Semper fidelis
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"Semper Fidelis" is Latin for "Always faithful." This phrase has served as motto or title for several entities, listed here in the order in which they are believed to have adopted it:
[edit] The Lynch family of Galway
Semper Fidelis is the family motto of the Lynch Family. The Lynches were one of the Twelve Tribes of Galway, who were fourteen merchant families who dominated the political, commercial, and social life of the city of Galway in western Ireland between the 13th and 16th centuries. Members of the 'Tribes' were considered Old English gentry, and distinguished themselves from the Gaelic peoples who lived in the hinterland of the city. The Lynches were descended from William Le Petit who was one of the Norman knights who settled in Ireland following the intervention in Irish affairs of Henry II of England in the early 12th century. Semper Fidelis appears on the Lynch Family coat of arms. Although the earliest traceable reference to its doing so is James Hardiman's history of Galway published in 1820, the history of the family makes it likely that the motto was in use by the 14th or 15th century.
[edit] The City of Exeter
The City of Exeter, in Devon, England, adopted the motto in 1588, to signify the city's loyalty to the English Crown. According to White's Devonshire Directory of 1850, it was Queen Elizabeth I who suggested that the city adopt this motto (perhaps in imitation of her own motto, Semper eadem, "Ever the same"). Her suggestion is said to have come in a letter to "the Citizens of Exeter," in recognition of their gift of money toward the fleet that had defeated the Spanish Armada; however the city archives do not hold this letter. John Hooker's map of Exeter of around 1586 shows the city's coat of arms without the motto, suggesting that the city's use of the motto is no older than this.
- The motto is also used by the Royal Navy warship HMS Exeter, which is named after the City of Exeter.
- There is a Masonic Lodge in Exeter, called "Lodge Semper Fidelis."
[edit] The City of Lwów
The words "Semper fidelis" were applied to the Polish city of Lwów (in Latin, "Leopolis"; now L'viv, in western Ukraine) in 1658 by Pope Alexander VII in recognition of the city's key role in defending Europe from Muslim invasion. That same year, the Sejm (parliament) of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth passed the Semper fidelis Poloniae ["Ever Faithful to Poland"] Act (as most people construed the Latin phrase).
Curiously, both Leopolis and Exeter, in addition to sharing the same motto, featured a three-turreted castle on their coats-of-arms. This is apparently a coincidence.
Today, in Poland, the motto is referenced mainly in connection with the Polish-Ukrainian War of 1919, following the collapse of Austro-Hungary in the wake of World War I, and more especially in connection with the Polish-Bolshevik War that followed.
In Ukraine, the phrase is much less used, in reference to the survival of the Ukrainian Church through the period of Soviet persecution.
[edit] St. Malo
"Semper fidelis" is the motto of the town of St. Malo, in northern France.
[edit] Edge of Strelley
The Edge family of Strelley, Nottinghamshire, were using the motto "Semper fidelis" by, at the latest, 1814 (see UK National Archives document reference DD/E/209/32-34)
[edit] Lucerne section of the Swiss Student Union
The AV Semper Fidelis, a fraternity and the Lucerne Section of the Swiss Student Union, is the oldest Roman Catholic student society in Europe, existing without break since its foundation in 1843.
[edit] Cadetcorps of the Dutch Royal Military Academy
Semper fidelis is also the motto of the cadetscorps from the Dutch Royal Military Academy.
[edit] The Devonshire Regiment
The Devonshire Regiment of the British Army, the 11th of foot, adopted the motto "Semper fidelis" on its formation in 1881. The motto was already in use by at least some of the Devon militia units from which the regiment was formed, the Illustrated London News reporting its use on a cap badge in its 7th January 1860 issue, and it is thought that it had been in use for many years before that. The motto was continued on the badges of the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment when the Devonshires were amalgamated into them in 1958. This use of the motto evidently derives from the regiments' close connection with the city of Exeter, where they had a base for many years.
[edit] The United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps motto, since 1883, is "Semper Fidelis". There were three mottos prior to Semper Fidelis, including "Fortitudine" (meaning "with courage") antedating the War of 1812, which was a nod to the British Royal Marines' "Per Mare, Per Terram", and up until 1843 there was also the motto "To the Shores of Tripoli." The motto signifies the dedication that individual Marines are expected to have loyalty to "Corps and Country" and to their fellow fighting men and women, for the rest of their days and beyond. Marines often reduce the phrase to "Semper Fi."
- "Semper Fidelis" is also the title of the official march of the United States Marine Corps, composed by John Philip Sousa in 1889. Sousa was director of the United States Marine Band ("The President's Own") when a replacement for Hail to the Chief was requested, but later rejected. Sousa considered it to be his "most musical" march. It was prominently featured in the movie A Few Good Men. Lyrics to the march were written by Charles Burr and can be found on Wikisource.
- On every eagle, globe and anchor in the Marine Corps, the eagle holds a ribbon emblazoned "Semper Fidelis".
[edit] U.S. 11th Infantry Regiment
Semper Fidelis is the motto of the U.S. 11th Infantry Regiment.
[edit] The West Nova Scotia Regiment
Semper fidelis is the motto of The West Nova Scotia Regiment (of the Canadian Forces), formed in 1936. It inherited the motto from The Lunenburg Regiment, formed in 1870.
[edit] Swiss Grenadier Regiment
Semper fidelis is the motto of a Swiss Grenadier regiment formed in 1943.
[edit] Rot-Weiss Oberhausen
Semper fidelis is the name of the fan club of the German soccer club Rot-Weiss Oberhausen
[edit] Plymouth Argyle Football Club
The English football club Plymouth Argyle use both the motto and the song, which is played as the team enters the pitch before the start of the game.
[edit] Hungarian Government Guard
Semper Fidelis is the official motto of the Hungarian Government Guard since 28 August 1998.
[edit] Senator Joe Doyle
In 1999, the Chief Herald of Ireland granted, to Irish Senator Joe Doyle, arms that include the motto, "Semper fidelis."
[edit] Semper Fi Fags
Westboro Baptist Church uses the slogan, "Semper Fi Fags" in their protests at military funerals in the United States. According to WBC member Shirley Phelps-Roper, "Semper Fi Fags means you [Americans] are always faithful to the fags."
[edit] External links
- Hardiman's history of the town of Galway
- Exeter City Council site giving origin of Exeter's use of the motto.
- Semper fidelis Oberhausen site
- History of Exeter from White's Devonshire Directory of 1850
[edit] References
- Lethbridge, Tony (2005). Exeter: history and guide. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-3515-9
