Every lived life leaves a mark on this world, but few United fans have left a more visible legacy than Charlie Barlow, who passed away in November of last year, at the age of 69.
Known affectionately as ‘Barmy Charlie’, Barlow was the number one creator of football flags in the United Kingdom – hundreds of which were made for his fellow United fans.
Look around Old Trafford tonight, and you’ll see scores of his designs, as you will at many other football grounds elsewhere.
But Charlie’s popularity among Reds wasn’t just due to the unquestionable quality of his flags. It also derived from his warm, kind and charmingly eccentric persona which, once encountered, was not easily forgotten.
“He was always a character, and I think that’s why he was so loved by all and why he got the name ‘Barmy’!”agrees Charlie’s son, Liam, who has taken up the running of Barmy Flags following his dad’s death.
“He was very outgoing, with a real sense of humour. Where did the name come from? One story I heard was that he was trying to think of a name for the company and someone just said: ‘Well, you are barmy, so why not ‘Barmy Flags’?’ But I don’t actually know for sure what the reason was!”
Barlow – who features in today’s front-cover handshake illustration, in tribute to his contribution to our fan culture – fell into flag-making by chance. And by his passion for his beloved Reds.
“No matter how cold it was, he was there. And he never stopped singing United songs when he was at work; he’d hum them without even realising. George Best was his hero – I think he had a crush on George, to be honest!”
“He nicked his mum’s sewing machine to make a flag for himself, then somebody asked him where he got it from,”explains Liam. “He said ‘I did it’ and it just went from there. It was a Man United flag and very small, only about a metre long. But he loved United unconditionally, win or lose, and he loved going outside the ground every game, speaking to all the fans.
“No matter how cold it was, he was there. And he never stopped singing United songs when he was at work; he’d hum them without even realising. George Best was his hero – I think he had a crush on George, to be honest!”
As the years went by, the business grew and grew, with Barmy Flags becoming the go-to company for football flags. Check out its Facebook page, and you’ll get a feel for the vast range of clubs and fan groups Charlie and co have catered for: Doncaster, Millwall, Spurs, Chelsea, Celtic, Rangers... there are even designs produced for Oasis and Stone Roses fans. Many flags were personally delivered by Charlie too – even if customers lived in Brighton or Berwick!
Cast your mind back to Bilbao last May (if you can stomach it) and think of the thousands of Reds that gathered in Plaza Nueva pre-match... almost every flag hoisted onto the adjacent buildings was produced by Charlie and Liam.
Cast your mind back to Bilbao last May (if you can stomach it) and think of the thousands of Reds that gathered in Plaza Nueva pre-match... almost every flag hoisted onto the adjacent buildings was produced by Charlie and Liam.
“It’s emotional seeing them all,”admits Liam. “I’m just very proud. I saw the last England game [against Japan] and his flags were all around Wembley. And especially at Old Trafford, they’re all around. I particularly like seeing the ‘One Love’ one, because I did that personally.”
It’s been a sad time for Liam and Charlie’s family and many friends since November, as everyone comes to terms with his passing, and his absence on Sir Matt Busby Way each matchday. But Barmy Flags continues to thrive under Liam’s watch, and the outpouring of admiration for Charlie has helped the Barlow family in their grief.
That latter wish is a cast-iron certainty. But beyond all that excellent work, ‘Barmy Charlie’ will go down as one of the great Old Trafford matchday characters and, even more importantly, a fine human being. Rest in peace.
“I still read all the posts that came after his passing now,”says Liam. “They came from fans and different clubs all around the world. We are going to carry on – I’m unemployable when it comes to anything else! Dad just wanted to make everybody happy with the flags. He was always stressing to make deadlines and get the flags out on time, especially for a cup final. It was always go, go, go. But I think he’d just want to be remembered as someone who was good at what he did.”
That latter wish is a cast-iron certainty. But beyond all that excellent work, ‘Barmy Charlie’ will go down as one of the great Old Trafford matchday characters and, even more importantly, a fine human being. Rest in peace.