I first came across the Metropolitan Police Special Escort Group (SO14) in Sherard Cowper-Coles’ 2011 account of his time as our ambassador and, later, special representative to Afghanistan: Cables from Kabul.
He accompanied President Karzai on two visits to the UK driving round London, Berkshire and Oxfordshire shepherded by the SEG. Sherard admits to being fascinated by “boys’ toys” relishing visits to military bases so he took pleasure in admiring the skill with which these armed police motorcycle outriders thread their way through heavy traffic, using whistles to stop vehicles in their path. He compares them to the police escorts he encountered in the US, France, Italy, and New Zealand, writing of the SEG. “No noise, no fuss. Pure ballet”. But inevitably they do have the occasional prang.
Living in London I often see them in action and they are impressive, leap-frogging the cavalcade they protect to stop the traffic ahead. Last week I watched them pass a mounted detachment of the Household Cavalry returning to Knightsbridge Barracks; no problem, they are professionals, so they didn’t frighten the horses. They were escorting a small group of black cars with the Lebanese flag flying on the bonnet of the lead car.
In case they offer to escort me I have my own pennant, made by Turtle and Pearce flag makers, est. 1871. I thought you’d like to know.
If you’d like to ride with the SEG through London, watch this thirty minute documentary which talks you through the techniques they use.
The Swiss flag is square, I think only one other country has the same shape. All their Canton flags are the same. They fly flags more than we do in the UK which is colourful and appealing. No mountain restaurant would be without the bear of Bern flying from a flagpole and almost every chalet has either a Swiss, a Cantonal or a village flag flying, or all three. The square is a far better shape than the rectangle for what is essentially heraldry. The Union flag would look much better square. The same would be true of your pennant. I’m thinking of starting a pressure group to adopt the square flag, but perhaps there are more important issues. Of course there are other traditional shapes that work well such as the heraldic pennant, long and tapering. What is particularly ugly is shaping a flag to fly taunt from an angled flagpole on the facade of a building. I hope one would never see that in Switzerland.