The first of the emblems marking the adoption of the military system made its appearance when at Coventry Mrs Booth presented to that corps the first Salvation Army flag.

The crimson represents [said Mrs. Booth in explanation on many occasions when she performed this office] the precious blood by which we were all redeemed; the blue is God's chosen emblem of purity; the sun represents both light and heat, the light and life of men; and the motto "Blood and Fire," the blood of the Lamb and the fire of the Holy Ghost. This flag is a symbol, first of our devotion to our great Captain in heaven and to the great purpose for which He came down and shed His blood that He might redeem men and women from sin and death and hell!

Secondly, this flag is emblematical of our faithfulness to our great trust. Jesus only wants faithful soldiers in order to win the heathen for His inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for His possession. May God help us to be faithful . . . faithful to conscience, to principles, to man and to God.

This flag is also an emblem of victory ! In this war of ours victory is sure. . . But by what power is this victory going to be achieved? By fire! The Holy Ghost!

In Heathen England (1880 edition) George Scott-Railton wrote: "The use of flags has done more than anyone could have imagined to bind all our soldiers together and to encourage and develop the spirit of enterprise and resolution."

When new stations of The Christian Mission had been opened, even in its earliest days, frequent reference was made to " unfurling the Mission flag." There is little to show that such references were more than figurative, other than that when the first official report of the Mission was issued (1867) the picture of its headquarters (The Eastern Star) on its cover showed the building surmounted, by a flag on which was inscribed "East London Christian Mission." Bannerets on staves, bearing texts of Scripture and spiritual injunctions, were often carried in processions, but were hardly flags."

As early as 1874 the General and Bramwell Booth had discussed the "colour, character and device" of a flag. In May 1876 the General wrote to Mrs. Billups:

We are thinking of getting a flag, and if so, of crimson ground and blue border. What do you think ? - the crimson signifying the atonement, and the blue purity.

When presenting a flag to the Exeter corps (September 1881) the General declared he could hardly say that the colours were his invention. They had followed the people. All over the country corps were using flags of various kinds in their processions and it struck him that if they were to use flags at all they might as well have one' flag.

The present flag of The Salvation Army has for its centre a star. The change from a sun came about in 1882. The General presented a flag to the Penzance corps when laying the foundation stone of a new hall in June 1882. On this occasion he varied the explanation of the colours he and Mrs. Booth had previously made, by stating that " the yellow star signified the Holy Ghost." Why the change was made is not recorded; there has not been found any reference to it other than that made incidentally, in the reports quoted and in pictures. It has been conjectured-and the likelihood of this being correct is supported by officers who have served in India-that it was made at the suggestion of Tucker, who was then in London and about to leave with the first party of officers for Bombay, in which city Parsees, to whom the sun is the most important symbol of their religion, were numerous.

The present star is eight-pointed; the number has been varied from time to time but no significance has ever been attached to this. When presenting colours to the Shipleys corps (reported in the War Cry of 10th August 1882) the General repeated what he had said at Exeter and instanced the adoption of the plan of each corps having colours to illustrate how Salvation Army regulations generally had come into being.

Symbols