WATCH: Ex-military man lowers Yellow Jack 'plague flag' erected at his Littleferry home at start of pandemic
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A 'plague flag' raised at the start of the coronavirus pandemic by an ex-military man at his Sutherland home, has been lowered.
Major General Patrick Marriott, the former commandant of the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst hoisted the Yellow Jack on a flagpole outside his Littleferry home in early April last year.
The flag is traditionally flown from a ship either arriving in port with known serious health problems on board or placed under quarantine by local port authorities.
Major General Marriott, who has just taken over from the Duke of Westminster as the president of the Sutherland branch of armed forces charity SSAFA, decided to take it down after Scotland moved to level zero but said it will go up again if necessary.
The lowering ceremony yesterday evening was attended by ex-military colleagues and SSAFA workers with retired case worker Jonathan Brett Young performing the honours.
In its place - for one night only - was erected the Gin Pennant, which when flown from a ship indicates an open invitation to other ships' officers to come aboard for drinks.
Major General Marriott replaced it the following day with the Sutherland flag.
