown from the jack staff of naval vessels.
The emblems that appear on the Union flag are the crosses of the three patron saints:-
St George for England:- The red cross on a white ground.
St Andrew for Scotland:- The white diagonal cross or saltire on a blue ground.
St Patrick for Ireland:- The red diagonal cross on a white ground.
Wales is not represented in the Union Flag because when the first version of the flag appeared, Wales was already united with England.
History of the Union Flag:
The first Union Flag was created in April 1606 by combining the crosses of St George and St Andrew: the national flags of England and Scotland. It was under James VI of Scotland who, as James I of England, came to the English throne in 1603 and regally united both kingdoms.
In the seventeenth century the flag went through several changes: after the execution of Charles I in 1649 the Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell, introduced a special Commonwealth flag consisting of St George’s cross and the gold harp of Ireland. However, with the return of Charles II in 1660, the Union Flag of James I was reintroduced.
The final version of the Union flag appeared in 1801, following the union of Great Britain with Ireland, with the inclusion of the cross of St Patrick. The cross remains in the flag although n now only Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom; southern Ireland is an independent republic.
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Regional Flags
The national flag of Wales, a red dragon on a field of white and green, dates from the fifteenth century and is in widespread use in the Principality:
The only official flag of Northern Ireland is the Union Flag although the banner of the former Government of Northern Ireland, which was dissolved in1972, is sometimes unofficially used. This consists of a St. George’s cross with a crowned six-pointed white star and a red hand at its center.
