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From: dxp@pyuxhh.UUCP (D Peak)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Re: The British flag
Message-ID: <578@pyuxhh.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 17-Apr-84 11:07:12 EST
Article-I.D.: pyuxhh.578
Posted: Tue Apr 17 11:07:12 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 18-Apr-84 07:15:03 EST
References: <185@west44.UUCP>, <860@ihuxq.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Communications Research, Piscataway N.J.
Lines: 52

The "English" flag(jack is a national flag that is flown from the jack staff
of a ship) was (and still is ) a white flag with a red cross(running vertically
and horizontally).When England and Scotland unified under King James (VI of
Scotland,I of England) Scotlands flag (Blue with white diagonal cross) and 
Englands flag where combined to produce a "union jack".ie to identify the
nation of "England & Scotland" .This is the flag that you will see the 
British using in movies etc. (if they know anything of history ) for periods
1600-1800 .    
  The "unification"(Irish seperatists may question this one) with Ireland in
1800 incorporated the Irish flag (White flag with red diagonal cross) into 
the Union Jack to reflect the addition of Ireland into the nation of "England,
Scotland and Ireland".
 King James ascended the English throne in the early 1600's but the act of
union(an Act of Parliament ie a law) until 1707.The act of union with Ireland
was in 1800 but the new "union jack" was not created until 1806 (I believe)
As you can see in this last paragraph the flag was not a "cut & dried" affair
but was in a state of flux that was open to several viewpoints,most specifically
Irish and Scottish nationalists that did not(and still do not) want unification
with England.
  The term Union Jack is recognized in Britain as being synonomous with being
the British flag but the term could equally be applied to any national flag
that incorporates several countries national flags into one.    



		Dave Peak(pyuxhh!dxp)
x

The terms -

    United Kingdom - reflects the union of England & Scotland under one king

    Britain        - is the island consisting of England,Scotland & Wales

    Great Britain  - Britain + Northern Ireland(before 1921 all of Ireland
                     was included in this definition)

    British Isles  - Britain + the island of Ireland + Isle of Man and all
                     associated offshore islands




BTW - The national flag of Wales is not reflected in the Union Jack,probably
      due to the fact that Wales was "conquered" hundreds of years before
      James (VI & I) in portions and not as a complete nation.
      Welsh flag is white top rectangle with green bottom triangle(symbols  
      of white sky / green land ) with a red dragon in the centre of the 
      flag.