SINGAPURA
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Singapore was
founded in 1819 by Sir Stamford Raffles. It was a part of the crown colony of
the Straits Settlements from 1867 until 1946. It was occupied by Japan from 1942-‘45 and renamed Syonan-to.
From 1946 until 1957
Singapore was a crown colony itself. This was granted self government in 1957
and became an autonomous state in 1959. In 1963 Singapore joined the Federation of Malaysia
but left it on 8 August 1965. The next day Singapore became an independent
republic. |
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1867-1946 |
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The Straits Settlements comprised the four trade centres
of Penang, Singapore, Malacca and Labuan. The British settlement at Penang
was founded by Capt. Francis Light in 1786 and Singapore by Stamford Raffles
in 1819. After Malacca was transferred to the East India Company in 1824, the
three territories were established as a crown colony in 1867. Later, Labuan
was constituted as the fourth settlement in 1907 The Straits colony was broken up in 1946 when Penang and Malacca were included into the Malayan Union, Singapore became a separate crown colony and Labuan was incorporated into North Borneo. |
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The arms of the
Straits Settlements after 1867 were: Arms: Gules, a pall reversed Argent, three
Imperial Crowns Or. The Crowns
symbolized the three parts of the Straits Settlements in 1867: Singapore,
Penang and Malacca.[1] |
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The arms were
adapted to make a badge:
Badge: On a lozenge Gules, a pall reversed Argen,
three Imperial Crowns one and two Or. |
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* This badge
was used for government purposes but was not officially authorised. The correct flag for the governor when aboard
vessels as prescribed by the Admiralty was a Union Flag with a gold crown at
the centre and for the ensign of government vessels, a blue ensign with a
gold crown in the lower fly. This instruction seemingly went unheeded and the
red lozenge badge became the badge of the colony eventually. It was placed in
the centre of the Union flag of the Governor of the Straits Settlements and
was on the blue naval ensign and the service badge of the Straits Settlements
Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. It was also on the service badge of the
Straits Settlements Police. [2] |
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When Labuan had
joined the colony in 1907 a new coat of arms was granted on 25 March 1911. It
is composed of the arms of Singapore, Penang, Malacca and Labuan.
The blasoning of
the arms reads: Arms: Quarterly, the
first quarter Gules, issuant from the base a tower proper, on the battlements
thereof a lion passant guardant Or;
the second quarter Argent, on a mount an areca-nut palm tree proper;
the third quarter also Argent a sprig of the oil tree pruing proper; the
fourth quarter Azure on waves of the sea in front of a representation of the
sun rising behind a mountain a sailing yacht in full sail to the sinister,
all proper. Crest: A demi lion
rampant guardant supporting in the paws a staff proper, thereon flying to the
sinister a banner Azure, charged with three imperial crowns Or. [3] The arms show the blasons of Singapore: (Gules, a tower Argent on its battlements a lion passant guardant Or), Penang (an Areca palm - Pinang or Betel nut palm), Malacca (a sprig of leaves and fruits of the keruing tree (Dipterocarpus sublamellatus-Dipterocarpaceae), and Labuan (a depiction of a schooner headed towards Mount Kinabalu - or Borneo - at sunrise). |
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The arms
were used for example on the Regimental Colours of the Straits Settlements
Volunteer Force. [4]
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At about the beginning of World War II, the arms
were embellished by adding a helmet lambrequined Gules and Or, and the date
1867:
Embellished achievement of
the Straits Settlements as on paper money, 1940-’41. The lambrequines are Gules and Or. |
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Singapore was
founded in 1819 by Sir Stamford Raffles. It was a part of the crown colony of
the Straits Settlements from 1867 until 1946. From 1946 until 1957 Singapore
was a crown colony itself. This was granted self government in 1957 and
became an autonomous state in 1959. In 1963 Singapore joined the Federation
of Malaysia but left it on 8 August 1965. The next day Singapore became an
independent republic. |
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The first heraldic emblems used in Singapore were, of course, the achievement of the East India Company and the arms of the first governor of Singapore Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles. The arms of Raffles initially were: Raffles: D’or, semé de mouchetures d’hermine de sable, à l’aigle éployé de gueules, ch. sur sa poitrine d’une couronne à l’antique d’or, au chef de sinople, ch. de deux médaillons l’un sur l’autre, attachés à une chaîne d’or, chargés le premier de caractères arabes, le second d’un poignard flamboyant d’argent garni d’or, posé en fasce. Casque couronné. [5] |
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That is to say: Arms: Erminois, an eagle Gules, charged on the breast with an antique crown Or; and a chief Vert, two medallions per pale, pending from a collar Or, the first with a legend in arab lettering, the second with an undulating dagger Argent, the hilt Or, per fess..... |
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The crest of a griffon’s head purpure and the motto AUSPICIUM MELIORIS AEVI (An Omen of a Better Age) are not mentioned in this blasoning. Also, the eagle is single-headed instead of two-headed. The griffin’s
head symbolises stability and success. The double-headed eagle on the shield,
which in European heraldry signifies universal dominion, comes from Raffles'
history as an agent of the British Empire, looking both East and West. The two medallions
on the crest represent the award of the Order of the Golden Sword to Sir
Stamford Raffles by a Sumatran prince. One bears a message inscribed in
Arabic and the other bears a kris. On his tomb
however, the arms are impaled with a chevron erminois between thee lions’
heads erased. |
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The
Crest |
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It is
known from several sources that the Singapore Municipal Commission used a
device of a lion statant with a coconut palm tree all on a green turf. This
is borrowed from a badge of the East India Company as on mohur-coins
from the time of King William IV and Queen Victoria. For this reason the use
of the badge probably dates from the time of the East India Company
(liquidated 1874). [6] In the Singapore context the
crest could be a reference to the story of the naming of Singapore. On the records in the 13th century
Malay Annals, a prince from Palembang was shipwrecked and washed ashore to an
island. There he saw a creature which he believed was a lion. So he named the
island “Singa Pura” which means “Lion City”, from which the name Singapore
was derived. |
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The
status of this badge in Singapore is however unclear. It was often referred
to as the Crest of the Municipal Commission but there does not seem to
be any arms (shield and charges) for the Commission. The lion passant and coconut palm crest was used in the cap badge of the Singapore Fire Brigade and Auxiliary Fire Service, placed on the traditional emergency services starburst, and was used for quite sometime after independence as well. There were also instances where the Singapore Fire Brigade used a lion statant guardant (both paws grounded and head turned to face viewer) with the palm tree rather than the lion passant, notably for the badge on the fire helmet. However no colony-level insignia featured such a depiction for the lion. The colonial prison service used as part of their badge the crest (the coconut palm) but replacing the lion passant with the lion passant guardant (a paw raised and head turned to face viewer). The
emblem was also adopted in the badge of the Singapore
Volunteer Corps, existing with interruptions from 1901 until 1954. [7] |
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The arms |
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The first coat of arms for the City of Singapore was granted by letters patent of 9th April 1948. The reference to the municipality of Singapore as the “City of Singapore” was apparently an error made on the side of the College of Arms as Singapore only received City status in 1951. The official heraldic blazon for the arms was as follows: Gules, a tower issuant from the base proper; on the
battlements thereof a lion passant guardant or; on a chief embattled of the
last a pair of wings conjoined in base between two anchors azure, and for the
crest on a wreath argent and azure on front of a palm tree fructed proper,
issuant from a mount vert, a lion passant or.
Photo Jerome
Lim Arms of
Singapur adopted 1948.04.09. Relief in
Mount Emily Park, Singapore. Arms: Gules, a tower Argent, on its battlements a lion passant
guardant Or, and a chief embattled Or a pair ofd wings between two anchors
Azure their ropes Argent. Crest: On a helmet to the dexter lambrequined Argent and Azure,
a lion passant Or before a palm-tree proper. Motto: MAJULAH SINGAPURA (Onwards Singapur). On the arms is the crest of the Singapore Municipal
Commission, a lion statant before a palm tree. On the new city arms’ crest
however, the lion is depicted as a lion passant and not statant. [8] |
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The second arms of Singapore
were adopte only five months later. They show the blason of the quarter for
Singapore in the arms of the Straits Settlements of 1911.
By Royal warrant of
13 September 1948 the arms of 1911 were confirmed and augmented with a crest.
This last shows a lion rampant issuant Or, langued and armed Gules keeping a
banner upright Argent, a pall reversed Gules, an Imperial crown Or. An embellished
version shows the arms with a helmet to the dexter, lambrequined Gules and
Or, with the crest on top. At the same time a
badge was adopted for the crown colony. This consisted of the blason of the
banner in the crest: Argent, a pall reversed Gules, an Imperial Crown
Or. |
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1959-present |
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The autonomous State
of Singapore adopted a coat of arms on 11 November 1959. It is: Arms: Gules, a crescent in base and five
five-pointed stars in a circle in chief Argent. Supporters: Dexter a lion and sinister a tiger, both
proper. Motto: MAJULAH SINGAPURA (Onwards Singapore) in golden lettering on
an escrolle Azure, lined Argent. The achievement is
explained as follows: Red symbolizes the
all comprising brotherhood and equality of the people, the white purity and
loyalty. The crescent is for Islam and the growth of the young nation. The ideology of
the state is symbolized by the stars: Democracy, Advace, Peace, Justice and
Equality. The lion
symbolizes Singapore because its name means City of the Lions. The tiger
refers to its connections with Malaysia of which the arms are supported by
tigers. A tiger was the first emblem of the United Malay Sultanates. [9] The use of the achievement was continued by the Republic of Singapore after 1963. ð See illustration in the
head of this essay. |
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The Presidential Standard |
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The
Presidential Standard is the successor of the flag of the Governors of
Singapore of which there have been six after 1948. It is supposed that it has
been the Union Jack with the badge of Singapore within a garland in the
middle but no contemporary picture of this flag is available.
The Presidential Standard is simply an enlargement of the canton of the State Flag. It is displayed where the President is in attendance notably when he is in residence at the Istana, at National Day Parades, and at Singapore Armed Forces Day Parades. |
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The Parliament |
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The emblem of
the Parliament of Singapore shows the achievement and the mace of a
winged lion sejant. |
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Ministry of Defence of Singapore The emblem of the Ministry of Defence of Singapore consists, within a garland, of the achievement of Singapore, without its motto and placed on two swords in saltire and a red scroll with the motto YANG PERTAMA DAN UTAMA (First and Foremost). |
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Tentera Singapura Emblem The emblem of the Armed Forces and the Army of Singapore consists of the achievement of Singapore without its motto, within a blue bordure with the title TENTERA SINGAPURA in yellow lettering, all surrounded by a yellow garland and with the motto YANG PERTAMA DAN UTAMA (First and Foremost) in yellow lettering on a blue escroll below. |
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History |
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The idea for a
volunteer corps to supplement the local constabulary for tighter internal
security was first raised in 1846. The first corps, the Singapore Volunteer
Rifles Corps (SVRC), was formed on 8 July 1854 with the support of the
Governor, Colonel William John Butterworth, In 1857, the Indian Government
passed the Volunteer Ordinance, which placed the SVRC under government
control.
Emblem
of the Singapore Volunteer Rifle Corps 1854-1887 (reconstruction) The SVRC was
disbanded in December 1887 but in February 1888, the corps was revived as the
Singapore Volunteer Artillery (SVA).
Emblem
of the Singapore Volunteer Artillery 1888-1901 Colors
unknown (reconstruction) By 1901, the
SVA's diverse composition of sub-units necessitated the change of name to the
Singapore Volunteer Corps (SVC).
Photo
Flickr Emblem
of the Singapore Volunteer Corps 1901-1954 The emblem was:
Emblem: Gules, a lion passant Or before a
palmtree proper. Surrounded by a bordure also Gules bearing the name SINGAPORE VOLUNTEER CORPS, a garland of oak in base and fimbriated Or. Crown: The Imperial British Crown Motto: IN ORIENTE PRIMUS in black lettering on a scroll Or. In 1922, the
SVC was absorbed into the Straits Settlements Volunteer Force, forming the
1st and 2nd battalions of the SSVF. The end of the Japanese Occupation saw
the SVC being revived in 1949. In 1954, with
the disbandment of the SSVF, the Singapore Volunteer Corps was absorbed into
the Singapore Military Forces. [10] |
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The Singapore Armed Force |
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The First
Singapore Infantry Regiment (1 SIR), was formed on 12 March 1957. When
recruitment for the battalion began on 4 Mar, the emblem used was a lion
standing on a tower. The origins of the actual SAF Crest date back to 11
March 1961 and fittingly, are intertwined with the story of Singapore first
and oldest battalion. What started as a battalion emblem was later adopted as
the identity for the whole SAF |
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First 1SIR emblem inaugurated
4 March 1957 |
Second emblem of 1 SIR
instituted 11 March 1961 |
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The SAF
Crest of today bears a strong resemblance to 1 SIR's emblem. Initially this
showed the tower and the lion of the Singapore arms. A later version, known
from 1961, shows: Emblem: Gules, the achievement of
Singapore without its motto, surrounded by the title TENTERA
SINGAPURA in golden lettering
on a bordure of the first. Garland: Palm leaves Vert tied with a
ribbon Gules lined Or. Motto: YANG
PERTAMA DAN UTAMA in
black lettering on a scroll Or. [11] Inaugurated
on 1 July 1989, the SAF Flag had the SAF Crest emblazoned on the bottom right
hand corner of the State Flag. It symbolised for the first time, the Army,
Navy and Air Force together. ð See illustration in the head of this
section. |
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Navy emblem The
Singapore Naval Volunteer Force - Angkatan Laut Republik Singapura (SNVF) was established on 22 January 1966 and
was preceded by the Singapore division of the Malayan Royal Navy Volunteer
Reserve. On 5 May 1967, the SNVF ensign was hoisted for the first time. A few
months later in September, the SNVF was renamed the People's Defence Force
(Sea) under the Sea Defence Command (SDC). The SDC was
renamed the Maritime Command (MC) in 1968. Its successor, the RSN came into
being on 1 April 1975, when the SAF established its component forces into
three distinct services. |
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Air Force Emblem The Republic
of Singapore Air Force - Angkatan Udara Republik Singapura (RSAF), is the air arm of the Singapore Armed Forces and was established on 1 April 1975. Its predecessor, the Singapore Air Defence Command (SADC)
was established in September 1968.
Prior to then, Singapore had depended completely on Britain's Royal
Air Force (RAF) for its air defence. |
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Roundels |
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1968-1973 |
1973-1990 |
1990-present |
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The police emblems throughout history were
generally similar as it is today. The scrolls were depicted in different forms and arrangement in
their course of history. Within the wreath where the State shield sits today,
the emblem of the prevailing period of time was used. Colony
of the Straits Settlements (Straits Settlements Police) The Singapore Police Force has its roots as the Straits Settlements Police. On its emblem was the lozenge badge of the British Straits Settlements within a wreath. The scroll bore the inscription “Straits Settlements Police”. A newspaper article dated February 1939 seems to suggest that there was a service flag for the police force of the Straits Settlements. |
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In
September 1963, Singapore attained independence from the United Kingdom as a
component state within the federation of Malaysia. The police forces of
Malaya, Singapore, Sabah, and Sarawak were thus integrated to become the new Polis
Di-Raja Malaysia (Royal Malaysia Police). As such, the Royal
Malaysian Police badge (1963 - 1965) was used in Singapore and on the Police
service flag. |
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© Hubert de Vries 2010-08-18