Leander's Crest
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The LEANDER crest is officially described as - 'On a field azure, an arm in armour holding a lance proper between two lotus flowers argent on wavelets or and vert'.
ARGENT refers to the colour silver, AZURE the colour blue, OR is the colour gold and VERT is the colour green. |
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To many people, Heraldry can be a fascinating subject, with each emblem or crest steeped in history, family or national. Such is the case with ship's crests. They have a story to tell of famous ships, some whose names are no longer in use, some whose names are still proudly borne by ship's of present day navies. A fine example is the crest of the LEANDERS!
The LEANDER crest was that of Sir Thomas Boulden Thompson, who was Captain on the fourth rate (32 guns) at the Battle of the Nile, fought in Aboukir Bay, Egypt, on the 1st and 2nd of August, 1798, under the command of Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson.
The crest depicts the waters of the River Nile with the peculiar long stemmed lotus lilies found there. The pike represents all that remained on which to hoist the Ensign after all three masts had been shot away during the action with the French ship GENEREUX (80 guns).
The circumstances are, that after the battle, Captain Thompson was ordered by Nelson to carry home Captain Edward Berry with his dispatches, but near the western end of Crete, on August 18, they fell in with the French ship GENEREUX. After a brilliant defence, in which Captains Thompson and Berry were severely wounded and the ship badly damaged, they were captured and taken to Corfu.
After a time they were allowed to return, overland, to England. Captain Thompson was tried by court martial for the loss of his ship, and was specially commended for the gallant and unprecedented defence of the LEANDER against the far superior force of the GENEREUX. On his acquittal, Captain Thompson was knighted, and subsequently chose for his coat of arms that which is now part of the LEANDER crest.
The LEANDER crest was that of Sir Thomas Boulden Thompson, who was Captain on the fourth rate (32 guns) at the Battle of the Nile, fought in Aboukir Bay, Egypt, on the 1st and 2nd of August, 1798, under the command of Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson.
The crest depicts the waters of the River Nile with the peculiar long stemmed lotus lilies found there. The pike represents all that remained on which to hoist the Ensign after all three masts had been shot away during the action with the French ship GENEREUX (80 guns).
The circumstances are, that after the battle, Captain Thompson was ordered by Nelson to carry home Captain Edward Berry with his dispatches, but near the western end of Crete, on August 18, they fell in with the French ship GENEREUX. After a brilliant defence, in which Captains Thompson and Berry were severely wounded and the ship badly damaged, they were captured and taken to Corfu.
After a time they were allowed to return, overland, to England. Captain Thompson was tried by court martial for the loss of his ship, and was specially commended for the gallant and unprecedented defence of the LEANDER against the far superior force of the GENEREUX. On his acquittal, Captain Thompson was knighted, and subsequently chose for his coat of arms that which is now part of the LEANDER crest.
The Shape:
The pentagonal surround in use today, means that a previous ship which bore the name LEANDER was a Cruiser.
(Circular – Battleships & Battle Cruisers; Pentagonal – Cruisers; Shield – Destroyers; Diamond – All other vessel types and shore establishments)
The current badge itself was designed for the name ship of a class of cruisers built during the 1930's and approved by the Royal Navy Ship Names and Badges Committee, 15th April, 1930. Designer: RM Major Charles ffoulkes
The pentagonal surround in use today, means that a previous ship which bore the name LEANDER was a Cruiser.
(Circular – Battleships & Battle Cruisers; Pentagonal – Cruisers; Shield – Destroyers; Diamond – All other vessel types and shore establishments)
The current badge itself was designed for the name ship of a class of cruisers built during the 1930's and approved by the Royal Navy Ship Names and Badges Committee, 15th April, 1930. Designer: RM Major Charles ffoulkes
