Coat of arms of the British Antarctic Territory
| Arms of the British Antarctic Territory | |
|---|---|
| Shield | Per Fesse wavy barry wavy of six Argent and Azure and Argent on a Pile Gules a Torch enflamed proper |
| Supporters | On the dexter side a Lion Or and on the sinister side an Emperor Penguin proper |
| Motto | Research and Discovery |
| Earlier version(s) | |
| Use | Coat of arms of the Falkland Islands Dependencies |
The coat of arms of the British Antarctic Territory are the official coat of arms for the British Antarctic Territory was first granted in 1952, when the territory was still a dependency of the Falkland Islands (along with South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands).[1]
History
The coat of arms were first awarded in 1952 to each of the constituent members of Falkland Island Dependencies, which the British Antarctic Territory was a part. This was the first grant of arms made by Queen Elizabeth II after her accession to the throne.[1] The arms consist of a shield bearing a flaming torch on a wavy background representing the sea. The dexter supporter is a golden lion, representing the United Kingdom.[2] The sinister supporter is an Emperor penguin, representing the native wildlife in the territory.[2] The lion stands on a compartment of grass, while the penguin stands on a compartment of ice.[1] The crest is a representation of the RRS Discovery, the research ship used in 1901 by the caption Robert Falcon Scott on his first journey to the Antarctic.[3] The motto "Research and Discovery" was chosen as a reference to historical British Antarctic explorers and its current status as a marine science research base.[4]
The coat of arms appears in the fly of the flag of the British Antarctic Territory.[2][3]
Official description
The official blazon granted by the British College of Arms is as follows:[5]
Arms: Per Fesse wavy barry wavy of six Argent and Azure and Argent on a Pile Gules a Torch enflamed proper.
Supporters: On the dexter side a Lion Or and on the sinister side an Emperor Penguin proper.
Motto: Research and Discovery
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Newsletter (no. 70) - College of Arms". www.college-of-arms.gov.uk. January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ a b c "Grb i Zastava" (PDF). Bulletin of the Croatian Heraldic & Vexillological Association. XII (24): 26. November 2018. ISSN 1846-3827.
- ^ a b "British Antarctic Territory". www.crwflags.com. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ "Spotlight on the British Antarctic Territory". Government of the United Kingdom. 3 February 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
- ^ "January 2023 Newsletter (no. 70) - College of Arms". www.college-of-arms.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 January 2023.