HOW THE UNION JACK IS MADE

In regard to proportion, the Union Jack is twice as long as it is broad. By referring to cut it will be seen that it is made 60 units long by 30 broad.

As the flag is not printed in color, letters have been placed to denote what colors, stripes, and fields are- 1 represents white, 2 blue, and 3 red.

These are three Crosses used to make the Union Jack, namely, the Red Cross of St. George, White Cross of St. Andrew, and the Red Cross of St. Patrick.

The Red Cross Banner of England (St. George) is claimed by some to have been adopted by Alfred the Great, when in 897 he founded the Royal Navy, and on the Union of England and Scotland in 177, it was superimposed, or placed on the Scottish flag, which was the White Cross of St. Andrew on a blue ground. Of course if the whole English flag had been so placed it would have completely hidden the other, and so only a narrow strip of the English white "field" was retained about the edges of the Red Cross, to show what the field was, and also because it is one of the rules of heraldry that color should not be placed upon color.

When the flag of St. Patrick, representing Ireland, was brought into the combination in 1808, as the Crosses were the same in shape and size, the difference being only in color, it was decided to divide them into strips, placing them side by side, the St. Andrew's being one-half of its former width, and St. Patrick's one-third. Scotland is the senior of these two countries, so in the left-hand upper corner the white strip, representing St. Andrew, is uppermost, but alternates with that of ST. Patrick in the others