Jump to content
British Speedway Forum

Recommended Posts

20 hours ago, iainb said:

No the flag on top of the car is to commemorate the battle of Sedgemoor in Somerset, when the rebels defeated General Lee, coincidentally the name of a general also fighting in the american civil war... everybody knows that :rofl:

Yeeeeeeeeee Haaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 8/10/2020 at 8:39 AM, iainb said:

No the flag on top of the car is to commemorate the battle of Sedgemoor in Somerset, when the rebels defeated General Lee, coincidentally the name of a general also fighting in the american civil war... everybody knows that :rofl:

You’re making yourself look silly. Grachan has rightly given the back story on where the name for the ‘Rebels’ came from.

After some of the killings in the US a few years back where somebody was wearing the confederate flag, this was dropped by the Somerset promotion to fall in line with the crest of Somerset, which is also used by the Cricket club and many other things throughout Somerset. 

  • Like 3

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
2 hours ago, Najjer said:

You’re making yourself look silly. Grachan has rightly given the back story on where the name for the ‘Rebels’ came from.

After some of the killings in the US a few years back where somebody was wearing the confederate flag, this was dropped by the Somerset promotion to fall in line with the crest of Somerset, which is also used by the Cricket club and many other things throughout Somerset. 

You silly old Najjer, I can accept that maybe just maybe the name "Rebels" was used for the reason Grachan states but then why use the confederate flag as the club emblem?

I fail to see the correlation between the Confederate flag as used in the American Civil war, some 3,000 miles away as the club emblem and the club name of the Rebels to commemorate the Battle of Sedgemoor in Somerset. Perhaps you can enlighten me so I can stop making myself look so silly :t:

As far as I can tell, this is what should have been on the clubs race jacket

6ljfjnio37u11.png

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 8/10/2020 at 7:44 AM, Spl77 said:

Repeats of the Dukes of Hazzard won't be the same with the flag air brushed out :-) 

Please don't say they're banning the air horn tune as well

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
41 minutes ago, iainb said:

You silly old Najjer, I can accept that maybe just maybe the name "Rebels" was used for the reason Grachan states but then why use the confederate flag as the club emblem?

I fail to see the correlation between the Confederate flag as used in the American Civil war, some 3,000 miles away as the club emblem and the club name of the Rebels to commemorate the Battle of Sedgemoor in Somerset. Perhaps you can enlighten me so I can stop making myself look so silly :t:

As far as I can tell, this is what should have been on the clubs race jacket

6ljfjnio37u11.png

The logo was to put it in simple terms, copied from a previous speedway team of the same nickname as has been mentioned on this thread already. Andy Hewlett was the then promoter at Somerset and that logo was adapted down the years by various different promotions with the red background removed, before being dropped and changed completely for the current logo that is in use by the current promotion. 

As has been said, the nickname itself has historic meaning in Somerset, which is why to this day 20 years on is still being used by the speedway team.


Since the club's formation in 2000, the team logo has been the Confederate flag under which the Southern States fought in the American Civil War, but club promoter Debbie Hancock feels that the club logo needs to reflect its home county of Somerset as she explains;

“Even though we are now some 16 years on since the club was first formed, people still ask what the Confederate flag has to do with Somerset, especially as the nickname Rebels was adopted to commemorate the Rebel uprising at the Battle of Sedgemoor.”

“In addition, we felt that given certain tragic events which took place in America last year, it would be insensitive of us to continue using the Confederate Flag as the club logo and, as such, we wanted something which would be more reflective of the County of Somerset and felt that nothing does that more than the mythical Wyvern, which is the Somerset County emblem.”

Hope that clears things up for you.

Edited by Najjer
  • Thanks 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 8/5/2020 at 10:45 AM, Lord Skid said:

Didn't the flag originate from the General Lee on the Dukes of Hazzard

If you think that, then you haven't been to many Lynyrd Skynyrd concerts :D

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
10 minutes ago, Najjer said:

The logo was to put it in simple terms, copied from a previous speedway team of the same nickname as has been mentioned on this thread already. Andy Hewlett was the then promoter at Somerset and that logo was adapted down the years by various different promotions with the red background removed, before being dropped and changed completely for the current logo that is in use by the current promotion. 

As has been said, the nickname itself has historic meaning in Somerset, which is why to this day 20 years on is still being used by the speedway team.


Since the club's formation in 2000, the team logo has been the Confederate flag under which the Southern States fought in the American Civil War, but club promoter Debbie Hancock feels that the club logo needs to reflect its home county of Somerset as she explains;

“Even though we are now some 16 years on since the club was first formed, people still ask what the Confederate flag has to do with Somerset, especially as the nickname Rebels was adopted to commemorate the Rebel uprising at the Battle of Sedgemoor.”

“In addition, we felt that given certain tragic events which took place in America last year, it would be insensitive of us to continue using the Confederate Flag as the club logo and, as such, we wanted something which would be more reflective of the County of Somerset and felt that nothing does that more than the mythical Wyvern, which is the Somerset County emblem.”

Hope that clears things up for you.

Yes it does clear it up for me thanks for posting (and I genuinely mean that). I had done some searching and was unable to turn anything up... I stand corrected on the "Rebels" nickname but I'm still not sure why the confederate flag was used originally, maybe because it was familiar to Speedway fans after White City and Oxford? Even Debbie Hancock says people were asking what the confederate flag has to do with Somerset... and she doesn't give an answer either in the statement you quote.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, iainb said:

Yes it does clear it up for me thanks for posting (and I genuinely mean that). I had done some searching and was unable to turn anything up... I stand corrected on the "Rebels" nickname but I'm still not sure why the confederate flag was used originally, maybe because it was familiar to Speedway fans after White City and Oxford? Even Debbie Hancock says people were asking what the confederate flag has to do with Somerset... and she doesn't give an answer either in the statement you quote.

Debbie Hancock wasn't the promotor/owner when the club was formed back in 2000, and the Rebels nickname and logo was first chosen. Although the club has always been run on their land, the Hancock family didn't become owners until 2009 but even then didn't take full control of the club and team until another few more years later. The changing of 'nicknames' in the past has gone down like a lead balloon in times gone past with other teams, Reading probably being the prime example and the infamous switch to the 'Bulldogs' from the 'Racers'. I assume nobody was brave enough until Debbie and the rest of the management decided to ditch the confederate flag and make the press release that I have quoted above.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
24 minutes ago, Najjer said:

Debbie Hancock wasn't the promotor/owner when the club was formed back in 2000, and the Rebels nickname and logo was first chosen. Although the club has always been run on their land, the Hancock family didn't become owners until 2009 but even then didn't take full control of the club and team until another few more years later. The changing of 'nicknames' in the past has gone down like a lead balloon in times gone past with other teams, Reading probably being the prime example and the infamous switch to the 'Bulldogs' from the 'Racers'. I assume nobody was brave enough until Debbie and the rest of the management decided to ditch the confederate flag and make the press release that I have quoted above.

I suppose Somerset didn't have the history that Reading did at the time of the change. Do you know when the statement you quoted was issued? You could say that they were quite forward thinking and ahead of their time

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
4 hours ago, iainb said:

I suppose Somerset didn't have the history that Reading did at the time of the change. Do you know when the statement you quoted was issued? You could say that they were quite forward thinking and ahead of their time

It was made ahead of the 2016 season.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I think the confederate flag was also known as the rebel flag. The team may well have been named after local history but in the world of speedway there’s enough logic in using something called the rebel flag for a team nicknamed the Rebels I guess... the Somerset promotion made the right move ditching the flag a few years back definitely. 

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

looks like the Confederate Flag (non) issue has already been discussed ad nauseam on this thread

to be fair the Battle of Sedgemoor does get a few mentions but only as peoples assumptions on why the nickname Rebels was used for Somerset and it's connection with the confederate flag.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
53 minutes ago, iainb said:

looks like the Confederate Flag (non) issue has already been discussed ad nauseam on this thread

to be fair the Battle of Sedgemoor does get a few mentions but only as peoples assumptions on why the nickname Rebels was used for Somerset and it's connection with the confederate flag.

Interesting comments looking through that old thread, such as how Colston was slave trader but nobody objects to him in Bristol and how nobody minds there being a sports team in the USA called "The Redskins".

Both those issues have come to light lately.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
17 minutes ago, Grachan said:

Interesting comments looking through that old thread, such as how Colston was slave trader but nobody objects to him in Bristol and how nobody minds there being a sports team in the USA called "The Redskins".

Both those issues have come to light lately.

How times change... we can't say "Tobacco" today apparently. So now the T word is to be erased from history :rofl:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
19 hours ago, iainb said:

How times change... we can't say "Tobacco" today apparently. So now the T word is to be erased from history :rofl:

Fag Ash Lil must be getting worried. 

  • Haha 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now

×

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. Privacy Policy