![[Patagonian Welsh historical flag]](../images/a/ar-u_w1.gif)
Last modified: 2015-01-29 by francisco gregoric
Keywords: chubut | provincia del chubut | wales | dragon | y ddraig goch |
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Historical records mention "the existence of these flags in texts by
Richard Berwyn, one of the passengers of the sailboat "Mimosa" that
brought the Welsh. The text quotes "the Argentine flag with the red
dragon in the middle, hoisted on the hill over the cave". This text was
published in Welsh in Berwyn's "Periódico Y Drafod" in 1910 and
translated into Spanish in "Revista Camwy", No 5, July 1965.
Other texts by Edwyn Roberts, who settled in Puerto Madryn in June 1865, say
that either on the post built at Punta Cuevas or on the mast of the
"Mimosa", the same banner "of the red dragon" was hoisted. Witnesses
of the landing of the first settlers such as Richard and Thomas Jones,
as well as "Modryb Gwen", a witness of the leave of the "Mimosa",
recall "at bow of the ship a huge flag on the top of the mast, this
flag having a red dragon on a light blue background".
Documents kept in the archives of Gaiman and Bangor from the 1890s show a
drawing of a flag similar to the one adopted; they clearly represent a
flag made by the Welsh colony of Chubut. Their idea was to create an
autonomous Welsh province within the Republic of Argentina, as reflected in the design of the flag.
Ivan Sache, 10 Apr 2007
The original flag of the Welsh settlers, shown in old documents, had a very different red dragon than the present day Welsh model.
Francisco Gregoric, 27 Jan 2015
![[Patagonian Welsh modern variant flag]](../images/a/ar-u_w2.gif)
This variant uses the same proportions and colors of the original flag, with the modern Welsh red dragon.
Francisco Gregoric, 27 Jan 2015
![[Patagonian Welsh modern variant flag]](../images/a/ar-u_w3.gif)
This second variant uses the same design and colors of the Argentine National Flag (light blue and white) with a small modern Welsh red dragon at middle instead of the Argentine sun.
Francisco Gregoric, 27 Jan 2015
"El Diario de Madryn", 10 April 2007, reports the official adoption
of the flag of the Welsh Community in Patagonia ("Colonia Galesa de la
Patagonia"); the flag was adopted by the Deliberative Council ("Concejo
Deliberante") of Rawson, based on research made by Marcelo Gavirati
and Fernando Coronato, presented in "Boletín Estandarte" No 44,
September 2004 of the AAV.
The text, proposed by the Radical Councillwoman Patricia
Lorenzo says that "this flag, which represents the spirit of the Welsh
pioneers, aimed at being part of the Argentine territory while keeping
their identity, is made of four horizontal stripes, two blue ones,
narrower on top and bottom of the flag, and two white one, joined in
the center of the flag to form a stripe twice higher than the blue
ones, on which is placed a red dragon of position and characteristics
more stylized than the dragon of the Welsh flag." The text allows "the
use of the flag of the Welsh Community in Patagonia in the Berwyn
chapel, as a reference to the original settlement of the Welsh
pioneers".
Ivan Sache, 10 Apr 2007
The coat of arms of the Trevelin (city located in the Chubut Province) also uses a similar design in its upper part. It can be seen at the Trevelin municipal website.
Francisco Gregoric, 27 Jan 2015
Anything below this line was not added by the editor of this page.
