Thanks so much Mr. Hicks for another engrossing presentation. Re: Laura Secord, she was a real figure in (and heroine of) Canadian history, specifically the War of 1812. She warned a British garrison of an approaching American army after walking miles through thick forest (in Upper Canada, near present-day Niagara Falls). So, the chocolate company adopted her persona.
Some people may think naming a chocolate company after her is so little, but I wouldn’t be complaining if I were her. Laura Secord chocolate is absolutely delicious.
What a lovely story about your stationing and your flag. Thank you much Kevin for sharing your stories and making history fun. Stay awesome and happy 👍🏻
The first Canadian flag had the union flag as its emblem. My grandfather is Canadian with Scots heritage. I can trace the family back further when the British fought the French in North America.
This was a brief but very heartwarming story. How a flag could mean so much to someone was a foreign idea for me. Thank you Kevin for sharing it with us 💜
Thanks Kevin it's great to hear from people that know the difference between what flags represent and what they mean to people, I used to put up a quad of flags over a memorial to English, Dutch, American and (because of the rules) Australian, submariners. As a result I almost fell into the trap of becoming a flag nerd, not because of the nations involved, but for the people that hold them dear. Clearly your Turkish friends loved you mightily to for ever connect the Union flag to your good self. Huge respect too you. 🙂🇦🇺🏴☠️
Kevin, once again you have hit the ball out of the park... What a wonderful story, one that should stand as a testement to the British people in these days of diminishing national identity and removal of tradition. This is a prime example of why Britain was great and so well respected in the world. Thank you so much for sharing with us.
Lovely story Kevin, always a joy to listen to. However I must commend you on your Turkish pronunciation, the way you perfectly said Onbaşı caught me off guard. It goes to show you genuinely cared for these people, greetings from a Turk in London.
From a Brit with Turkish family - I respect it also. This man needs more subscribers. His content is so informative, more comprehensive and in-detail than many other history channels, without sacrificing any humour!
Thank you for sharing your story with us, Kevin! And thank you for your service. I have always thought that the Union Flag was one of the most interesting of all designs. Looking forward to the next video.... Cheers!
I need more Kevin, More about you and your stories! Your history lessons are bar none, but YOUR history lessons are fantastic. What a fascinating life you’ve had, I wish I could sit down with a cold beer and ask you questions for hours.. From a military family from across the pond, thank you for your service!
Thanks for the video - lovely story. One of my first jobs as a midshipman on a Frigate was to oversee the flying of flags, including the Union Jack from the jack staff, on leaving Portsmouth harbour. I went forward with two ratings who fixed the flag to the halyard and hoisted it onto the staff and off we went. After passing the Admiralty offices at the entrance to the harbour I was called to the bridge where the Captain reprimanded me for putting the Union Jack up, upside down! It was a prank by the ratings - who knew what they were doing - and I've never forgotten which way up the flag goes... Wellington, Kipling, Churchill and Lt Chard at Rorkes Drift all called it the "Union Jack" so that's OK with me.
The original version didn't have the Cross of Saint Patrick until about 200 years after creation of the flag of Great Britain. It's also one if the few flags with the length being double the height, although can also be found in 3:5 height to length ratio. Most other flags are in the proportion 2:3.
That was a beautiful story. I’m an American flying the Union Jack in celebration of Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee. It’s a beautiful flag. I want to look up the one with the Wales Dragon.
I was also in the UK Armed Forces, Army as were generations of my family before me. We always referred to the flag as the Union Jack. At the Union of the Crowns in 1603, James (French Jacques for James, and he signed his proclamation as Jacques) devised the flag as you recount. Now with James (Jacques) accession to the crown of England, as well as Scotland, the French referred to it as the "Union Jacques" Union of James and I believe that is where the Union Jack came from but Union Flag is also acceptable. Excellent story and the Bovril company also have some charming information on the subject.
That’s a really clever little thing. I’m not sure how well the hand of Ulster will go down in N.I., especially as the Sinn Féin look likely to be the majority party for the first time. Kevin you are an amazing person who hides your light under several bushels. Though it’s not much, I’m truly proud to be a Patreon of this amazing channel. My friend, who I’ve previously mentioned was an MP was stationed in Hong Kong, he has similar feeling towards the people there and is fighting for those who served this country to be recognised.
Sinn féin even in power will face heavy resistance, Everyone knows they still have ties to the IRA and since the IRA are still planting car bombs so the horrors of the IRA is still constantly fresh on the mind.
As an American, whenever I start hearing about the British monarchy, my eyes kinda roll back in my head. Like, I need to remember presidents, I can't be bothered with someone else's leadership. But you make it more palatable, Kevin :)
Wales never agreed to be incorporated into England during the act of annexation. It's ironic that the oldest standard of Britain has zero representation on the flag. Enjoyed your presentation and Heddwch in the ancient tongue of the indigenous British, which means PEACE.
My dad was a tenth royal hussar dessert rat and we lost him 30 years ago. I do miss all those debates we used to have. I remember the Magna Carta being so important to him he drove me all the way to see it in the 80's. I do miss his conversation. God bless you Kevin and thank you, your doing a great job.
Since Australia has British ancestry and heritage, the Union Flag/Jack is part of the Australian Flag, it also features white stars on a blue background forming the southern cross, and another white seven pointed star under the Union Flag that represents the states and territory of Australia.
Another absolutely terrific personal story Kevin ! You certainly are an interesting chap ! You must have been filled with such emotion and pride at receiving such a precious gift from those Turkish friends under your command . Lovely story ! I had at one time , that very same British Flag history piece from the Laura Secord museum, I must hunt it up again. Cheers 👍👍👍
This was a special video! Thanks Kevin for sharing this inspiring experience with us! These unexpected honors are the best as they come from the heart!
Flags are interesting. Most dont realize that the confederate flag from the US Civil War looks the way it does b/c the south is mainly populated by Welsh & Scots-irish people. So you get the crosses of Andrew and Patrick w/ the stars of the southern states. Things get even more interesting when you get into why the colors for so many countries are red, white & blue. That story goes all the way back to ancient Egypt.
Wow!! What a story. Only learned the other day between the difference between the Union Flag and Union Jack... Wich stopped me in my tracks as I never knew... Well as they say... Every Day Is a School Day.
My Ancestors were Geraldines, the red X most people call the saint patricks cross representing Ireland, ( now Northern Ireland) is actually the FitzGerald / Geraldine/ Desmond family crest. They were cousins to the Twdyrs via Rhys Nest. The Geraldine dynasty is a fascinating bit of research.
The Union Flag is in the top left corner of the State of Hawai'i flag, representing the close relationship between the Hawaiian monarchy and British monarchy. Thank you for explaining the flag. ❤
Kevin, I love the passion you have for each of your videos. You’re one of my favourite channels on RU-vid. I see in my subscriptions that you have a new video, and I feel like it’s Christmas (I’m 59M pathetic) morning! Just can’t wait to see what wisdom you’re going to bestow upon us! Love your channel and what you do brother! Keep up the great work!
Wow what a great bit of your own history and a great way to show and explain the various layers of the flag; makes me wonder why we don't do this here in the UK with a little booklet.
Thank you for making and sharing this video about the union flag. I was totally unaware of its story. And what a lovely story right at the end of your video. True friendship is rare to find.
Thank you for your service Mr. Hicks. I am a Turk and a big admirer of the Union Jack in terms of the design and aesthetics. Also I was wondering about your view on Turkish people which I've learned in this video. Teşekkürler Onbaşı Hicks!
Greetings once again from nova Scotia, thanks again for another very enjoyable film. Saskatoon is fortunate to have you, as are the rest of us. I am proud of the maple leaf, I also honor the old "Red Ensign " . I very much enjoy your stories, thank you for sharing some today. Be safe, be well, and as always best regards, Arthur
I have a Union Flag story for you. Back in the '90s, we took the kids to Disney World in Florida. This was shorty after the release of the animated Disney movie, Pocahontas. The exhibit had a short live-action play. I was standing at the back of the audience next to a Disney cast member. When the English made their arrival they were carrying the current Union Flag. I turned to the cast member and said, "You do know they are carrying the wrong flag don't you?" He looked at me with an expression of mild terror, "What do you mean?" I replied, "The Union Flag they are carrying wasn't adopted for almost 200 years after the landing at Jamestown. They should be carrying the Union Flag without the red diagonal Cross of Saint Patrick." Mind you, the original release of the animated movie also used the wrong flag. When we came back the next year, everyone had the correct flag and they had fixed the movie. My daughter still has the original version. I like to think I had a small part in correcting movie history. 😁
Wow, what a fantastic story Harry, well done you!! I do often wonder who they get to consult on historical accuracy in these Hollywood films, in all honesty I don't think they have anyone at all. 😉
You are one amazing storyteller and seem to have and continue to touch many peoples lives. Only found your channel yesterday and subscribed on the first video. Great stuff mate.
Nice personal story. It was good to see the Union flag fluttering next to the Ukraine flag as I was walking up Whitehall today. Continuing the proud tradition of the Union flag representing a country willing to stand against tyranny in the world.
Thank you. Thank you that you have personally pushed back against the darkness that comes into this world. You helped bring the rule of law and a measure of peace to an area of the world. People who give of themselves to help stem the darkness deserve more than a Queen's thanks. They deserve thanks from us all.
Wow! What an incredible gift! Do you keep it on display or in some place of prominence? Great story, I'm loving your content and enjoying your backlog a lot! 👍
Thank you for the story Kevin.only came across your channel recently love it.from Scotland myself and I'm a proud Brit glad we voted No to independence.United we stand divided we fall 🇬🇧 Take care
Heraldry is complicated business! What's truly impressive is how much they managed to fit into the national flag, while keeping things relatively simple. As for your personal story, not every soldier can retire from his duty knowing his efforts have resulted in real good, so that is something worthy of pride and satisfaction. Thank you for sharing that with us. =^[.]^=
3:09 Ive never seen that st patrick cross (I should lol my family on dads side is Irish). NOW I understand why the cross is weirdly uncentred/unsymmetrical like that. Always made drawing the Union Jack a pain in the arse as a kid lol 3:36 its a bit wonky though! 😋
Fantastic! I've always gotten a chuckle from the terms of heraldry. They are sort of like The Bible: don't linguistically 'modernise it' or it risks losing its mystery and grandeur. Left is SOOOO sinister! Cheers and thank you, Mr. Hicks and everyone at The History Squad.
Something else which flags are and have been critically important for, which not a lot of people realize, is signaling. In old times especially, because it was, from my understanding, the fastest way to relay orders in battle, as voices and instruments only carry so far, and with all the noise going on it would be difficult to hear sometime. But even today flags are still in use for signaling. For example, in American armed forces fortifications in particular, an American flag which has been raised upside down is a distress signal. I imagine this would be for when all other forms of communication are not functional, or are impractical at the moment.
Always loved the Union Jack ever since I was a little kid (I'm American). I loved flags when I was little and would take a plain white sheet of computer paper at school and just color the whole thing in as a flag. I have no idea why, who knows with little kids, they sometimes just get interested in random things, but to this day I love vexillology. I loved the Union Jack merely because of its aesthetic appeal. It has a simple, immediately recognizable design, and it is unlike what anyone else has. It probably wasn't until I was 15 or so that I learned it was the Scottish and English flags overlaid, plus that other one for Northern Ireland. Anyway, it's a great flag with a proper design, colors, and meaning. A literal depiction of union.
Very interesting video, and got me researching Jacque's. Dust jackets, flags, jacket potatoes. It is fair to say that the word Jack as a Christian name only came about fairly recently. In my genealogy tree of almost 5,000 people, the work Jack never comes up at all, except as a surname - Jackson.
Ensign to the Stern, Union to the Jack. Jack pole on the front of a ship!! Toggle up. The flag is rolled up so it can be broken open. Loving the channel BTW!!
@@thehistorysquad No, im afraid not, Funny enough NI is the only place I've never been to. Both my brothers have, my eldest brother got hit in Derry i think it was. I was on course with you guys in the early 90s. RP., and used to look after the CPU guys at Longmore. I did pinch one of your coy flags. 110 prov i think it was, when serving in Minden in the ate 80s. we shared the same barracks, so they didn't have to go far t get it back. My bad.
