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THE

PREFACE

HERE is no more interesting subject than flags to old and young, and none so little known to the majority owing to there being no general guide to their story and associations, personal, historical and heraldic. Even our national flag has only of late years been talked about in our Council Schools as has been done for years in the United States of America where every public school flies the flag which developed so strangely from that of the East India Company as told herein, with all the missing links for the first time supplied.

Every one should know the history and meaning of the Royal Standard and the Union, the difference between personal flags and national flags and between an ensign and a jack, and also the glorious record of the honours on our regimental colours and the badges of Greater Britain met with afloat and ashore all round the world; and surely something is desirable regarding the flags of foreign nations beyond a hazy acquaintance with a few of them and the limited knowledge of flag etiquette that leads to so many unintentional breaches of courtesy.

Of late years much new matter on the subject of flags has been rendered available to students of the national records, particularly as regards signalling, a mystery on which the strangest opinions are held. Hardly any one knows how it originated and became the complicated system it seems to be; whence the

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large space devoted to flag-signalling in these pages wherein for the first time the full story is told.

Another and more noticeable feature will be found in the coloured plates. Pictures of flags ought at least to be accurate not only in colour but proportion, and the shapes that are obsolete should not appear again and again, for flags, like all things else, alter to suit a change of conditions. How many people are there who know, or would ever know from the coloured sheets, that ensigns were once a quarter as long again as their width, then half as long again, and now are twice as long, the length having increased with the increase of speed and the change of rig limiting the space from which they are flown? This is a point of much importance to which Mr. W. J. Stokoe in his admirable illustrations has given special attention, his drawings of existing flags being all in accordance with the official measurements.

The late Mr. F. E. Hulme, F.S.A., in his volume issued some twenty-five years ago under the same title as this work, dealt very ably and fully with the antiquarian side of the subject, and acknowledgment is due for such points as the introductory chapter of the present volume owes to his research. But the important changes that have arisen during the lengthy period since the issue of Mr. Hulme's book have necessitated an entirely new presentation, both textually and pictorially, in the endeavour to ensure that accuracy of detail demanded by the public of to-day.

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1. Sir John Botetourte (Admiral of the Fleet of Edward II) 2. Sir Ralph de Monthermer (Earl of Gloucester and Hertford) 3. Sir Emlam Touches

4. Sir William de Rider, Banneret

5. Sir Hugh Bardolf (Lord of Wirmegey)

6. Sir John de Holdeston

7. Sir Henri de Percy (Lord of Topclive)

8. Sir Hugh de Courtenay (Earl of Devon)

9. Sir Aymer de Valence (Earl of Pembroke) 10. Sir John de Bar

11. Sir William Grandison

IV. OBSOLETE FLAGS.

1. London Trained Bands.
Blue Regiment

2. London Trained Bands.
Green Regiment

3. London Trained Bands.
Yellow Regiment

4. Admiral's Flag, 1649

5. Commonwealth, 1651
6. Papal States
7. Guinea Company
8. Heligoland

9. Savoy

10. Anti-Mutiny Flag
(H.M.S. Niger)

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