Flag Days – WW1 – Epsom & Ewell History Explorer

Flag Days – WW1

Alexandra Rose Day in Ewell village c.1912

In some countries a Flag Day is a day designated for flying a certain flag BUT in the UK a Flag Day usually means a day on which a street collection is made for a particular cause. In return for their donation they are often given a small printed sticker or flag that can be used on the day to show the person has already given to the cause, it also acts as to remind others to make a donation.

Flag days started to become a common feature of charity fundraising in the late 1800s and early 1900s predominantly by medical, hospital and welfare charities. The street collectors for the Alexandra Rose Flag Day started of by giving donors flowers (both real and later paper types were used) but the the cost of suppling these became prohibitive and charities moved over to cheap printed flags or emblems that could be attached to clothing with simple pin became the norm.

Initially street collections were unregulated and some street collectors were allowed to keep a proportion of what they collected (in one case £1 in every £5). Fraud and theft was also fairly common. It was not unknown for the local Police to charge street collectors with begging or obstruction particularly when the collectors acted aggressively or caused a nuisance by rattling their collection tins. (A few of those charged with begging claimed that by giving something in return for a donation they were merely trading and not begging.)

The first force to get powers to control street collections was the London Metropolitan Police in 1903, a handful of other forces followed but it was only when the Police, Factories etc. (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act of 1916 that all forces had these powers. The War Charities Act 1916 made registration for public appeals compulsory and gave local authorities the power to decide which organisations would be registered or exempt.

During WW1 the number of street collections dramatically increased here are some relative items form the Epsom Advertiser

War Horse Week (4-6-1915)