The Lion and Tusk was the main logo of the

British South Africa Company The British South Africa Company (BSAC or BSACo) was chartered in 1889 following the amalgamation of Cecil Rhodes' Central Search Association and the London-based Exploring Company Ltd, which had originally competed to capitalize on the expecte ...

(BSAC) and later as a state symbol of

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...

. The logo was used following the Company being set up during the

scramble for Africa The Scramble for Africa, also called the Partition of Africa, or Conquest of Africa, was the invasion, annexation, division, and colonisation of Africa, colonization of most of Africa by seven Western Europe, Western European powers during a ...

and was used as they governed

. Following the company reliquishing control of

Northern Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...

and

Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a landlocked self-governing British Crown colony in southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally kn ...

, the symbol fell out of favour with the Rhodesian public. However, following the Rhodesian republic being declared in 1970, the Lion and Tusk symbol was adopted as a state symbol to replace the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

's Royal crown until the establishment of

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

in 1980.

Company history

The Lion and Tusk was adopted as a corporate insignia of the British South Africa Company following it receiving a Royal Charter allowing it to fly its own flag. The Lion and Tusk featured in the centre of the

flag of the British South Africa Company The flag of the British South Africa Company was the flag used by the British South Africa Company (BSAC) and Rhodesia under company rule. It was adopted in 1892 and was used until 1923 when the south of Rhodesia voted to become Southern Rhodesi ...

. The Lion and Tusk was referred to in heraldic terms as "a lion passant guardant Or, supporting with its right forepaw an ivory tusk proper", though it was also irreverently referred to as "the lion with the tooth-pick". A 1902

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral * Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings *Admiralty, Tr ...

warrant later entitled the BSAC to use the Lion and Tusk on

Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when obs ...

and Red Ensigns. During the early days of

Company rule in Rhodesia The British South Africa Company's administration of what became Rhodesia was chartered in 1889 by Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, and began with the Pioneer Column's march north-east to Mashonaland in 1890. Empowered by its charter to ac ...

, it was used as the badges of the British South Africa Police and the Rhodesia Horse cavalry unit. Following the

1922 Southern Rhodesian government referendum A referendum on the status of Southern Rhodesia was held in the colony on 27 October 1922. Voters, almost all of them White, were given the options of establishing responsible government or joining the Union of South Africa.

where

voted for responsible government independent of the BSAC, the Lion and Tusk fell into disuse in the Rhodesias, especially in Southern Rhodesia where their people wanted new symbols independent of BSAC influence. It continued to be used as the BSAC's corporate logo until 1965 when the company merged with the Anglo-American Corporation.

Rhodesia

Following

Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) was a statement adopted by the Cabinet of Rhodesia on 11 November 1965, announcing that Southern Rhodesia or simply Rhodesia, a British territory in southern Africa that had governed it ...

in 1965, their insignia remained the same due to loyalty to

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

. But the Lion and Tusk started to regain popularity as a separate Rhodesian symbol with it being used on commemorative gold

Rhodesian pound The pound was the currency of Southern Rhodesia from 1964 to 1965 and Rhodesia from 1965 until 1970. It was subdivided into 20 ''shillings'', each of 12 ''pence''. History The Rhodesian pound was introduced following the break-up of the Federati ...

coins in 1966 to celebrate the first anniversary of UDI. Following the announcement of a republic in 1970, the Lion and Tusk was selected as the symbol to replace the Royal St Edward's Crown on Rhodesian insignia. The Rhodesian Air Force also replaced their British inspired

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

style roundels, with the Lion and Tusk being used surrounded by a green and white roundel. This came after discussions for the RhAF symbol considered using either the Zimbabwe bird, flame lily or an elephant before deciding overwhelmingly for the Lion and Tusk. Following Rhodesia becoming

, the Lion and Tusk symbol fell out of use. The name and logo would be used in Tauranga,

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

as the name of a museum dedicated to the

Rhodesian Security Forces The Rhodesian Security Forces were the military forces of the Rhodesian government. The Rhodesian Security Forces consisted of a ground force (the Rhodesian Army), the Rhodesian Air Force, the British South Africa Police, and various personnel a ...

. File:BSAC coat of arms.jpg, The arms of the British South Africa Company File:Rhon-Army-OF-9.svg, A

Rhodesian Army The Rhodesian Security Forces were the military forces of the Rhodesian government. The Rhodesian Security Forces consisted of a ground force (the Rhodesian Army), the Rhodesian Air Force, the British South Africa Police, and various personnel ...

general's insignia File:Roundel of Rhodesia (1970–1980).svg, The Rhodesian Air Force's roundel post-1970

References

{{Reflist British South Africa Company National symbols of Rhodesia 1890 establishments in Africa 1970 establishments in Rhodesia British company logos British heraldry Lions in heraldry