German flag, c.1900 (cotton)

Description Improvised German national flag in even horizontal stripes black (top), white, red (bottom). A rough hoist to take a pole has been made by folding over one end of the flag and securing it with running stitches. The black stripe is made from two pieces of fabric joined together by hand stitching. The white stripe has part of a machined hem on the fly end. There are two lines of German writing in indelible pencil along the white stripe which translate 'These flags are for presentation. Authorised "Lunt"'. History / Summary This flag was brought back to Australia by Sergeant Major Bert Blyth, of B Company of the NSW Marine Detachment who served in China with the New South Wales Contingent to the Boxer Uprising. Blyth, who was born at Christchurch, New Zealand, was 32 when he served in China and described himself as a soldier 'adventurer'. He embarked on SS Salamis on 8 August 1900 and returned to Australia aboard SS Chingtuon on 25 April 1901. The flag appears to have been taken from a pile of German national flags prepared for presentation by the German Legation in Peking. The fact that this example is improvised and bears the inscription that 'these flags are for presentation' suggests that it was used as a covering 'sheet' for the real presentation flags, and was not intended for presentation itself.