Marcus Eccles-Smith says his Confederate flag doesn’t make him ‘an inbred, racist POS’

Marcus Eccles-Smith is the man who flew the Confederate flag and he’ll happily welcome you into his Mount Gambier home to explain why.

The flagpole outside Marcus Eccles-Smith’s Mount Gambier home has flown just some of his 40 flags since he put it up six months ago.

Today it’s the Red Duster; the flag the Anzacs fought under during the world wars, last month it was the US and Confederate naval flags.

That’s when a now-deleted photo of his home captioned “How to tell the world you’re an inbred, racist POS” started doing the rounds on social media.

Inside, his bachelor pad is more like a museum than an ode to ignorance: The Magna Carta hangs above his dining table and a dedicated Anzac Room is lined with family history.

Marcus Eccles-Smith in The Anzac Room. Picture: Jessica Ball

Often seen in steampunk gear, or riding Charlotte, his Honda Goldwing with dog Winchester the third on the back, the self-described lone wolf is used to people keeping their distance.

But Mr Eccles-Smith had never feared his home would become a target.

“I felt invaded, it’s almost as if someone broke into my house and ransacked it,” he said.

“This bloke has judged me by what he sees on my flagpole and I represent heritage, not hate.”

He’s a biker, a civil war historian, a military buff, a reenactor, a calligrapher, a vexillologist, and a former RSL president, who applauds his biological mother for giving him up at six weeks of age.

Mr Eccles-Smith was adopted into a loving family inspiring a lifelong passion for books, music and military history.

For 35 years he’s been making flags on his late mum’s sewing machine – there’s the Welsh flag for his dad, the English because he’s a royalist and the Confederate flag comes out to mark moments in history like the Battle of Gettysburg waged from July 1 to 3, 1863.

Pulling out a controversial book titled The Truth by Reverend John Weaver, he said while many see it as a racist symbol, he believed the flag was misunderstood.

Marcus Eccles-Smith was sent a copy of The Truth by Reverend John Weaver from the US. Picture: Jessica Ball

“I study both sides of history whether it be the losing side or the winning side of a war,” Mr Eccles-Smith said.

“When I fly the American and the Confederate flags together, which is probably a no-no in all of people’s books, it’s to commemorate a certain battle that both sides fought in.

“I’m flying a flag that represents heritage, in tribute to the soldiers who fought and died on both sides.”

Sitting across the table is friend, single mum-of-three and domestic violence survivor, Sasha Galliver, who Mr Eccles-Smith had given a roof to sleep under for the night.

The pair met years ago in the line at the supermarket where he paid for her groceries when she was deciding what items to put back. She said while he may have a tough exterior, he was a marshmallow on the inside.

“I call him heart-on-legs,” Ms Galliver said.

Marcus Eccles-Smith explains why he flies Confederate military flags at his Mount Gambier home. Picture: Jessica Ball

“He just could see me struggling and then I found out later that he was struggling for a long time in his life, he gives because he knows, he’s been there.

“I call him an angel, he’s saved me numerous times.”

Mr Eccles-Smith said a workplace injury at 1.48pm on January 25, 2011, had taught him not to take life for granted.

The farm accident left him wheelchair-bound for a year and while he may never work again, he considers himself lucky to be alive.

“When you’re lying in the paddock and you’ve got a two-tonne metal beam on your leg and your leg is on a 45-degree angle, it gives you a lot to think about,” he said.

“When you nearly die or you do die on the table and they bring you back it gives you a whole new perspective on life.

“Music is a big part of my life, that’s how I deal with people. I put my music on and ignore the outside world, if people want to judge me, let them, because I’m not going stop being who I am.”

Along with the music, Mr Eccles-Smith has got the tough stickers to match.

Marcus Eccles-Smith says his father, uncle and grandfather’s medals are his most prized possession. Picture: Jessica Ball

His Army Reserves artillery insignia and serial number are tattooed on one arm, while the other commemorates his grandfather a front-line surgeon, his uncle killed in battle in WWI and his dad posted to West Africa with the Royal Army Medical Corps.

His final words: “Don’t judge a book by its cover. If you’re really interested in learning why I fly the flags come and see me, I’ll give you a history lesson and I will tell you without hate or prejudice.”