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WW2 Charity flag days

JohnWish

master brummie
I have no idea who collected the charity flags shown in the pictures below. Nor do I know why. They were in my mother's effects. She was born in Birmingham in 1905. The majority I have shown seem to be of the era around WW1.
The flags on Sheet 1 are for local charities. Flag B may not be local. It says only 'Police Aided Charity' unlike Flag C which adds 'Birmingham' to that name. Flag B was difficult to photocopy. I have never seen a pin like it has. On both sides the basic colour is metallic yellow (brass ?) but now very dark. I had to play around with brightness/contrast. All the others are as photocopied.

Sheet 2 shows flags of Birmingham charities as part of the war effort. The flags on sheet 3 are somewhat different. Flag 2 is for sailors in general, just merchant seaman even and was, maybe, not from the war period. The next two are for the French and Italian Red Cross organisations. It seems unlikely that there would be collections for them except in war or similar times. Italy was on 'our' side in WW1.



Flag X seems to be the Belgian flag. Remember, that “Belgium put the kibosh on the Kaiser ...” at the beginning of WW1. Was this collection to show solidarity that 'gallant little country'? Flags Y and Z are definitely post WW1, just. They show the flag of Imperial Russia.
 
Did you mean to upload photos? Only I am not sure what sheet 1 etc refer to.

Sorry, I had hoped I had not posted anything as I could not attach sheet 1 etc. They were all <2 Mb but would not download. I think they were wrong format. I will have another bash soon.
 
If you open the files in "paint" you can resize them and they should upload. In case you don't know "paint" is a microsoft program which should be on a computer -assuming that is what you use.
 
Thank you but I do know about Paint. In fact I used it add identity letters on the pix I am just abour to down (or is it up) load.
 
FlagA1.jpgFlagA2.jpgFlagB1.jpgFlagB2.jpgFlagC12.jpgFlagD1.jpgFlagD2.jpg
Plan 1
Hello folks, sorry again. This time I'll do the photos before the text and try not to press the send button too soon. Last time I was pressing keys in all sorts of ways in sheer frustration.

So sheet 1 consists , of four flags. Three of the organizations represented have Birmingham in their titles. One of these (flag C) is the Birmingham Police Aided Association. The possible odd one out is flag B which is just the Police Aided Association.

Even the original flag B is difficult to read so below are what the two flags say



Flag B Flag C

Front Police BIRMINGHAM
Aided POLICE AIDED
Association ASSOCIATION
for
Destitute
Children

Back 52,820 Children Helped LAST YEAR

50,926 Boots Supplied 10,000 ARTICLES OF CLOTHING
216,194 Garments Supplied TO DESERVING CASES
Funds Urgently Needed to
CARRY ON

It would appear that flag B represented a larger, perhaps national, organization. Google seems to not have heard of either of them.

There is plenty about the Birmingham Street Children's Union (BSCU) at https://birminghamchildrenofwarblog.wordpress.com/ .
Incidentally, that site shows a proper, ie rectangular flag. Flag D is, I think, a pennant. Both the flag and pennant have the same lad on the front.
In the early 20th century the Birmingham and District Cripples’ Union was formed. I wonder if flag A was theirs. However the back of the mentions “our society”.
 
View attachment 131333View attachment 131334View attachment 131335View attachment 131337View attachment 131338View attachment 131339View attachment 131340
Plan 1
Hello folks, sorry again. This time I'll do the photos before the text and try not to press the send button too soon. Last time I was pressing keys in all sorts of ways in sheer frustration.

So sheet 1 consists , of four flags. Three of the organizations represented have Birmingham in their titles. One of these (flag C) is the Birmingham Police Aided Association. The possible odd one out is flag B which is just the Police Aided Association.

Even the original flag B is difficult to read so below are what the two flags say



Flag B Flag C

Front Police BIRMINGHAM
Aided POLICE AIDED
Association ASSOCIATION
for
Destitute
Children

Back 52,820 Children Helped LAST YEAR

50,926 Boots Supplied 10,000 ARTICLES OF CLOTHING
216,194 Garments Supplied TO DESERVING CASES
Funds Urgently Needed to
CARRY ON

It would appear that flag B represented a larger, perhaps national, organization. Google seems to not have heard of either of them.

There is plenty about the Birmingham Street Children's Union (BSCU) at https://birminghamchildrenofwarblog.wordpress.com/ .
Incidentally, that site shows a proper, ie rectangular flag. Flag D is, I think, a pennant. Both the flag and pennant have the same lad on the front.
In the early 20th century the Birmingham and District Cripples’ Union was formed. I wonder if flag A was theirs. However the back of the mentions “our society”.

Fascinating pictures, John. Looking forward to seeing the rest.
 
FlagM1.jpgFlagM2.jpgFlagN12.jpgFlagO1.jpgFlagO2.jpgFlagP1.jpgFlagP2.jpg
This is meant to be about Sheet 2 but first a PS to Sheet 1. I could not find anything about the Police Aided Association in Google. Well, in the Birmingham Post Year Book and Who's Who, 1953-54 (BPYB) the Police-Aided Association for Clothing Poor Children. They had an Hon. Sec. At the Chief Constable's Office (Cen 5000, ext 12).

Sheet 2
These are all war time collections with the Lady Mayoress being quite active. I inherited these flags and know little about them. My original impression was that they were of the WW1 era. However Flag P is in better condition than the others. It might be WW 2. Incidentally the BPYB lists only one Lady Mayoress's charity. It is house for “Ladies in Reduced Circumstances”.
 
FlagX1.jpgFlagT1.jpgFlagY1.jpgFlagU1.jpgFlagZ1.jpg
This is the third and final lot of my little collection of old charity flags. They are a bit of a mixed bag. Flag X looks like the Belgian one. Was this in support of the country as a whole or for the relief of the many refugees who came to this country at the beginning WW1?

Flags T and U are for Continental Red Cross organisation. The Italian one can be presumed to be for WW1. The French one is quite pristine so is it more recent?

Flags Y and Z look as though they were for Imperial Russian. So they might be for 1917 or the later White Army counter revolution.
 
View attachment 131685View attachment 131686View attachment 131688View attachment 131687View attachment 131689
This is the third and final lot of my little collection of old charity flags. They are a bit of a mixed bag. Flag X looks like the Belgian one. Was this in support of the country as a whole or for the relief of the many refugees who came to this country at the beginning WW1?

Flags T and U are for Continental Red Cross organisation. The Italian one can be presumed to be for WW1. The French one is quite pristine so is it more recent?

Flags Y and Z look as though they were for Imperial Russian. So they might be for 1917 or the later White Army counter revolution.

Thank you for posting these pictures of your collection I found them absolutely fascinating.
 
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