A Mat of Wool and Will

.Dedicated to the signifance of the symbolism of the Woolen Hooked Flag mat and the  memory of Able Seaman First Class James Mercer (1920–2008), British Royal Navy. A guardian of the North Atlantic and a faithful steward of this piece of history for Eighty-Three years. May his watch never be forgotten.

A Mat of Wool and Will

Born of wool and steady hands,

In London’s chill, ‘midst shifting sands,

The Ladies’ League, with hooks of steel,

Wove truths the grateful heart can feel.

In Thirty-Nine, as darkness fell,

They etched a tale the dyes would tell—

Not just of war or empires past,

But unity built to hold and last.

Across the top, the line is drawn:

The UNITED KINGDOM meets the dawn.

POLAND stands in exile’s grace,

While DENMARK holds a quiet place.

IRAN, MALAYA, ETHIOPIA’s light—

All hooked in wool to defy the night.

The second row marks ancient ground:

Where GREECE and NORWAY’s pride is found.

TURKEY, FRANCE, and BELGIUM too,

With IRELAND’s green and steady hue.

No stars or stripes yet grace the loom—

Just those who stood in the early gloom.

The third row speaks of a world in wait:

PAKISTAN, JORDAN at the gate.

ICELAND, CUBA where oceans swell,

FINLAND and SWEDEN know it well.

And bottom-most, where the borders lie:

The NETHERLANDS, CZECHOSLOVAKIA’s cry.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, PANAMA’s breeze,

CHILE and COLOMBIA from ‘cross the seas.

In Forty, a sailor, young and brave,

Bought a ticket for the hope it gave;

James Mercer, of the Navy’s pride,

Brought the mat home on the Atlantic tide.

To Upper Island Cove—a mother’s care—

He left the flags he had won right there.

Through six long years of mines and foam,

The wool stayed safe in a Newfoundland home.

It saw the marriage and houses new,

From Bishops Cove to the Boulevard’s view.

Now eighty-seven years have flown,

Since the first bright seeds of wool were sown.

Though water bled and the back was torn,

The spirit of liberty stays reborn.

No price is set on a thread so rare,

Or the sacrifice of those who were there.

Now it rests where the veterans tread,

A map for the living, a gift from the dead.

The Mercer legacy—a sailor’s prize—

The world as it was, through a hero’s eyes

James E. Mercer *** February 20^th, 2026 *** Copyright protected all rights reserved.