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STEED
04-12-06, 06:12 AM
What does the union jack mean to you?
The British flag turns 400 years old this week.

James I of England (James VI of Scotland) commissioned it to represent the union between England and Scotland and, though the flag has been through a few minor changes, the red, blue and white stripes have symbolised Britain since 1606.


http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h254/RS42/gb.gif

Linton
04-12-06, 06:30 AM
Pedantic hat on -its only a jack if flown at the jackstaff otherwise it is a flag!

STEED
04-12-06, 06:34 AM
Pedantic hat on -its only a jack if flown at the jackstaff otherwise it is a flag!

Political correctness strikes again. BOO

Takeda Shingen
04-12-06, 09:56 AM
I had always thought the 'Jack to be the most beautiful flag of any nation's. Happy birthday, old chap.

JSLTIGER
04-12-06, 10:01 AM
It's certainly got a unique elegance about it.

August
04-12-06, 10:07 AM
It symbolizes former enemies that have become staunch friends.

TLAM Strike
04-12-06, 10:37 AM
What does the union jack mean to you?
Freedom form British Oppression!
http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/9920/120pxusnavaljacksvg3eg.png
<0
"Because I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free!"

:P :-j

STEED
04-12-06, 10:41 AM
What does the union jack mean to you?
Freedom form British Oppression!
http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/9920/120pxusnavaljacksvg3eg.png
<0
"Because I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free!"

:P :-j

Cheek of it. ;)

lesrae
04-12-06, 11:21 AM
Freedom form British Oppression!

And from British spelling ;)

August
04-12-06, 01:57 PM
Freedom form British Oppression!

And from British spelling ;)

No a "Freedom form" is what you fill out when you apply for citizenship in the good ol' US of A.

kiwi_2005
04-12-06, 02:34 PM
I always thought the union jack was a nic name of some Templar knight of the days of king arthur who fought for king and country wiping out enemies of there nation! :yep:

Then someone corrected me. Its a flag! :oops:

STEED
04-12-06, 03:47 PM
I always thought the union jack was a nic name of some Templar knight of the days of king arthur who fought for king and country wiping out enemies of there nation! :yep:

Then someone corrected me. Its a flag! :oops:

Quick some one nip in to a time machine and give king Arthur the union jack. ;)

kiwi_2005
04-12-06, 04:48 PM
Steed wrote:
Quick some one nip in to a time machine and give king Arthur the union Jack

:rotfl:

Ive actually learnt alot from subsim forums especially on topics such as war in the east :D My son doing a history lesson and got stuck on one of his topics on iraq, i didn't have a clue nor could help him, but i knew where to look. I'll go to subsim and see if anyone is in a debate on iraq, no doubt the answer will be found. :yep:

jumpy
04-12-06, 09:07 PM
This reminds me of an incident that occured when I was doing my A-levels at boarding school-

I had a Union Jack flag hung up in the top section of one of those double pane sash windows, which overlooked a communal quadrangle formed by the various boarding houses and dinning hall buildings.
Many pupils boarding at the school also had various flags in the windows of their dormitories, including such flags as the Japanese Rising Sun, the Hammer & Sicle and various civil war (U.S) and other national emblems both past and present. It was something of a fad back then, as I recall :D
Anyways, I was approached by my Housemaster after a time. He was a short bespectacled man with immaculately combed hair, who tought mathematics. Mervin Dale- a Yorkshireman, as irony would have it hehe.
He wanted to have a 'chat' with me about "Your window decoration..." and could I stop by his office at break.
I have to say I was supprised and somewhat taken aback when he asked me if I could take the flag down from the window and hang it somewhere out of view. Initially I rejected this and then asked why I should do so.
I was told that he'd had a complaint from a visiting/prospective parent, who thought the flag was too nationalistic and therefore ought to be removed.
The upshot of this little tale is that I did not remove the flag and it was confiscated a couple of days later, though it was returned after about 2 weeks, on the condition I would not put it back in the window. Oh well, at least I had hung it up in the correct way, which is more than could be said for most.

So, there you have it; my first brush with the PC crowd. It seems strange to me in these times where nationality appears to be all about what you are now, not nessescarily what you were, that we Brits have a much deflated sense of national pride in some sense. And no, I'm not counting football yobbery here. Maybe it's just me, but it's almost like these days you have to be kindof appologetic for being British. I don't know whether this is due to the long past days of the 'evil empire' :roll: or some other more modern zenophobic association with the emblem- I remember a playground song heard at junior school, something childish like 'there's no more black in the union jack, so all you p**** can **** off back'. I never understood it then, but am all too aware of it now. Indeed I don't need do-gooders and multicultural spinn to inform me that this is a noxious thing to say about anybody, a mindful upbringing saw to that.
Perhaps we're getting to be an apathetic lot at heart :hmm: but it sure feels like it; when compared to many other countries we lack a certain passion these days when it comes to nationality.
Given all that, will the Flag of the Union see a five-hundredth birthday?

TLAM Strike
04-12-06, 09:53 PM
Freedom form British Oppression!

And from British spelling ;)
No Punctuation with out Representation!

At least I spelled better that Kaptain!

@Jumpy: I just read a few weeks ago that some Cali schools are prohibiting students from wearing (on clothing not as clothing) or displaying the US Flag for much the same reasons you stated.

Damn if I was going to school there I would be wearing my T-Shirt with Old Glory and the Bald Eagle (Courtesy of a friend from the VA) along with my dad and granddad’s Dog Tags and campaign ribbons. :x

August
04-12-06, 11:21 PM
I think any American school that banned displays of the American flag ought to have it's tax exempt status removed.

Tchocky
04-13-06, 06:43 AM
What does the union jack mean to you?
Freedom form British Oppression!
http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/9920/120pxusnavaljacksvg3eg.png
<0
"Because I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free!"

:P :-j

*waves Irish flag*

ah, never mind :P

Kapitan
04-13-06, 06:50 AM
Ok want to play that game;

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/7940/russiaflag6hq.gif (http://imageshack.us)

http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/6923/ussr2vi.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Teheehee hee i love these two flags but the union flag has alot more to it than any of these too.