A BUSINESSMAN is on a mission to unearth Huddersfield’s official flag.
Charles Jones is searching for the official Huddersfield civic flag that flew over the town hall in the Sixties and Seventies.
He plans to display it inside the offices of his firm, Jones Steel, in St Peter’s Street, Huddersfield.
But despite making inquiries at the town hall and several other authorities he is finding it hard to find.
He said: “I thought we would spend a bit of money on having a nice sign made which dictated we would have to have an official unveiling.
“I thought what better way to do it than with a Huddersfield flag.
“I don’t want a Kirklees flag because no one around the world knows what or where Kirklees is.
“The Chinese businessmen I deal with are all quite familiar with Huddersfield wool and textiles.”
Mr Jones said one of his staff had been doing extensive research into the flag but had been struggling to get co-operation from the authorities at Kirklees Council and the West Yorkshire Archives.
He added: “Huddersfield Tourist Information Centre staff say there’s no such thing.
“They said there’s a Kirklees coat of arms but no flag – but there is a Yorkshire flag.
“The mayor’s office have told me a 12ft by 8ft civic banner was flown in May 1967.
“They said it should be down in the store room but we’ve not heard back from them.
“The Tolson Museum are looking into it and the West Yorkshire Archives wouldn’t help until we told them what we wanted the flag for.
“All the politicians want to push Kirklees and don’t want Huddersfield brought back to life.
“Huddersfield is a major town, why shouldn’t it have its own flag?
“I don’t even want to fly it, I just want to drape it over my sign.”
A Kirklees Council spokeswoman said: “The flag was not used after 1974 and its location is unknown.
“As it would now be well over 30-years-old it is unlikely that it would have been in a usable condition.
“Any use of the Kirklees coat of arms, or any of its former boroughs, would need prior permission from the solicitor to the Council who would decide whether the proposed use was appropriate.”
On May 22, 1962 The Examiner reported the flying of the Huddersfield Civic Flag.
The massive 21ft by 13ft flag bears the borough coat of arms on a white field engraved in blue and gold –was being flown for the annual Mayor Making Day.
The article says the flag was first displayed inside the Town Hall for the visit of Princess Margaret in July 1949 and was first flown on Mayor Making Day in 1950.
