ABSTRACT
The end of the Second World War in Europe was signalled by raising the Union Jack over Berlin, described as a ‘symbolic unfurling’.1 Victory crowds surrounded Buckingham Palace and Westminster, which were bathed in light, but one image seemed to float in the air: ‘a striking and, to many people, most moving sight in that direction was the great spotlit Union Jack that floated serenely over the lofty Victoria Tower.’2 There had been some debate over the national flag and the constitutional right of private citizens to fly it before the outbreak of war. On 27 June 1933, replying to a question about whether private citizens were forbidden to fly the Union Jack for the forthcoming silver jubilee of George V in 1935, Sir John Gilmour, the Home Secretary, commented, ‘No, Sir, the Union Flag is the national flag and may properly be flown by any British subject on land.’3 This is the last official pronouncement on the Union Jack. No single government department or public body has overall jurisdiction over the Union Jack or for any policy concerning it. The Union Jack may be flown at any time.
