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  STUNNING WWII ALLIED FORCES FLAG WITH THE CROSS OF LORRAINE, SYMBOL OF THE FREE FRENCH, AS ITS CENTERPIECE; THE ONLY KNOWN EXAMPLE IN THIS RARE STYLE

Available: Sold
Frame Size (H x L):
Flag Size (H x L): 45" x 76.25"
Description....:
STUNNING WWII ALLIED FORCES FLAG WITH THE CROSS OF LORRAINE, SYMBOL OF THE FREE FRENCH, AS ITS CENTERPIECE; THE ONLY KNOWN EXAMPLE IN THIS RARE STYLE:

WWII Allied forces flag featuring the American, British, Chinese and Russian flags, all surrounding the Cross of Lorraine, the symbol of the Free French. This is the only example that I have ever seen of this strikingly beautiful design.

The flag was made by Jones & Higgins, Ltd. of London and bears their paper label tag that reads "General Drapers and Complete House Furnishers". Jones and Higgins opened a furniture shop at 3 Rye Lane, Peckham in Southeast London in 1867. Expanding in the latter years of the 19th century, the store became the best known and most prestigious department store in South London and remained so for many years.

The Free French were individuals or military units that help form the resistance and "Free France". The effort was founded in London in 1940 by Charles de Gaulle, a French government minister. "By mid-1944, the Free French numbered more than 400,000, and they participated in the Normandy landings and the invasion of Southern France, eventually leading the drive on Paris. Soon they were fighting in Alsace, the Alps and Brittany, and by the end of the war in Europe, they were 1,300,000 strong - the fourth-largest Allied army in Europe - and took part in the Allied invasion of Germany." (ref. Wikipedia).

Multinational design Allied Forces flags like this exist from both WWI and WWII, produced in the patriotism of the war or the resulting victories, but until recently I had never encountered ones that were made outside of America. I then acquired two from Britain and one from France. The American examples are generally unattractive, having 2 rows of either 2 or 4 flags. The British and French examples are more visually striking. Note how this one utilizes primarily red, white and blue throughout, which contributes to its bold graphics.

Although war was declared by multiple nations beforehand, the Allied Powers can be said to have formalized in 1942. This is when the United Nations was formed in by U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt in response to Nazi Germany and the Axis participants. It was an outgrowth of the League of Nations, which formed at the conclusion of WWI in response to the horrors beset on Europe between 1914 and 1918.

There were 26 member nations that formalized the Declaration of the United Nations in 1942. By the war's end, that number had grown to 51. Some have said that 53 countries declared war against Germany, though some more formally than others and many did not directly participate, while some changed sides. This is their list by political/geographic region:

America: USA, Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Haiti, Dominica, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Peru, Columbia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Uruguay, Paraguay

Africa: Egypt, Ethiopia, Liberia, South Africa

Asia: Russia, China, India, Philippines, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Persia, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq

Europe: UK, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemburg, Norway, Denmark, Finland**, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Romania**, Bulgaria**, Italy**, Greece

Oceania: Australia, New Zealand

** Switched Sides

Construction: The flag is press-dyed on wool bunting. This was a resist dye process and a popular method of flag production in England in the mid-20th century.

Mounting: The flag has not yet been mounted.

Condition: There is minor mothing, but there are no serious condition issues.
Collector Level: Intermediate-Level Collectors and Special Gifts
Flag Type: Sewn flag
Star Count: 48
Earliest Date of Origin: 1941
Latest Date of Origin: 1945
State/Affiliation: Arizona
War Association: WW 2
Price: SOLD
 

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