As far as can be ascertained, the motto of the Royal Air Force dates to the 1912 newly formed Royal Flying Corps. The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of World War I. Origin and Early History Formed by Royal Warrant on May 13, 1912, the RFC superseded the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers. ...

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. In military organizations, the commanding officer (CO) is the officer in command of a military unit. ... The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of World War I. Origin and Early History Formed by Royal Warrant on May 13, 1912, the RFC superseded the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers. ... Morale measures the degree to which people hold to belief. ...

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 "Sicictar ad Astra", from the Virgilian texts. He then expanded on this with the phrase "Per Ardua ad Astra", which he translated as, "Through Struggles 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. Farnborough Airport or TAG London Farnborough Airport (IATA: FAB, ICAO: EGLF) (previously called RAE Farnborough) is an airport situated in Farnborough, Hampshire in England. ... Old War Office Building, Whitehall, London - the former location of the War Office The War Office was a former department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1963, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence. ... Look up monarch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The question of where this motto had come from can be answered by the fact that Yule had read it in a book called "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 Sir Rider Haggard obtained this phrase is still unclear although it is possible that it originated from the Irish family of Mulway who had used it as their family motto for hundreds of years and translated it as "Through Struggles to the Stars". H. Rider Haggard, author Sir Henry Rider Haggard (June 22, 1856 – May 14, 1925), born in Norfolk, England, was a Victorian writer of adventure novels set in locations considered exotic by readers in his native England. ...

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 Commonwealth Air Forces though it will remain "Through Endurance to the Stars". It is peculiar to the Royal Air Force and has indeed been made famous by the heroic and courageous deeds of our air forces over the years. Astra can mean: Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association, acronym for Astra (Marvel), Marvel comics character Astra (reactor), a type of nuclear research reactor built in Austria Astra missile, under development by India Astra (album), a 1985 album by Asia Astra, codename for a secret type of USA military aircraft... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ...

See also

• Ad astra (phrase)
• List of Latin phrases (P–Z)

Ad astra is a Latin phrase meaning to the stars. It is used as, or as part of, the motto of many organizations. ... This page lists direct English translations of common Latin phrases, such as veni vidi vici and et cetera. ...

External links

• NZETC