Historic standard secured for region
Hero Collingwood’s flag flown at Trafalgar is secured for the North East and the nation. Tony Henderson reports
The Union Flag which was flown from North East hero Vice-Admiral Lord Collingwood’s warship at the Battle of Trafalgar has been saved for the region.
North East Museums has acquired the flag from HMS Royal Sovereign, ensuring it remains in the UK, with the support of several generous funders.
Newcastle-born Cuthbert Collingwood took control of the British fleet in the victory against the French and Spanish at Trafalgar on October 21, 1805, after the death of commander Lord Nelson.
An estimated 500 North East sailors fought in the battle.
The flag was due to be taken out of the country before an export bar was placed on it by the Secretary of State because of its significance to the UK, following a recommendation from the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest.
This process gave institutions and individuals in the UK a chance to raise the money, purchase the item and retain it in the UK for the public to view.
North East Museums has raised over two-thirds of its £700,000 fundraising target to purchase the flag and create a permanent home for it at Discovery Museum in Newcastle.
The National Heritage Memorial Fund has supported the acquisition with a £400,000 grant and further support has come from the Sir James Knott Trust, Community Foundation North East, XTX Markets, the Drapers’ Charitable Fund and several other donors.
The Collingwood family – direct descendants of Collingwood who later lived in Morpeth – has also contributed to the fundraising appeal to save the flag and bring it to Newcastle.
Susan Collingwood-Cameron, great-great-great-niece of Vice-Admiral Collingwood, said: “As a great-great-great-niece of Vice-Admiral Lord Collingwood, I am excited to hear that the Union Flag flown from his flagship at Trafalgar is coming to Newcastle.
“This flag is said to have been made by sailors on board the ship, many of whom came from Tyneside and were affectionately referred to by him as his ‘Tars of the Tyne.’ It will be a tribute to them, and the important role they played, in one of our greatest moments in history. There may well be descendants of their families still living in the area.”
The flag had a fixed purchase price of £450,000 and it will cost an estimated £250,000 to transport, store and conserve the flag, and create a new permanent display.
It is hoped the fundraising campaign will be further boosted by a crowdfunder which launches at noon today (August 6), and which will be match-funded by the Sir James Knott Trust.
The new display will be used to involve visitors and schoolchildren with the story of Collingwood, the role of North Easterners in the Royal Navy, and as part of the wider story of maritime history in the region and its impact on the rest of the world.
Many of Collingwood’s sailors were recruited from the Tyne and the Wear, especially from those who manned the collier ships.
Keith Merrin, director of North East Museums, said: “It is wonderful to have acquired this rare and historically significant flag to ensure it remains in the UK and specifically in the North East, which was home to Vice-Admiral Collingwood and many of his crew. Collingwood is a popular figure in the North East but perhaps isn’t given the national hero status that he and his crew deserve.
“Our fundraising continues so that we can create a permanent display with the flag as the centrepiece at Discovery Museum, where it can be enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.”
Coun Rob Austin, Cabinet Member for Culture, Communities and Youth Services at Newcastle City Council, said: “I am delighted that North East Museums has been able to bring this extraordinary piece of Newcastle’s heritage home. The Union Flag that flew on HMS Royal Sovereign is a powerful reminder of the role Vice-Admiral Lord Collingwood and the ‘Tars of the Tyne’ played in one of Britain’s most significant naval victories.
“This fantastic achievement will give residents and visitors the chance to see an authentic piece of our city’s past and learn about how people from Newcastle helped shape the nation.
“I want to encourage everyone to support the crowdfunder so we can create a permanent home so that this nationally important treasure can be on display in the Discovery Museum for years to come.”
Simon Thurley, chair of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, said: “The Union Flag flown from HMS Royal Sovereign is an extraordinary survivor of one of the most significant moments in UK naval history, with a powerful connection to the people and heritage of the North East.
“We are delighted to support North East Museums in its efforts to secure this remarkable flag and ensure it can remain in the UK, is conserved for the future and is placed on permanent public display at Discovery Museum, where people will be able to explore its story first-hand.
“The Memorial Fund exists to save the UK’s most outstanding heritage and make it publicly accessible, in memory of those who have given their lives for the UK. I am pleased to count this rare and nationally important flag among the heritage treasures we have helped to protect.”
The large flag measures 1,525 x 2,745mm and is hand-stitched in wool bunting with a weighted edge. It is in good condition, but evidence of scars from the battle can be seen.
Trafalgar was a defining moment in the Napoleonic Wars, and one of the most consequential and culturally important naval actions in British history.
Surviving Union Flags from the battle are rare. Of the three that remain, this example is the most significant, since it flew from the ship which initiated the engagement at Trafalgar and played a pivotal role in Britain’s victory.
Following the battle, the Royal Sovereign Union Flag was kept as a souvenir by 17-year-old Charles Aubrey Antram (1788–1831), who served as one of four master’s mates on the ship. It was then passed down through his family before being sold to a private collection.
To support the crowdfunding appeal, visit the website.