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| Category: Badges |
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The Crowned Lion on Crown
badge: a history |
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On many
badges, British, Colonial, Australian and New Zealand, there appears a
crowned lion on a crown. It forms part of the Royal Arms of the UK (shown
left).
| Note the blue (purple) Garter (belt)
which also is seen on many badges. Royal NZ
Engineers (right) is one example |
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Note the 2 mottoes, both in French NOT
Latin. |
| 'Honi soit qui mal y pense'
(Shame on him who thinks this evil) |
Dieu
et Mon Droit
("God and my right") is the motto of the Sovereign and dates from the
time of King Henry V (reigned 1413-1422). |
| BRITISH LION, Crowned.
The Lion is the emblem of England. It is now, on badges, actually a
"lion passant gardant" - a walking lion, looking out at
you full face, and was first used by Rollo, Duke of Normandy (father of
William the Conqueror, who added the second lion to the Royal Coat of
Arms for England.)
The third was added by Henry II, and Henry
VIII added a crown to the lion.
In heraldry, the lion stands for
"deathless courage" and the lion passant gardant for
"resolution and prudence" |
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- In armies of the British Empire &
Commonwealth the Crowned Lion on Crown badge has been used on the
badges of Field Marshal, General Officers, Brigadiers and Colonels.
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<<
This is the Crowned Lion on Crown as
used during the reign of Queen Victoria. In many ways the Australian
military traditions do not go any further back than that period.
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Embroidered Brigadier's badge, 2004 >> |
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- The only Field Marshal currently on
the Army List is HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh so the crossed
batons badge of the Field Marshal is rarely seen in Australia.
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- General Officer's hat badge, with
Tudor (King's) Crown Queens Crown (St Edward's
Crown) version also available
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- The Crowned Lion on Crown badge of
Brigadiers & Colonels during the reign of George V, (WW1) and
George VI. Now with a St
Edward's (Queen's) Crown.
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- Hat badge of Australian Staff Corps
Officers between 1921 & 1930. The words "Staff Corps" are
on a blue enameled label.
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This Australian Staff Corps badge was introduced in 1930. For a short time it was worn with red
enamel between the arches of the crown. Afterwards it was bronze until
1941.
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- This WW2 era General Service belt
buckle has the Crowned (Tudor or King's) Crown and the motto
"Dieu Et Mon Droit" (God and My Right)
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Size; W:3 &
5/8" x D:5 & 2/8" inches. The
E II R (QEII) version of the crowned lion |
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Arms Without the Crowned Lion |
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arms with helmet, mantling and Royal Crest (crowned lion) are the
personal arms of the monarch. The arms with a large crown replacing the
helmet, mantling and Royal Crest are the state arms of the United
Kingdom. (Tom Gregg, Mishawaka,
Indiana, USA) |
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- Some British Units also use the
crowned lion on their Unit badge.
- One example is the Royal Marines
badges shown here.
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