BRING THE UNION JACK BACK NOW.
The Issue
I’m Ed, and I’m 15. I go to William Farr C of E Comprehensive School in Welton, Lincolnshire, UK.
Some classmates contacted me during May half-term. They’d noticed that the Union Jack had been taken down on the flagpole outside the school’s main entrance and that the Intersex-Inclusive Progress Pride Flag had been put up in its place. We didn’t agree with this swap. I decided to make it my mission to change this and hold people accountable.
June 1st: I emailed a detailed formal complaint to my school, along with a Freedom Of Information request regarding the funding of the flag and the decision to fly it.
June 17th: I received a formal response from the Head to my complaint, posted to my home address and sent via unrecorded delivery. The Head said that the Senior Leadership Team and the Governors fully support flying the Intersex-Inclusive Progress Pride Flag on bullying and inclusion grounds, and that it will remain there until July 1st. I expect to receive a response to my Freedom Of Information request soon. If Royal Mail don’t lose it.
Why I think the Head is making a serious mistake… Why I’m telling you about it now…
The British flag belongs to and includes all of us. It’s one that we can all identify with. Statistically, more than 1,500 pupils and staff at my school will be straight. They are not represented by the flag currently being flown. I don’t believe that flags themselves ever stopped bullies in the classroom. Or on the international stage. It wasn’t our flag that finally stopped Hitler.
The Chairman of the Flags and Heraldry Committee of the UK Parliament said this in 2014:
“The importance of the Union Flag, or Union Jack, to the people of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland cannot be overstated.
The British flag is representative of our nation as a whole. It recalls the heroism of the brave men and women who have given their lives for the democratic ideal in the recent, turbulent history of the world; and it stands as a reminder of everything that we have sacrificed to retain the values of this country.
Such symbolism knows no party allegiance and is subject to no ownership. It is a flag owned by the events with which it is associated and an indispensable reminder of the pride felt by every subject who flies it.”
My school is the only secondary school in Lincoln and the nearby villages flying the Intersex-Inclusive Progress Pride flag on an external flagpole this month. My school is also the only secondary school in this area built on the site of a former WW2 RAF base: RAF Dunholme Lodge.
Brave airmen flew from this base in direct support of D-Day in June 1944. I visited Normandy just before the 80th anniversary to see the D-Day beaches for myself and to learn its history.
On the 21st/22nd June 1944, airmen from RAF Dunholme Lodge took part in the Wesseling raid. A dozen Lancaster bomber crews didn’t return to base on the morning of the 22nd for their post-op reward of a bit of bacon and just one egg. They were from squadrons 44 and 619. June 1944 saw the biggest loss of life at the station.
Squadron 44 is significant to RAF history. It was the inaugural Lancaster squadron and flew the Lancaster’s first operational sortie. It was renowned for the daring Augsburg Raid. It reformed with Vulcan aircraft at RAF Waddington, playing a key role in the famous “Black Buck” Falklands raids, then the longest-range bombing missions in history.
I think the Union Jack should always fly outside my school. June is the worst month to take it down from an RAF perspective. I am launching my petition on June 22nd in memory of the brave airmen in 12 Lancaster bombers who didn’t come back for a cooked breakfast. It also happens to be Armed Forces Week.
I personally identify with their sacrifice. Last year, I went to Germany to visit the crash site of a relative’s Lancaster bomber (he flew from a nearby base), finally confirmed by a historian after 80 years of uncertainty. I met the historian and local archivists there, as well as the family of another crew member. I saw where the bodies of the crew were blown to bits across an orchard. No one knows the grave location. My relative was 22 years old and had been married for 16 days.
I know the young men who lived where my school now stands were courageous. They gave their lives in defence of our country's freedom and what they believed in. I’m proud of them. I believe Pride Month must unconditionally surrender to Armed Forces Week. Those airmen did their job. My job now is to fly a flag they would recognise in their honour. Help me in my fight to celebrate them. Let’s get the flag they took daring risks for back up on my school flagpole and outside all educational establishments always. I want this petition to really take off. Are you part of my crew? Let’s not be rash, but let’s put egg on their faces.
Thank you,
Ed
#EdvsTheHead - Run this up on X
X- @EdvsTheHead
I’m starting with the man in the mirror
I’m asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make a change (.org)
(IYKYK)
165
The Issue
I’m Ed, and I’m 15. I go to William Farr C of E Comprehensive School in Welton, Lincolnshire, UK.
Some classmates contacted me during May half-term. They’d noticed that the Union Jack had been taken down on the flagpole outside the school’s main entrance and that the Intersex-Inclusive Progress Pride Flag had been put up in its place. We didn’t agree with this swap. I decided to make it my mission to change this and hold people accountable.
June 1st: I emailed a detailed formal complaint to my school, along with a Freedom Of Information request regarding the funding of the flag and the decision to fly it.
June 17th: I received a formal response from the Head to my complaint, posted to my home address and sent via unrecorded delivery. The Head said that the Senior Leadership Team and the Governors fully support flying the Intersex-Inclusive Progress Pride Flag on bullying and inclusion grounds, and that it will remain there until July 1st. I expect to receive a response to my Freedom Of Information request soon. If Royal Mail don’t lose it.
Why I think the Head is making a serious mistake… Why I’m telling you about it now…
The British flag belongs to and includes all of us. It’s one that we can all identify with. Statistically, more than 1,500 pupils and staff at my school will be straight. They are not represented by the flag currently being flown. I don’t believe that flags themselves ever stopped bullies in the classroom. Or on the international stage. It wasn’t our flag that finally stopped Hitler.
The Chairman of the Flags and Heraldry Committee of the UK Parliament said this in 2014:
“The importance of the Union Flag, or Union Jack, to the people of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland cannot be overstated.
The British flag is representative of our nation as a whole. It recalls the heroism of the brave men and women who have given their lives for the democratic ideal in the recent, turbulent history of the world; and it stands as a reminder of everything that we have sacrificed to retain the values of this country.
Such symbolism knows no party allegiance and is subject to no ownership. It is a flag owned by the events with which it is associated and an indispensable reminder of the pride felt by every subject who flies it.”
My school is the only secondary school in Lincoln and the nearby villages flying the Intersex-Inclusive Progress Pride flag on an external flagpole this month. My school is also the only secondary school in this area built on the site of a former WW2 RAF base: RAF Dunholme Lodge.
Brave airmen flew from this base in direct support of D-Day in June 1944. I visited Normandy just before the 80th anniversary to see the D-Day beaches for myself and to learn its history.
On the 21st/22nd June 1944, airmen from RAF Dunholme Lodge took part in the Wesseling raid. A dozen Lancaster bomber crews didn’t return to base on the morning of the 22nd for their post-op reward of a bit of bacon and just one egg. They were from squadrons 44 and 619. June 1944 saw the biggest loss of life at the station.
Squadron 44 is significant to RAF history. It was the inaugural Lancaster squadron and flew the Lancaster’s first operational sortie. It was renowned for the daring Augsburg Raid. It reformed with Vulcan aircraft at RAF Waddington, playing a key role in the famous “Black Buck” Falklands raids, then the longest-range bombing missions in history.
I think the Union Jack should always fly outside my school. June is the worst month to take it down from an RAF perspective. I am launching my petition on June 22nd in memory of the brave airmen in 12 Lancaster bombers who didn’t come back for a cooked breakfast. It also happens to be Armed Forces Week.
I personally identify with their sacrifice. Last year, I went to Germany to visit the crash site of a relative’s Lancaster bomber (he flew from a nearby base), finally confirmed by a historian after 80 years of uncertainty. I met the historian and local archivists there, as well as the family of another crew member. I saw where the bodies of the crew were blown to bits across an orchard. No one knows the grave location. My relative was 22 years old and had been married for 16 days.
I know the young men who lived where my school now stands were courageous. They gave their lives in defence of our country's freedom and what they believed in. I’m proud of them. I believe Pride Month must unconditionally surrender to Armed Forces Week. Those airmen did their job. My job now is to fly a flag they would recognise in their honour. Help me in my fight to celebrate them. Let’s get the flag they took daring risks for back up on my school flagpole and outside all educational establishments always. I want this petition to really take off. Are you part of my crew? Let’s not be rash, but let’s put egg on their faces.
Thank you,
Ed
#EdvsTheHead - Run this up on X
X- @EdvsTheHead
I’m starting with the man in the mirror
I’m asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make a change (.org)
(IYKYK)
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Petition created on 21 June 2026