Per ardua ad astra

Per ardua ad astra

:"Other mottos/phrases also incorporate the Latin "ad astra". See the article ad astra (phrase)" "Per ardua ad astra" ("Through adversity to the Stars") is the motto of the Royal Air Force and other Commonwealth air forces such as the RAAF, RNZAF, and the former RCAF. It dates from 1912 and was used by the newly-formed Royal Flying Corps.

Origin

The first Commanding Officer of the Royal Flying Corps (Military Wing) was Colonel Frederick Sykes. He asked his officers to come up with a motto for the new service; one which would produce a strong esprit de corps.

Not long after this, two junior officers were walking from the Officers' Mess at Farnborough to Cody's Shed on Laffan Plain. As they walked they discussed the problem of the motto and one of them, named J. S. Yule, mentioned the phrase "Sic itur ad Astra", from the Virgilian texts. He then expanded on this with the phrase "Per Ardua ad Astra", which he translated as, "Through adversity to the Stars". Colonel Sykes approved of this as the motto and forwarded it to the War Office. It was then submitted to the King, who approved its adoption.

The question of where this motto had come from can be answered by the fact that Yule had read it in a book called "The People of the Mist" by Sir Henry Rider Haggard. In the first chapter was the passage, "To his right were two stately gates of iron fantastically wrought, supported by stone pillars on whose summit stood griffins of black marble embracing coats of arms and banners inscribed with the device 'Per Ardua ad Astra'".

As to where Rider Haggard obtained this phrase is still unclear although it is possible that it originated from the Irish family of Mulvany who had used it as their family motto for hundreds of years and translated it as "Through Struggles to the Stars".

The authoritative translation of the motto is just as unsure as the source. Since there can be a number of different meanings to "Ardua" and "Astra"", scholars have declared it to be untranslatable. To the Royal Air Force and the other Commonwealth air forces, however, it will remain translated as "Through Struggles to the Stars". [http://www.raf.mod.uk/history_old/hrafmotto.html Through struggles to the stars - RAF history (raf.mod.uk)]

Other uses

Per Ardua Ad Astra is also the motto of Cathedral Schools in Stavanger and Trondheim (Stavanger Katedralskole Kongsgård and Trondheim Katedralskole), Norway, of Antonio DeSouza High School (ANZA), Mumbai, India, and of J.C. Chandisingh Secondary School (formerly Corentyne High School) in the town of Rose Hall, Guyana, South America. Also the motto of Dale College (for boys), King Williams Town, South Africa, generally translated by the school as "through hard work to the stars".

St Chad's College, Durham annually awards a "Per ardua ad astra" scholarship.

"Per ardua ad astra" is also used as the motto for the Welsh Space Programme (in which monkeys that knew sign language were sent into space) in the Malcolm Pryce novels about Aberystwyth.

In the Buck Rogers television series, the motto is displayed on the side of Buck Roger's spaceship "The Searcher".

ee also

The motto of NASA, "Per aspera ad astra", has a similar translation.

References


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • per ardua ad astra — /ärˈdū ə ad asˈtrə or ärˈdŭ ä ad asˈträ/ By steep and toilsome ways to the stars (the motto of the RAF) • • • Main Entry: ↑per …   Useful english dictionary

  • Per ardua ad astra — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Ad astra. PER ARDUA AD ASTRA, devise gravée à l’entrée de l’abri du cimetierre de Stonefall à Harrogate (York …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Per ardua ad astra — Im Emblem der Royal Airforce Per ardua ad astra (lat. Durch Schwierigkeiten [besser Härte oder Strebsamkeit] zu den Sternen ) ist das Motto der Royal Air Force und anderer Commonwealth Luftstreitkräfte, wie der RAAF, RNZAF und der früheren RCAF …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Per aspera ad astra — For other uses, see Per aspera ad astra (disambiguation). Per aspera ad astra is a Latin phrase which literally means Through hardships to the stars . The phrase is one of many Latin sayings which use the expression Ad astra . Various… …   Wikipedia

  • Per aspera ad astra — Die Redewendung per aspera ad astra auf dem Wappen von Mecklenburg Schwerin per aspera ad astra, wörtlich: „Durch das Raue zu den Sternen“, ist eine lateinische Redewendung. Sie bedeutet: „Über raue Pfade gelangt man zu den Sternen“ oder „Durch… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • per ardua ad astra —  (Lat.) To the stars through adversities …   Bryson’s dictionary for writers and editors

  • Per-Capita — Lateinische Phrasen   A B C D E F G H I L M N O P …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Ad astra (phrase) — For other uses, see Ad astra. Ad astra is a Latin phrase meaning to the stars . The phrase has its origin with Virgil, who wrote sic itur ad astra ( thus you shall go to the stars ; Aeneid book IX, line 641) and opta ardua pennis astra sequi , (… …   Wikipedia

  • Ad astra — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Astra. Ad astra est une locution latine signifiant « vers les étoiles ». Cette locution peut s’employer seule. On la retrouve dans d’autres locutions latines : Ad astra per aspera, variante de per… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Ad astra — es una frase latina que significa a las estrellas o hasta las estrellas . Tiene su origen en la frase de Virgilio sic itur ad astra ( así se va a las estrellas ); Eneida libro IX, verso 641) y en opta ardua pennis astra sequi,… …   Wikipedia Español

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