Originally Posted by
bob10
In 1606, King James 1 of England & Scotland proclaimed " That from henceforth all our subjects of this isle and Kingdome of Great Britaine, and the members thereof, shall beare in their maintoppe the Red Crosse, commonly called S.Georges Crosse, and the White Crosse, commonly called S. Andrews Crosse, joyned together, according to a forme made by our Heralds...." [Spelling deliberate. ] And so the first Union Jack was born. When the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland came into existence on 1 Jan., 1801, a red saltire called the cross of St. Patrick, was chosen to represent Ireland. The new union flag replaced that of 1606.
Looking at the upper hoist union flag, in your post, you see the red saltire of Ireland as the diagonal red stripes from corner to corner. Now look at the union flag in the lower fly in said post. It is a mirror image, and indeed upside down. Or appears that way.