ABSTRACT
This is a general commentary on the relationship of the believer to God, demanding that one trust in God and keep faith even when all seems hopeless, a theme that underlies many religious and historical images. But it can also be taken literally as the ideal female response: while male figures are shown taking decisive actions, women, who rarely appear on banners as individuals in their own right, are depicted passively clinging on to their faith 'trust in God' is all these images offer. Many of the stories concern the long struggle of the Israelites to live and rule in the land of their forefathers, and there is a long-standing, if rarely publicized, belief in the Ulster Protestants as the lost tribe of Israel, as God's Chosen People. The victory at the Somme therefore confirms the status of the Ulster Protestants as God's Chosen People: the covenant of faith that overrides pragmatic politics remains intact.
