back to writings page	back to James's home page
back to hobbies page

The island that didn't want to be free

However, as with many forced amalgamations of two former colonies, all was not happy in this island paradise. Anguilla, which had long looked to Britain for its governance but which was too small and distant from it to be really affected by its laws, now faced the prospect of being governed from its large neighbour 100 kilometres to the south. The 6,000 inhabitants were by no means impressed with this situation, and in July  of 1967, just five months after the formation of the new country, Anguilla repudiated the authority of the St Kitts government and seceded from the union. Two years later, the island unilaterally declared itself independent as the Republic of Anguilla.

St Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla's government, having no armed forces of its own, and precious little in the way of a police force, asked Britain for help in putting down this peaceful uprising. Britain duly sent a unit of the metropolitan police force to the island, and in scenes which would not have been out of place in the comedy movie Water the islanders welcomed the "invading army" with open arms. A vice regal commissioner from Britain was appointed to administer the island, and Anguilla was eventually returned to the status its people wanted to have all along, that of British colony - a status it still has.

During the period of Anguilla's "independence", two flags were used on the island. The first, an ugly flag with a blue oval containing two white mermaids surrounded by a red border with the words "Republic of Anguilla" boldly written on it in yellow, only lasted about a month and a half before protests from the islanders forced a change to a simple yet beautiful flag, the so called "Dolphin Flag". This flag is white, with a pale blue stripe in the base, and above this are three orange-yellow dolphins formed into a circle. The island kept this flag until colonial status was regained, and today uses a Blue ensign flag (similar to Australia's and New Zealand's), with the design of the dolphin flag on a shield-shaped badge in the fly. The 'dolphin flag', shown to the right, is still used in an unofficial capacity by islanders.

back to top

Maryland (USA)

The majority of the states of the United States of America use fairly boring flags, with the state seal simply placed on a plain background. These flags are known colloquially to vexillologists as "logo-on-a-bedsheet flags", as it looks as though the state seal has simply been sewn onto a sheet. The remaining states mostly use some variant on the theme of stars and stripes, or on the "Southern Cross" battle flag of the confederacy (often erroneously called "the Confederate flag"). Significantly, the remaining flags include those of the four newest states (New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska and Hawaii), along with those of Wyoming, Colorado, Maryland and California.

Of all the US states, the one with the most attractive flag is probably Maryland (flag shown to the left). It is also the only state to have taken its flag directly from European heraldry (although the flag of the District of Columbia also does so). The flag is based on the flag of the Lords Baltimore, and has been used in one form or another since the foundation of the colony in 1632. The flag is quarterly, with the arms of the family Calvert in the first and fourth quarters, and those of the family Crossland in the remaining two quarters.

Maryland's first flag was a banner simply made up of the yellow and black arms of the Calvert family. By a 1632 charter of Charles I, the governmental and territorial rights to Maryland were granted to George Calvert, first Lord Baltimore. He died before the foundation of the colony, but in 1633, two ships sailed for the new land under the governance of his brother Leonard. Calverts continued in governance of Maryland intermittently until 1733.

Recently, the email discussion group "Flags of the World" set about trying to decide on the weirdest "Union Jack ensign" flag. Many countries and colonies over the last two and a half centuries have used flags which, like those of New Zealand, are based upon the British naval ensigns; that is, they have the British Union Flag in canton, usually a plain coloured background, and some badge or distinctive feature in the fly. In a way, these are a British colonial equivalent of the US state "logo-on-a-bedsheet" flags. Some of these ensign designs are, however, a bit unusual. The island of Niue uses a yellow ensign, for instance, and the distinctive feature is five stars placed over the "Union Jack" canton. The flag of the governing authorities of the British Indian Ocean Territories used an "ensign style" flag that was composed of wavy blue and white lines. The state of Hawaii uses a flag with eight plain red, white and blue horizontal lines with the "Union Jack" in the canton.

One flag that was put forward as the strangest "Union Jack ensign" was the Calvert Arms Grand Union flag, used by colonists during the French and Indian War (1756-1763). This consisted of the Calvert flag of yellow and black with the pre-1801 (pre-unification with Ireland) Union Flag in the canton (shown right).

back to top

Albania

Albania was a possession of the Turks from the 15th Century until World War I. Prior to this time, it had been governed by the Mirdite peoples of the Adriatic coast. The first nation which can be referred to as Albania existed from 1461 to 1474, under the rule of Skanderbeg, today regarded as Albania's national hero. Skanderbeg, born Giorgio Castriota in 1403, was captured as a youth by the army of Turkish ruler Murad II, and sent to be trained in the service of the Turks. His brilliance gained him the favour of the sultan, and by the age of nineteen he had gained a high military command. His exploits gained him the nickname "Iskander Bey" (Prince Alexander), a reference to the achievements of Alexander the Great. In 1443, however, he fell out of favour with the Turks. His brothers were poisoned, and the province which he had ruled as governor was taken from him. He instantly turned against the Turks. He took the Albanian form of the name Iskander Bey - Skanderbeg - and, gathering native Albanians, launched a bloody guerrilla warfare against the Ottomans, a war which lasted for over 20 years and which saw the short-lived independence of the Albanian people.

By the late 1800s, there was a strong Albanian independence movement, and a flag was created featuring the double-headed eagle emblem of Skanderbeg placed on the traditional red background used in most Turkish flags. The flag was used by the Albanian leader Isa Boletin during his 1910 revolt against Turkey. In June of 1911 an autonomous government was proclaimed and it became the national flag. The revolt continued, however, and the new Albanian government soon claimed ground as far as Pristina in Kosovo and Uskub (now Skopje, F.Y.R.o.Macedonia). Turkey recognised the autonomy of Albania by mid 1912. During the Balkan war of 1912-13, Serbs, Montenegrins, Greeks and Albanians all rebelled against the rule of the Ottomans. Albania declared itself completely independent of Turkish rule, but this was not recognised.

In late 1913, the great powers of Europe intervened, and placed the German prince Wilhelm of Wied on the throne. His reign was to last less than a year. An interim government was set up at Valona, but by this stage the region was deeply involved in the First World War. The south of Albania was occupied by Greece, and from 1915 by Italy. In late 1915 the Austro-Hungarian occupied northern Albania and dissolved the government. From then until the reinstitution of the (Italian controlled) Albanian republic in 1917, the Skanderbeg eagle was flown by Albanian guerrilla fighters in the Balkans. The withdrawal of the Austrians in the autumn of 1917 left large part of Albania in the hands of Italy, France, and Serbia.

After the war, a regency was created, and the variant of the flag used by Prince Wilhelm was re-established. France passed control of their territories to this government. When no agreement was reached on the country in the 1919 Peace Conference, Italy proposed to divide the country between Greece and Serbia. An Albanian revolt ensued which by early 1920 controlled nearly all Albania, and by August the Italian government were forced to recognise its independence. The Serbians took advantage the struggle between Albania and Italy to occupy part of the country, but the Albanian forces expelled them and re-established Albanian control. In December 1922, Ahmed Zogu was elected prime minister, but was accused of underhand dealings with the Yugoslav government, and resigned in February 1924. Zogu, with Yugoslav help, staged a coup in late 1924, and was proclaimed President for life in 1925. In 1928, he proclaimed himself King of the Albanians as Zog I. During all this time the national flag underwent a variety of minor changes, and from 1928 to 1939 the eagle was adorned with a royal crown.

In April 1939 Italian forces took the control of the country. King Zog I was dismissed, and the country entered political union with Italy. Fasces, the heraldic bundles of sticks used as an emblem of Italy, were added to the flag, and the eagle was placed on a shield. During World War II communist-influenced guerrilla units fought for independence, and these started to gain some power by mid 1941. After the Italian rout in late 1943 Enver Hoxha constituted a provisional government, and took as his flag the Skanderbeg eagle flag with a yellow star added. The Germans occupied the country briefly, withdrawing in late 1944, and in October of that year Hoxha proclaimed the Democratic Republic of Albania. A new flag was raised, replacing the star with the soviet hammer and sickle. In 1946 a new constitution came into effect for the (renamed) People's Republic of Albania, with a new national flag featuring a red star bordered yellow above the eagle, in place of the hammer and sickle.

After the fall of the Warsaw Pact, Albania (never a formal member of the Russian-dominated group) also embraced a more western-styled government, and - although the government was still strongly socialist - the star was removed from the flag, leaving only the eagle.

In recent times, the flag (seen at left) has also been associated with the ethnic Albanians that make up a large part of the population of the Kosovo Region (within Yugoslavia), and with the minority Albanian popuolation of the neighbouring Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

back to top
 

How a shipbuilder influenced the flags of eastern Europe

During the time of Peter's rule (1682-1725), the shipbuilding strength of the world lay on the two coasts of the North Sea. The greatest seafaring nation in terms of military strength was Great Britain, and the greatest sea trading nation was the Netherlands. Peter brought in advisers from these two countries to teach him much of his boat building knowledge, notably Dutchman Franz Timmermans. Peter visited the Netherlands in 1699, and was so impressed by what he learnt that he decided that his naval flag should honour that of Holland. Where the Dutch flag has three horizontal stripes of red, white and blue, the Russian civil ensign, for use by trading vessels (also used as the Russian national flag since 1883, except during the years of communist rule) has three stripes white-blue-red.

Peter was further inspired by many of the other flags he saw. Recognising the might of the British navy of the time, he further designed an imperial naval jack for use by the Russian navy that was based on the British jack. The British naval jack, "The Union Jack", is, of course, the de facto national flag for the United Kingdom, although interestingly it has no such status in law. The only 'national flags' officially recognised by Westminster are the flags of the nations comprising the UK. However, to all intents and purposes the Union Jack is regarded as a national flag.

The flag that Peter the Great designed as a Russian jack (shown right) was red, with a white cross and a blue saltire fimbriated (edged) in white. Again, with the exception of the years of communist rule, it has remained as the jack of the Russian navy. He further recognised the influence of the British navy by dividing his navy into three fleets, designated (as with the British Royal Navy) red, white, and blue. The British-styled jack was so popular with the Russian navy that despite being an imperial flag it remained in use until 1924, several years into the Soviet era.

Peter the Great  also designed a third flag, for use as the ensign of the Russian navy, which was simply the reverse of the Scottish flag, a blue saltire on a white background. This recognises the fact that St. Andrew is a patron saint of both Scotland and Russia (several different saints are recognised as patron saints for Russia, but Andrew was recognised as such by the Tsars. This was because - according to Peter the Great in 1712 - Christianity was introduced to the Russian peoples by this apostle).

Such has been the influence of Russia in eastern Europe that the three national colours of Russia (which were red, white and blue even before the Dutch flag became a model for the national flag) are regarded throughout much of the region as 'the Slavic colours'. Many of the other countries in the region also use them as their national colours, or use red and white but replace the blue with green. Many of these nations have also used the designs of the Russian flags as a model for their own national flag. Bulgaria uses a national flag that is identical to Russia's except that its central stripe is green rather than blue. Serbia and Montenegro (formerly Yugoslavia) uses a flag horizontally striped blue-white-red. Croatia's flag has red, white and blue stripes surmounted by the national arms ("The Croat chequerboard"). Hungary's flag is three horizontal stripes of red, white and green. The former Yugoslav republic of Slovenia has a flag like that of Russia but with its national arms (depicting the nation's highest mountain, Triglav) in the upper hoist. Confusingly, Slovakia, formerly part of Czechoslovakia,  also has Russia's three stripes surmounted by a coat of arms, although the arms of Slovakia are more central and feature the two-armed Cross of Lorraine.

Even countries in eastern Europe with their own national colours (and their own fierce hatred of things Russian) have succumbed to the influence of Peter the Great's designs. Two of the three Baltic republics, Latvia and Estonia, each have attractive Union Jack-like naval flags. Estonia's jack is shown - a chalky blue cross over a black saltire on a white background.

back to top
 
 

Flying the flag for Otago

(The following article is one I wrote which was published in Dunedin newspaper The Otago Daily Times in October 2001).

In recent years, an increasing sense of local identity and pride has led to an upswing in the use of different flags representing Otago. This is clearly seen in the number of different flags flying around the central city, and there is nothing quite like the sea of blue and gold on the terrace at Carisbrook at a big match.

Yet, though there is unanimity in the use of royal blue and yellow-gold on these banners, there is no consistency in the designs used or in the way in which they are hoisted. Perhaps it is time that there was some specific, official Otago flag that we could all fly with pride.

There are three broad categories of Otago flag in common use: quartered, divided horizontally, and divided vertically. A fourth design, a saltire (`X'-shaped cross) similar to that of Scotland, is used in some form by both the University and a local car dealer, but has little support other than in those cases.

A flag should do several things. It should be easily identifiable, even from a distance. It should say something about the place it represents. It should be neither too complex nor too boring. It should not be easily confusable with other flags, and should preferably be unique. Ideally, it should also be easy enough to be made by anyone patriotic or parochial who wishes to do so.

The first two criteria are easily met. Few colours stand out as clearly against the sky as deep yellow. Similarly, a mid-blue is a very bold colour and well suited to use on flags. And the two colours have a long association with this region, representing (according to some sources) the gold mined from the province's rivers. There is also a link to the blue of Scotland.

The third criterion is more arbitrary, and more difficult to assess. How complex is too complex? And how do we decide whether a flag is boring? Many vexillologists (flag experts) feel that three or four areas of colour on a flag is an ideal. Any less than that makes for a drab flag, any more than that leads to a confusing design. It is possible, of course, for a flag to be complex and boring - the designs of many American state flags, with a state crest in the centre of a plain background, are clearly both. The ease with which multicoloured (yet not unattractive) flags like that of South Africa can be hoisted upside down shows one reason for complexity being a bad thing. A flag with many fields can also look too "busy" and can be difficult to recognise from a distance.

On the other hand, a flag that is simply two even areas of colour can look extremely dull. For this reason, the Otago flags that are simply divided in two, vertically or horizontally, are poor choices. This is especially the case where the flag is divided vertically. This format is rare in flag design and, where it does exist, is almost always embellished by some additional feature. The most famous example of this is possibly the yellow and white flag of the Vatican, which has the papal insignia on the white stripe.

There are several national and regional flags that are horizontally divided in two, such as those of Poland and Indonesia. One notable example is that of the Ukraine, which is also blue and gold; in Ukraine's, case representing blue skies over fields of grain. There have been instances of the crews of visiting fishing boats arriving in Dunedin and being surprised to see "their national flag" flying from so many buildings.

Though it is unlikely that the Otago flag would often be confused with that of the Ukraine, it is clear that this design falls foul of one of our criteria - it is not unique. Furthermore, if we want the design to be distinctive, we should have one that is in a simple, yet less commonly used, pattern. Alternatively, we could have a flag that embellishes the simple stripes with something that is distinctly "ours".

This brings the choice down to two: the quartered flag - surprisingly, a fairly uncommon design among flags - and a design featuring two vertical stripes emblazoned with some further design element. A design such as this is in common use - vertically divided blue and gold, with the word "Otago" written across the stripes.

Each of these two designs has its good features and its bad. The quartered flag is the easier of the two for anyone to make. It has four pieces of cloth that can quite easily be sewn together or painted. In contrast, the flag with the name requires considerable work for a home flag-maker to get the word "Otago" to look anything other than ragged. There is also a convention in flag design that putting words on a flag is in some way cheating, and almost always leads to poor design.

Despite this, the standardised flags that are seen around town, with the word "Otago" in white edged in black, do make a fairly attractive flag. It is also virtually impossible to hoist this flag upside down, whereas - even if there were a standard rule on the order of the colours - a quartered flag does have this problem.

On this last point, flag etiquette is fairly precise, by the way. Otago's colours are referred to as "blue and gold", not "gold and blue". For this reason, our flag should have the blue at honour point. Honour point is the name given in flag design to the part of the flag that has the most importance or historical significance, and it is the point closest to the top of the pole when the flag is flying. For historical reasons, in the New Zealand flag, this is occupied by the Union Flag of the United Kingdom. In the American flag, it is occupied by the Union, the fifty stars on a blue field. In any Otago flag, it should be occupied by Otago's main representative colour, blue.

The quartered flag is regularly flown from a number of important buildings around Dunedin. But, whereas the Allied Press building, for example, always flies the flag as "blue and gold", the Municipal Chambers and some other buildings fly the flag the other way up, as though our colours were "gold and blue".

Though I leave the final choice of flag design open, I would suggest that one of two designs is the best for our provincial flag: either vertically divided blue and gold, with the word Otago in white edged in black across the centre, or quartered in blue and gold, with the blue at honour point.

Maybe sometime soon, one of these will be an official flag for our region.

Until that time, I'd suggest that you fly whatever arrangement of the colours you see fit - just so long as you show your local pride by keeping some form of the blue and gold flying!
 
 

Let's fly a new flag with pride

(The following article is one I wrote which was published in Auckland newspaper The New Zealand Herald on May 9th, 2002).

A centenary which will probably pass largely unmarked this year is that of our national flag. Although it had been used unofficially since the 1860s, the design was officially hoisted as New Zealand's national flag for the first time on June 12, 1902. Now, as it enters its second century, views on this symbol of national unity polarise society more than ever.

Those supporting the design see it as representing our traditional links with Britain, a proud banner under which our troops have fought, and a symbol of our stability and responsibility in an ever-changing world. Those who object to it see it as outdated and outmoded, a symbol of now weak ties with a colonial past, and far too much like the flag of our bigger sibling across the Tasman. As one of some dozen or so "blue ensign" national flags - three of which have stars - it has a perceived lack of originality. Proponents of change favour more internationally recognised symbols of New Zealand, such as the silver fern, or want some recognition of our biculturalism.

Both these arguments have much going for them. We are a stable country and the longevity of our flag recognises this. And we do have links with Britain - tenuous ones to be sure, but to deny this part of our history would be as wrong as denying our Maori heritage.It is wrong to honour only our European descent; there is no indication on our flag that we have a sizeable Polynesian population (let alone the smaller but significant populations from other racial groups). The flag's Southern Cross is a recognised symbol of New Zealand, albeit one that is used by several other nations, and whether it is as internationally recognised as the silver fern is a moot point. Our flag has been around far longer than that of almost every other country. Australia, the United States, Canada, Spain, Italy, Germany have all made at least minor changes to their flags since 1902.

If we were to change our flag, what would we change it to? To answer is that we need to ask other questions first. What makes a successful flag? What do we want our flag to tell people? And what features of New Zealand need to be recognised on a flag?

Internationally, successful flags have a few things in common. With few exceptions, they use only a small number of colours, usually drawn from fairly standardised red, yellow, blue, green, black and white. Three or four colours on a flag is usually regarded as the optimum number. More than this, and a flag is too cluttered. Similarly, too much fine detail detracts from the design.

Fewer than three colours and a flag is too boring, especially when neither of the colours is strong like red or yellow. Heraldic rules of using "metals" (yellow and white) to separate areas of "tincture" (other colours) are regarded as the best way to make a bold design that is clearly visible from a distance. A further point is that fabric fades. Thus, it is rare to find two colours that will look similar when faded (such as light and dark blue, or red and orange) together on a flag.

The colours of flags can say a lot about a country. For historical and social reasons, certain colours are often used by particular geographical, ethnic or religious groups of countries. A red, green, yellow and black flag will usually be African. A blue, yellow, and red flag frequently indicates South America. Red, white and blue are common among European countries and their more homeward-looking colonies. Green and white indicate an Islamic nation. Different indigenous populations also have their own colours, such as the red, yellow and black of the Australian Aborigine peoples, and the red, white and black of the tangata whenua (Maori).

Any flag we have should say something about our country. It should be a bold, easily recognisable design that is not readily confusable with those of our neighbours. So what do we need to say on a flag? Ideally, any flag we have should indicate, in part at least, our European and Maori heritages. It should also contain some symbol that is recognisably ours. Only three symbols are known internationally as New Zealand symbols: the Southern Cross, the silver fern and the kiwi.

Of these, the first two are the most logical choices. Despite the fact that we are known as Kiwis to much of the world, to many people overseas a kiwi is a furry fruit. And from the distance on a flag, one bird - even a stumpy, flightless one with a long beak - looks much like any other bird. The Southern Cross has been on our flag for a century and is easily recognisable, as well as saying something about our location. The silver fern is known by any nation we play sport with, and in today's global stadium that is most of the planet.

What of four of the alternative flags that have been suggested? First is the green koru fern designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser. Although this design appears striking on paper, it fails on many grounds. Its green and cream colours suggest we are an Islamic nation such as Saudi Arabia or Libya. Also, once the flag begins to fade, the two colours start to merge until it is difficult to tell what the design is from a distance. And until a person has been told what the spiral is meant to represent, it is a meaningless symbol. It certainly has nothing about it which indicates that it represents New Zealand, let alone saying anything about our peoples.

The Maori flag of tino rangatiratanga, on the other hand, is bright and bold. There is no way that the red of even a very old one of these flags would fade into the white and black. Again, though, the design means little without explanation. Using this flag as a national flag would also cause controversy among Maori and Pakeha.

Look around any stadium where New Zealand is playing and you will see the white fern on black being waved. This is a strong symbol, and recognisable for what it is without explanation. But, like Hundertwasser's koru flag, its minimal use of colour makes for a boring flag and leaves it open to fading to a grey sameness. There is also a seeming aversion to using black as the main colour on flags. A black flag conjures up thoughts of piracy, of plague, of death. No country has flown a mainly black flag (other than Afghanistan, briefly, on one of its multitude of former flags).

A compromise flag sometimes seen is our present flag but with the Union Jack replaced by the silver fern. This is a better design in many ways, although the reasons for the use of the rules of heraldry become apparent when you look at the black and dark blue next to each other. It is also fair to say that neither of these last two designs tackles the idea of a flag symbolising our biculturalism.

But all is not lost. This last design is close to a viable flag which contains two national symbols and nods to our British past and to our indigenous population, all on a bold and uncluttered flag. A flag with a broad red diagonal edged in white separating a triangle of black containing the silver fern from a triangle of blue containing the Southern Cross would fulfil all the requirements for a national flag. The lower right portion of the flag would contain the red, white and blue of today's flag, along with its main design element, the Southern Cross. The lower right corner would thus look back at our present flag and at our links with Britain. The upper left corner would contain black, white and red - the three colours of the flag of tino rangatiratanga - along with the silver fern that is worn and waved with pride at stadiums worldwide. The design would be bold, distinctive and recognisable as ours.

It would be a flag we could all wave with pride.
 
 

back to top