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The saltire yet rests with Wallace where he died.

henry tapper

Proud to be a friend to the Scots

There is not a corpuscle of Scottish blood in me but I am very fond of the frozen north and the many Scots who I count as friend. This blog is devoted to Scots and in particular to messrs. George Kirrin, Derek Scott and Andy Young who make my life fun and help me  understand pensions.

My story begins yesterday lunchtime when I embarked on a short run around the Western boundaries of the City of London. It was raining heavily.  As I jogged up the Old Bailey, I spotted something blue drowning in an oily puddle in the gutter. I ran on but then thought better and returned. There was a flag in the puddle, pulling it from the water I saw the saltire and – drenched though it was , I carried it home.

Despite the protestations of my partner that I was abusing the bathroom radiator, I dried the flag out and early this morning I reran Old Bailey and proceeded onto Giltspur Street and hence to Smithfield market where I bought a fine fillet of Scottish beef, a corn fed chicken and a large quantity of smoked streak bacon.

With the flag in my backpack I ran on to the Wallace memorial outside St Barts hospital.

Wallace was executed nearby on August 23, 1305. Wallace was a Scottish knight who became one of the main leaders during the Wars of Scottish Independence.

Wallace was tried in Westminster Hall (there, another memorial commemorates where he stood during the brief trial). He was charged with treason, to which he responded that he could not be guilty, for he had never sworn fealty to Edward I. Nevertheless, he was sentenced to the traitor’s death, one of the most vicious punishments devised during the medieval era.

Wallace was taken to the Tower of London where he was stripped naked, and dragged behind horses to the elms (a medieval term for a scaffold) at Smithfield. He was first hung by the neck, and then cut down whilst still alive. He was then eviscerated and castrated, and eventually beheaded. His body was cut into four parts, and his limbs sent to the corners of Scotland as a warning to the rebellious country. His head was set on London Bridge, where it was soon joined by other Scottish rebels.

Legend has it that Wallace remained silent and stoic throughout the ordeal. The church of St. Bartholomew stands close to the execution grounds. I like to  imagine that the deeply religious Wallace may have fixed his eyes on it before departing this world.

As I suspected, the flag of Scotland was absent, the flag showed tears where it had been ripped from the railings but the ties were still attached to the railings.

The noble memorial to Sir William Wallace

I re-attached the Scottish flag to its housing and I’m pleased to say it is once again a tribute to William Wallace. Scots honor him to this day with the flower of Scotland. Three thistles can be seen by the lion’s head in the photo below.

Flag reattached – though the wrong way round

It does England no good to desecrate Wallace’s memorial and treat the flag of Scotland in this way. We have much to thank the Union for and , though it may not last, we should cherish it while we can.

On behalf of Englishmen and women, I apologize for what has been done to your flag and ask you to believe that we are better than that.

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