Pub conversation reveals church flags' war history
Pub conversation reveals church flags' war history
Tom MacDougall - North East and Cumbria; Mike Zeller - BBC Radio CumbriaSat, November 7, 2026 at 11:28 AM UTC
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St Peter's Church in Sawrey is home to two Union Flags dating back to peace treaty signings in 1919
A short film has been created, inspired by a small church's Union Flags - dating back to peace treaty signings after World War One - after a filmmaker accidentally found out about them in a pub.
Rosie Danagher said she was in the Tower Bank Arms when two locals "casually" mentioned the wartime flag in St Peter's Church, Far Sawrey, in the Lake District.
With a cast of 10 local actors, she has created the film "Union Jack" alongside friend and fellow filmmaker Angus Michie, which will be shown locally on Remembrance Day at the same pub the story was unearthed.
"I was covered in goosebumps; it was meant to be, we just had to tell this story," she said.
The flags made their way to Cumbria in the hands of Charles Cecil Dickson, a 29-year-old army chaplain who was stationed in France for the entirety of the war and was present for at least one of the smaller peace treaty signings during 1919.
The seven-minute film focuses on fictional character Jack, based on Dickson, who grapples with his religious faith after returning home from the war.
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Filmmakers Rosie Danagher and Angus Michie were inspired by the flags to create a film about a WW1 soldier coming to terms with returning home
Danagher said Dickson's French compadres had the idea to take some mementos, including a pen and an ashtray which are now on display in a museum in Paris.
Dickson chose to swipe the British flags as a souvenir, and shortly before his death in 1957, he gave them to the church.
"Loads of locals know about this but I had absolutely no idea," Danagher said.
She said the film would first premier in London, and after its special showing back in Sawrey, would be taken onwards to film festivals - with the hope of going international.
She said she was looking forward to "showcasing this incredible bit of history, and how beautiful the Lake District looks on screen".
Danagher said the picture would showcase the history and beauty of the Lake District to film festivals
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