PBS show helps local woman investigate WWI flag’s history

By NATASHA DERRICK - nderrick@thestate.com

When Anne Clarkson unrolled the hand-sewn red and white flag with a striking crimson hand embroidered in the center, she knew she had something special.

She bought the flag for $350 on eBay from a person in Belgium. A U.S. Army disabled veteran, Clarkson’s last station was at Fort Jackson, where her final assignment was to research the 371st, an all-African-American WWI regiment, and Freddie Stowers, the only African-American in WWI to be awarded the Medal of Honor.

She believed the regiment may have carried the flag into battle when it served with France’s 157th Division. So she turned to one of her favorite PBS television shows, “History Detectives,” to help authenticate it.

The episode featuring what is known as the red hand flag will air at 9 p.m. Monday on WRLK-35, cable channel 11.

“It wasn’t what I expected,” she said. “I expected it to be red, white and blue (like the French flag). That will be explained on the show.”

“History Detectives’” art historian and appraiser Elyse Luray visited Clarkson’s home in February. She also interviewed experts at Fort Jackson and the S.C. Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum.

So is the flag authentic? What does the red hand mean? How did it end up in Belgium?

“You’ll just have to watch,” Clarkson said.

She already knows, but what would she do if the flag is authentic?

“I might loan it within the state,” she said. “Whether or not I would loan it out of state, I don’t know. But it wouldn’t go outside the family.”

Reach Derrick at (803) 771-8640.

Read Jeff Wilkinson’s in-depth story about the 371st and the red hand flag at thestate.com.

TUNE IN

“History Detectives” airs at 9 p.m. Monday on WRLK-35, cable channel 11.