HMS Royal Oak was a Revenge-class battleship of the British Royal Navy, torpedoed at anchor at Scapa Flow in Orkney, Scotland by the German submarine U-47, commanded Günther Prien on 14 October 1939. Launched in 1914 and completed in 1916, Royal Oak first saw action at the Battle of Jutland. Of Royal Oak's complement of 1,234 men, 833 were killed or died later of their wounds. My father was one of the survivors.
The badge of HMS Royal Oak, with a royal crown and a wreath of oak leaves.
It is said that the son of Charles I, following the Battle of Worcester, 1651, in which he was defeated by Cromwell's forces, took refuge in an oak tree, before escaping to France. At his restoration in 1660, Charles II created the Order of the Royal Oak, to show his gratitude to all those who had helped him.
Oak Apple Day or Royal Oak Day was a holiday celebrated in England on 29 May to commemorate the restoration of the English monarchy, in May 1660. Traditional celebrations to commemorate the event often entailed the wearing of oak apples, a type of plant gall, or sprigs of oak leaves.
These ceremonies, which have now largely died out, are perhaps continuations of pre-Christian
nature worship, with allusions to the green man of folklore. The tree at
Boscobel House, where the escape took place, has died and been replanted in
order to continue its existence.
This brings to mind the custom of the worship of trees, and the tradition of leaders holding court beneath them. An example is the tree in the Spanish town of Guernica, where the tree has been replanted on several occasions.
The Royal Oak has become a popular pub sign, originally, perhaps, because it was desirable to prove allegiance to the crown.
Four English pub signs. The site has a section on pub signs, still to be tidied up and published, which includes examples of signs from all over the country.
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| Ambleside, Cumbria | Barrow on Humber, North Lincolnshire |
Beverley, East Yorkshire | Yateley, Surrey |
And finally, a pub sign with the ship
at Macclesfield, Derbyshire. It is likely that this was originally a reference
to the royal oak, but was changed after the sinking of the ship in 1939
For information about all aspects of pub signs, visit The Inn Sign Society