A Medium Sized Quality Vintage Applique WWII Period Union Jack Flag

Origin: British
Period: Mid Twentieth Century
Provenance: Unknown
Date: c.1945
Height: 43 inches
Width: 66 inches

Stretching to five and a half feet in length and hand stitched in heavy canvas cloth, this appliqué Union Jack is a very well made piece of patriotism, surviving from the second quarter of the twentieth century and probably used to celebrate victory in the Second World War.

There are groups of old small sized holes across the flag from an old moth attack, giving it an aged look, the white now a beautiful ivory tone and the red softened, the blue remaining the most vivid. There are also flagpole fittings present, with corded rope running through to a softwood toggle at one end.

The current design of the flag dates from the union of Ireland and Great Britain in 1801. When the first flag was introduced in 1606, it became known simply as "the British flag" or "the flag of Britain". The word "jack" was in use before 1600 to describe the maritime bow flag. One theory goes that for some years it would have been called just "the Jack", or "Jack flag", or "the King's Jack", but by 1674, while formally referred to as "His Majesty's Jack", it was commonly called the Union Jack, and this was officially acknowledged.

The size of this flag means it is wonderfully versatile. Brilliantly decorative.