Hi my name's Kevin Hicks, welcome to my YouTube channel the History Squad, and today's video is
all about the Union Jack or the Union Flag the flag of the British now we've got a prop here and
I'm going to use it to show you how the flag was put together and a little bit of history behind it
show the Union Flag or the Union Jack what actually sparked us to do this little film
was we found this in the museum where we volunteer at a military museum and this is a history of the
Union Jack prepared for you by Laura Secord candy shops well a bit of a surprise to me because we
live in the middle of Canada now and this tiny little thing all opens out and shows you how the
Union Flag develops you know from uh 12th of April 1606 under James VI of Scotland first of England
oh there's an interesting thing isn't it it was a scotsman who actually bought all
of this together but it wasn't until uh 1801 if I remember correctly that George the third
actually formalized the Union Flag and I've got to read you this because I could not memorize it
it's from a proclamation of George the third and he stated and that the Union Flag shall actually
probably said it with the german accent didn't he so I'll try and do it in a slightly german accent
and that's a Union Flag shall be azure, the cross saltires of St Andrew and St Patrick court. I
can't do this hang on a second he said that the Union Flag shall be Azure, the Crosses Saltires of
St. Andrew and St. Patrick Quarterly per Saltire, counterchanged Argent and Gules; the latter
fimbriated of the Second, surmounted by the Cross of St. George of the Third,
fimbriated as the Saltire. Wow I have no idea what that means
but there again I am not from the college of coat of arms I'm just Kevin so let's have a go
with this little lovely piece that was a giveaway from a candy store in the middle of Canada
a few decades ago so here we have our prop which tells you all about the history of the Union Jack
Laura Secord candy shops. This is a historical piece we've borrowed this from the um Saskatoon
Museum of Military Artifacts, um now let's open it up and show you how this actually works.
So unfold the whole lot
There we go so we have a cross of St Patrick, a little bit of blurb about the tradition of candy
making great, then we have the cross of St Andrew the Scottish flag yeah, and it tells you all about
St Andrew and all of that then we have the cross of St George but if you turn this page over
it tells you about the cross of St Patrick and how St Patrick came about and all of this
and then if you close over, there you have the Union Flag and this is just such a simple
lovely giveaway thing from a candy store in the middle of Canada and it explains to the world
how the Union Flag or the Union Jack came about. So the Union Flag or Union Jack.
Now I was always taught in the army that it's the Union Flag because the Union Jack is the little
pennant that goes on the front of a ship but also jack is a medieval term for coat which may have
had coat of arms over the top of it this could roll on couldn't it but at the end of the day
the Union Flag brought together by a Scotsman when James VI of Scotland becomes also James
I of England and he brings about this union yeah and in 1606 on the 12th of April the Union Flag is
put together it's the crosses and George and the saltire the cross of St Andrew and then there's
an argument should the crosses and George be on the top of the saltire or the saltire on top of
the St George, oh my goodness, we're great aren't we yeah and then they add Ireland which of course
is the three countries to make up the Union Flag but hang on a second they're missing somebody
Wales. It's not represented on the Union Flag and the reason being apparently was way back
uh in those times Wales was incorporated into England so they just didn't bother with it now
it's interesting because should things change in the future with with Britain so Scotland
separates yeah becomes its own independent thing that will change the flag and the heraldic people
are already looking into this and they've come up with one idea which I think is quite neat
it has the crosses and George the red hand of ulster and that red dragon of Wales in each corner
who knows what the future will hold but anyway now let's give you a story about my own Union Jack
or is it flag you know especially having served in the army flags are important when I was stationed
at Helmstedt in Germany one of your jobs if you were on the desk was to put up the three flags
uh the Berlin garrison the uh regimental flag I've got one here from the Royal Military Police and of
course the Union Flag and you always had to make sure that the Union Flag was done the right way up
yeah flags are important yeah national pride all of that kind of stuff
and I didn't realize the importance other people put on my flag the Union Flag the Union Jack
until I I've been on a job on my own in the uh military police I'll be in Cyprus on the Turkish
border there I've been there for over a couple of years uh it was a unique position where I policed
an area that had been subject to so much violence I got so many problems anyway I dealt with it and
I loved it and the queen thought I was really good so she decorated me for it
and as I was leaving everything's all packed up my police dog Mark has been handed over
and my hearts are thumping because I'm leaving behind a wow piece of my history and one of my
um Turkish guards Mehmet came up although you know I said he was Turkish guard, he worked for
the British but he was a Turkish Cypriot and an absolute tremendous individual and he came
up to me and he used to do these little salutes he would say and I'd say hi he and he got a tear
in his eye and he said uh we have a present for you ambassador a leaving present and I just
you didn't have to give me anything I said your friendship you you people here have been fantastic
and then he handed me a lovely little brown paper parcel with string just old-fashioned you know
and they gave me a hug and I said to him you look after yourself yeah?
Now these turks had lost everything their village had been subject to a massacre years before
so these people they were kind of my people my gunner protected them and as I got on the bus
there they all lined up and waved me goodbye somebody else was going to come take over my
role so I'm on the airplane flying home to England and I remember the little parcel
and it was in my little bag there so I took it out and I opened it and this is what it was
it's a Union Flag in fact a British army Union Flag and I was a bit oh oh and then I found
the little letter that was with it and it was from my Turkish friends
Mehmet wrote dear Corporal Hicks, before you came to Pergamos it was a dangerous place,
drug trafficking and violence
when you came we were so glad to have you that we issued were issued with a new flag
and when it was the Queen's birthday or a special parade we put your flag up and we all saluted it.
After two years you changed our area from a dangerous place to a peaceful place
so the last bit of the letter from Mehmet said this said umbashee when you look at the flag
remember us please because we will never forget you. So I hope you've enjoyed our little film,
well if you liked it thumbs up please,
those of you who are already a subscriber hey thanks a bunch if you're not a subscriber hey
ding the bell join in and have some fun with history. Bye for now.