In September of 2012, we put together a play to celebrate the birth of the Labour Party in our neighbouring village in 1891. It was written by Paul Salveson, a local writer and academic of some renown. Paul was looking for a local country bumpkin with a strong Yorkshire accent who didn’t mind standing up in front of an audience and making a fool of themselves, unable to find one he looked to me. I was asked to narrate and also play the part of George Garside – a local prominent trade unionist and the first president of the Colne Valley Division Labour Union.
The play was first transmitted on the local on-line radio station and then on stage for the good people of Slawit. The photo below was taken while we sang The Red Flag. The next photo includes me (George Garside) lighting the candle on a cake during part of the play that marked the first birthday of the movement in 1892.
The origins of the iconic red flag
Although I proudly include socialist sympathies in my makeup, I wouldn’t call myself political, and I have been determined to avoid political statements and ideologies in my rambles. However, a recent conversation reminded me of this period in my life which in turn gave birth to this ramble and I thought it a reasonable opportunity to describe the symbolic origins of the ‘Red Flag’.
The red flag has been a symbol of rebellion, mutiny and revolution for centuries. It has been suggested that during the Middle Ages the red streamer flown from a warship indicated a willingness to fight to the death, but the red flag was also adopted by the more revolutionary and rebellious.
Among those adopting the red flag as a mark of defiance and unity were the Jacobins during the French revolution of 1789 to 1799. Red flags were also hoisted to indicate solidarity during the Spithead and Nore mutinies of 1797 by sailors of British naval ships who were demanding better pay and conditions, all sounds very familiar doesn’t it?
In 1831, over 7,000 Welsh men and women rallied together in protest against exploitation of workers by industry owners, which became known as the Merthyr Rising. They also flew the red flag as a sign of solidarity, as did the revolutionary groups in South America who were seeking independence from Spanish rule.
Unfortunately, life was cheap in those days and the ringleaders ran the serious risk of being hanged and the supporters getting nothing if not less than before, and often they were and did.
Governments and radical revolutionaries have always trod a delicate tightrope of compromise. Governments and the establishment of all types throughout history have been conscious and/or concerned about insurrection and rebellion, and the working classes have always wanted a bigger, or as they see it, a fairer share of the cake.
Interestingly, following the French revolution and when the country became a republic again the revolutionaries offered the suggestion that the red flag should be their new national flag, but Alphonse Lamartine 1790-1869, who had been elected to be responsible for establishing the Second Republic, rejected the idea as he said it was associated with violence and bloodshed and he insisted that the Tricolour must remain the flag of France.
National flags
The development of a national flag can often symbolise centuries of struggle, and on a more positive note can also be a symbol of unity as is the Union Flag (Union Jack if you must). I have described the history of the British flag in detail in the “Proud to be British” ramble.
Each nation’s flag has a fascinating history to tell, and in my humble opinion, we should all discover as much as possible about why our own flappy piece of cloth of different shapes, designs and colours was developed. I would hope that this discovery would not evoke any nationalistic thoughts in any way but to discover more about our own roots of which we should all be very proud. Discovering where we originate has been a standard opening of conversation since forever.
Flags have been a symbol of unity or belonging for centuries, they have been used on the battlefield to distinguish one group from another almost as long as there have been battlefields. The Chinese Zhou dynasty in the 11th century BC is often credited with being the earliest example. Knowing who and where your enemy is can be quite useful in the heat of battle, equally as important is knowing where your mate is particularly when he is swinging a big spiky metal ball about at the end of a chain. Even though I have not experienced it myself, I can safely guarantee that you would not thank him if he clouted you at the side of your head with one of them.
