QUEEN'S NEEDLEWOMAN

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 05, Issue 48, 4 May 1942, Page 6

QUEEN'S NEEDLEWOMAN

helps to make thousands OF I FLAGS FOR BRITAIN'S NAVY | Among the women called in to make Hags for Britain's expanding Royal Navy is one who until recently worked for a Court dressmaker appointed to Queen Elizabeth. Instead of silks and velvets she new works with bunting, the mateiial from which all the Admiralty's Hags are made. It is a special kind of wool, coming mostly from Australia. Between 9500 and 401 M flags—three times the peace-time, output —are made every week at the lactoij where this needlewoman works. and that total is but a tenth of the whole output of British flagmalccrs. Most of the work to-day is for Government departments, principally the Admiralty, while Merchant ships also require their complement of Hags, Each of the King's ships has to carry the 81 llags of the Admiralty code, as avcll as ensigns, and all but the smallest have such special flags as the Royal Standard, flcwn "when King George comes aboard. Although in peace time much of this factory's work lies in making industrial llags of all sizes, from tiny silk ones for toys to large llags for advertising, they have always i\ steady demand for ship's llags from the Admiralty and the Merchant Service. Some ilags have the colours print ed on, but ships' Slags have to stand lip to a great deal of wear and tear, so they are built up from separate pieces of coloured bunting, chose r. because it combines strength will', tiood "living" qualities, the open, weave avowing much of the win* 1 , to pass through it-