Union flag upside down?

[mrpeter]

I have just read the item about one of our athletes holding the flag upside down. Surely the point has been completely missed. The flag cannot be held upside down when only the flag is being held. The flag can only be upside down when it is attached to a flag pole or stick. The broad white stripe has to be at top nearest to the flag pole to be correct. As a flag on its own with no pole it cannot therfore be upside down because it is only in the eyes of the looker as to which side of the flag they put the pole ,one side correct ,the other wrong.

[THECORBYLOON]

The flags flown in Beijing had a white strip on the hoist, the side of the flag that flies nearer the pole. That would mean a flag COULD be upside down.

[mrpeter]

That is what I said. If it is attached to a pole etc it can be upside down. But it cannot be upside down if only the flag is being held with no pole. This is how the athletes have them round their backs when carrying them.

[mightylegend]

peter is correct .
a flag can only be flown upside down on a mast or flagpole , not in someones hands.


isnt a flag flown upside down an international distress signal ??

" the flying of a ship's ensign upside-down is a mark of distress"

[mrpeter]

Correct mightylegend

[ChuckFickens]

I agree with THECORBYLOON here, if the flags had white strip on the hoist side then you know where the pole "should be" even if it's not actually there.

[jno]

the question isn't so much where the pole might be as whether the flag was being flown when (to my eyes at least) it was being merely carried or just worn

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/08/12/arti cle-1043557-023DE44700000578-845_468x456.jpg

Sort of hard to define in such circumstances whether the phrase 'upside down' has any useful meaning

[Gromit]

So, just to summarise...

If Rebecca Adlington was a ship, she might be in distress, if she was also a pole.

Thankfully, she is just a very fast swimmer, and is British and not a Pole, who are good at plumbing, which is not an olympic event.

[sp1814]

I think we should just be pleased that we had athletes who had the opportunity to walk around with the union flag...because we won so many medals!

[Booldawg]

Why can't they introduce a 'this way up' arrow on the Union Jack? - its far too confusing!

[Gromit]

Booldawg, your a genius

THIS WAY UP

[instigator]

she as it the right way up already gromit!!

[instigator]

ok H