[Dave Musgrove]

What's believe to be the last surviving Union Jack to have flown at the Battle of Trafalgar was sold yesterday at auction for a big chunk of money (£320k). The National Maritime Museum reportedly tried to buy it, but couldn't match the price eventually paid by an anonymous American, says the Times http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/u ... 884574.ece
That brings up the hoary old topic of whether this is something that should be allowed to be removed from the UK, and indeed, as some of the commentators on the Times article have noted, knocks on to the debate about non-British artefacts residing in British museums, which always tends to crystallise around those Parthenon Marbles in the BM.
So, what do we think - should the flag be allowed to leave these shores, should the National Maritime Museum have bought it, and are we in a position to complain about it either way?

[lucyinglis]

The flag has been purchased by someone who is both passionate and knowledgeable about this aspect of British history. He will make sure the flag is properly conserved and is expected to make arrangements to have it exhibited in the UK, according to this article.

For the DCMS to bandy around talk of an export ban is pathetic. Important objects leave the UK every day, and to kick up a fuss about this one just because it made a lot of money, makes them look even more ridiculous. Should it come down to it, it will be very interesting to see who, exactly makes up the 'independent panel' (insert rude words at will).

There is a deeply ingrained sense of entitlement in many British museums, but as the representative of the Maritime Museum admitted, they were nowhere near the price. They were probably hoping it would go for a nice mid-estimate twelve thousand and had to have fifty five meetings to decide on who was going to bid. Museums are usually so far behind the market value on this type of object it's a bit sad. They like it best when things are given to them, so they can display them for six months and then put them back into storage.

Which brings me to my final point: Charles Miller was wrong to the tune of 305,000 GBP on the day of the sale. He estimated the flag as a piece of high end memorabilia, not an artefact of national importance. However, his commission amounts to 64,000 GBP (including the VAT). However, I'm sure Millers will be shouting happily from the rooftops about how the flag made twenty times the estimate, rather than the fact they got it WRONG x 20.

There are two people who know the value of this flag, the winner, and the underbidder. People who have half a million dollars to spend on a flag are rarely dunces, and I am sure the flag will find its way into the public eye in the UK. If not, the new owner will no doubt enjoy looking at it, and US tax laws mean that he will most likely to gift it to a museum before he dies anyway, along with the rest of his Nelson collection. Sooner or later, the flag will be on public view, which is better than it being kept in a drawer for another 200 years.

[Mike Holly]

Not quite about the flag but i thought that this was worth showing.It's about Cuthbert Collingwood...well Admiral Collingwood, he who took over from Nelson at Trafalgar. The north east of England was associated with quite a few important people during the 19th century ( for instance the Grey's of Howick ) and Collingwood owned the most northern of the Valleys in the Cheviot hills. It's called the College Valley and they still remember and commemorate the association through the planting of a plantation, a commemoration of trafalgar in 2005 and very interestingly ( for me anyway ) a speech by Angus Collingwood Cameron where he talks about the life of his ancestor.
You can read the speech here
http://www.college-valley.co.uk/upload_files/Collingwood_speech.pdf
and see a little more about the commemoration here
http://www.college-valley.co.uk/upload_files/Trafalgar_commemoration_2005.pdf

I hope that some of you will find this interesting. If anyone has a particular interest in Northumberland and the borders i would love to share thoughts and ideas.