The earliest recorded image that We have found was this one from Classic Motoring of the finish of the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup held on Long Island in USA. From this photograph, one can see just how easily seen the flag is even against the background of the spectators. But there is still no information on when was it first used and who thought it up? This is the question to which no one in the world has yet come up with an answer.
 

By Iain Hush

It seemed such a simple question! A few motoring enthusiasts were sitting in my local watering hole after one of the F1 Grand Prix in the middle of 2000, when one of the guys said "Anyone know the origin of the Chequered Flag" He looked around at us. " I don't mean when it was first used but why a black and white flag?" Being the only motoring journalist in the 'committee', they all looked at me.

I thought for a few seconds, "I actually don't know, but I am sure I have seen early films of racing where the flag was used." This was the best I could come up with at the time but like Albert Einstein said: "Why try to remember everything, just remember where to find the information!" Down came several Guinness Books of Records but there was no reference to the origin - just pictures of the flags used in motor racing.

"I tell you what guys, in the Guild of Motoring Journalists we have a number of old journalists who probably reported on those early races. They are bound to know." I am sure they will forgive me for the "old" - it was merely a mark of respect to their experience and vast depth of knowledge about motoring.

Meanwhile the guesses went on over a couple more ales. "It's probably from the naval signals since a lot of these rich guys who raced in early days were also yachtsmen," suggested one crony.

"It's not a naval flag," said another. "I was a signalman in the navy and the nearest flag to that is November - N," he explained for those who didn't understand the phonetic alphabet. "November is a blue and white flag not black and white." "Maybe it's from horse-racing?" was the next suggestion, followed by jousting which was turned down because the winner was obviously the one who was either on his horse or not dead.

"What about that horse race in Italy where they charge around the city square waving huge flags?" Roman chariot racing, (they had mechanical signals), dog racing (no) bicycle racing (nothing about flags), flags used on early railways (only red for stop and green for go), the ancient Greeks (don't know) and several other ideas were thrown around but no one had a definitive answer. It was becoming more and more intriguing!

That evening, it was into the Internet where I was quite sure I would be able to find the answer quite quickly. After a couple of hours trying as many sites as I could find referring to motoring racing, 'chequered flags' and several other words which might have been related, I quit and went to bed. The following day I contacted a couple of friends who are motoring nuts and have enormous libraries of books and magazines. They couldn't tell me off hand but promised to search their collections. One of them, Rod Kinsey, whose father was a friend of Murray Walker of F1 GP racing commentary fame, contacted the famous broadcaster. He didn't know the origin of the chequered flag.

Meanwhile I met some of the venerable gentlemen of the motoring press at a function and posed the question to them with no results - nothing, zilch - except that they all said "That's a good question!" Several of them said they would ask their readers and let me know and I wrote the story up and asked my readers, We received some replies but again nothing positive or definitive. It was back to the Internet!

 

I "asked Jeeves" to no avail. I e-mailed the Royal Automobile Club, the governing body for many years of motor racing in UK. I tried the AA in UK. I tried the British Road Transport Museum in Coventry. I looked in the files of the Isle of Man TT racing which was one of the first 'circuit' races after the Gordon-Bennett Cup, inter-city races, was banned because too many pedestrians and crews were killed in those early monsters. But there were few references to the intriguing and now becoming frustrating origin of the chequered flag.

Then we had a bit of luck. Two friends found books with the same picture of the winner crossing the finishing line at the first Vanderbilt Trophy race on Long Island, USA and a chequered flag was being waved! That was in 1904! This was the earliest actual proof of 'The Flag' being used. Suggestions came in that it was chosen because it was easily seen against the multi-coloured background of spectators and buildings in early races. That made some sense but who was the brilliant person who thought it up, when and where?

Another suggestion was that it was American and was based on the board used in chequers or drafts. Possible and logical since chequers was a very popular game in the states. We contacted the local chamber of commerce who contacted the International Motor Racing Research Centre in New York, USA. Their researcher came up with the same result we had reached. No one actually knew.

They did ask that if we found out, would we let them know so that they could add it to their files. Then came another suggestion from another motoring journalist who thought it originated from the coat of arms of the Gordon-Bennett family in UK. The Heraldry Office in UK came back and said they had no such sign available and certainly not for anyone with that surname. It appears that the innocent question asked in a local pub in KwaZuluNatal, South Africa, has set the motoring experts of the world into a flat spin because it really is something we all ought to know.

 iain@classicmotoring.co.za.
Article published with kind thanks To Mr Iain Hush of www.classic motoring.co.za