Appeals for such a flag increased steadily in the early 20th century. Early flags The royal union flag (Union Jack)īeyond a new coat of arms, many Canadians also wanted a new, distinctive Canadian flag to represent them. Read more about flying the National Flag of Canada. For example, the National Flag should never touch the ground.
Specific etiquette and protocols apply to the National Flag of Canada. While the quest for a national flag for Canada dates back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the flag as we know it today emerged from the major social transformations during the 1950s and 1960s in the lead up to the 100th anniversary of Confederation in 1967. Maybe you’ve even sewn one on to your backpack and travelled the world! Regardless of where you see it, the National Flag of Canada stands out both at home and abroad as one of the most striking and recognizable symbols representing Canada.īut has Canada always had its iconic red and white maple leaf flag to showcase itself to the world? It may surprise you to learn that our flag is relatively young and that it has an eventful history. Maybe you’ve waved a paper hand flag on Canada Day, or worn it as a pin on your jacket. You’ve seen it proudly flying throughout the country. It is assumed that the scene alludes to the fact that the islands were a stopover base for the sailing ships when the badge was approved by the Admiralty.View the Timeline: Canada’s National Flag The badge was based on a sketch, made in 1869, of the 1817 seal, which depicted a wet dock of the time showing with some boats in the background. The coat of arms replaced a badge which had been in use on the Bermuda red ensign before October 1910. On 4 October 1910, the coat of arms (without the banner holding the motto) was added to the Red ensign to create the current Flag of Bermuda. They ate turtle meat fish, birds - and wild hogs. They caulked her seams with lime salvaged from the ship and oil extracted from local turtles they caught for food. The crew cut down Bermuda cedar trees and built a seaworthy craft of eighteen tons. The survivors, including several company officials (Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Gates, the ship's captain Christopher Newport, Sylvester Jordain, Stephen Hopkins, later of Mayflower, and secretary William Strachey), were stranded on Bermuda for approximately nine months. This allowed 150 people, and one dog, to be landed safely ashore. Somers deliberately had the ship driven onto the reefs of Discovery Bay, in what later proved to be eastern Bermuda, in order to prevent its foundering. When he spied land on the morning of 25 July, the water in the hold had risen to 9 feet (2.7 m), and crew and passengers had been driven past the point of exhaustion. The Admiral of the Company himself, Sir George Somers, was at the helm through the storm. The ship's starboard-side guns were reportedly jettisoned to raise her buoyancy, but this only delayed the inevitable. All hands were applied to bailing, but water continued to rise in the hold. The caulking was forced from between them, and the ship began to leak rapidly. Comparably sized ships had survived such weather, but Sea Venture had a critical flaw in her newness: her timbers had not set. Sea Venture however, fought the storm for three days. A pinnace, Catch, went down with all aboard lost. On 24 July, the fleet ran into a strong storm, likely a hurricane, and the ships were separated. On 2 June 1609, Sea Venture set sail from Plymouth as the flagship of a seven-ship fleet (towing two additional pinnaces) destined for Jamestown, Virginia as part of the Third Supply, carrying 500 to 600 people (it is unclear whether that number includes crew, or only settlers). They were the Penelope, the Merchant Royal, and the Sea Venture. On 10 April 1591, three ships sailed from Plymouth, England for the East Indies. The heraldic blazon is: Argent, on a mount vert a lion sejant affronté gules supporting between the fore-paws an antique shield azure thereon a representation of the wreck of the ship Sea Venture proper. The "Somers Isles" is another name for Bermuda, named after Sir George Somers, the colony's founder. The coat of arms first appears on the cover of the 1624 edition of The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles. The arms were formally granted by Royal Warrant on 4 October 1910, but had been in use since at least 1624. The Latin motto under the coat of arms, Quo Fata Ferunt, means "Whither the Fates Carry ". The red lion is a symbol of Great Britain and alludes to Bermuda's relationship with that country. The coat of arms of Bermuda depicts a red lion holding a shield that has a depiction of a wrecked ship upon it.