Crosswise

Cavalry Regiment Alcantara, Laureate of Saint Ferdinand

Grand Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand.

Argent, a cross of Alcantara. Crest: A closed royal crown Or, with eight arches, visible five. Behind the shield the Laureate Grand Cross of Saint Ferdinand. Motto: «Hoec nubila tollunt obstantia sicut sol».

Escudo de plata, una cruz de Alcántara. Timbrado de una corona real cerrada. Acolada detrás del escudo la gran cruz laureada de San Fernando. Lema: «Hoec nubila tollunt obstantia sicut sol».

Coat of arms interpreted in the following manner: the shape of the shield is of a semicircular arch; the field is illuminated in metal Argent; the cross of Alcantara, the 4 swords and the 2 laurel branches are outlined in Sable and illuminated in Vert and Gules; the royal crown is closed, outlined in Sable and illuminated with the metal Or, Argent for the pearls, Azure and Or for the orb, Gules and Vert for the gems, Gules for the inner cloth, and Sable for the visible hollow at its base; and the whole has a iridescent finish.

Rif War, July 23, 1921, banks of the Igan River, North Africa

The Alcantara Regiment executed nine successive cavalry charges to protect the infantry's retreat, nine charges until they broke the enemy lines, outnumbering them. The last charge was on foot because all their horses were dead or exhausted. These heroic riders of Alcantara had fulfilled their duty of protecting the wounded infantry in their retreat to El Batel, but the price was appalling: of 691 riders, only 67 survived, and three months were necessary to recover hundreds of corpses.

For this reason, in 2012, the Alcántara Regiment was collectively awarded the Grand Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand.

Two lances behind the shield

Since 1987, the coat of arms of the cavalry regiments of the Spanish Army must carry two crossed lances accolade behind the shield. And indeed, this coat of arms of the Alcántara Cavalry Regiment has two lances behind the shield, but in my artistic heraldic interpretation, I did not paint them to avoid detracting from the prominence of the Laureate Cross.

Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Argent, Cross of Alcantara, Cross couped, Cross, Crest, Closed royal crown, Crown, Behind the shield, Four, Sword, Crosswise, Gules, Two, Branch, Laurel, Vert and Motto.