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Roundel

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:''This is a page about the insignia/symbol. For other uses, see roundel (disambiguation).'' Image:RAF-Roundel.svg right|thumb|The [[Royal Air Force|RAF roundel]] A '''roundel''' is a distinctive mostly round logo or marking, most commonly painted today on military aircraft to indicate which air force or navy they belong to. However, some companies also make use of roundels as part of their corporate branding, such as the famous roundel of the London Underground.

Heraldry
In heraldry, a ''roundel'' is a circular charge (heraldry) charge. ''Roundels'' are among the oldest charges used in coat of arms coats of arms, dating from at least the twelfth century. Roundels in British and French heraldry have different names depending on their tincture (heraldry) tincture (colour). Thus, a roundel may be blazoned by its tincture, as in ''a roundel vert'' (literally "a roundel green"). Alternatively, there are special names given to roundels of various tinctures, as in ''a pomme'' (literally "an apple", from the French word). {| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" align="center" |- ! colspan="2" bgcolor=#E0E0E0|'''metals''' ! colspan="5" bgcolor=#E0E0E0|'''colours''' ! colspan="1" bgcolor=#E0E0E0|'''neutral''' |- | align="center" | bezant
Image:Roundel-or.svg 61px
''coin'' | align="center" | plate
Image:Roundel-argent.svg 61px
''silver'' | align="center" | hurt
Image:Roundel-azure.svg 61px
''berry'' | align="center" | torteau
Image:Roundel-gules.svg 61px
''cake'' | align="center" | pellet
Image:Roundel-sable.svg 61px
''gunshot'' | align="center" | pomme
Image:Roundel-vert.svg 61px
''apple'' | align="center" | golpe
Image:Roundel-purpure.svg 61px
''wound'' | align="center" | fountain
Image:Roundel-fountain.svg 61px
''fountain'' |} One special example of a named roundel is the '''fountain'''. This is depicted as ''a roundel barry wavy argent and azure''. That is, it is not filled in a single tincture, but with alternating horizontal wavy bands of blue and silver (or white). Because the fountain consists equally of parts in a light and a dark tincture, its use is not limited by the rule of tincture as are the other roundels. In their earliest uses, roundels were often strewn (''semy'') upon the field of a coat of arms, a design with as many names as there are tinctures. For example, a field ''semy of roundels argent'' could be called ''platy''; a field ''semy of roundels sable'' could be called ''pellety''. The precise number and placement of the roundels in such a case was usually left to the discretion of the artist. Because of their long use and simple outline, the roundels are accorded status as a ordinary (heraldry) subordinary charge by most heraldic writers.

Use on military aircraft
Image:Thunderbolt.a10.closeup.fairford.arp.jpg right|thumb|A [[USAF A-10 Warthog with low visibility roundel on fuselage.]] The first use of a roundel on military aircraft was during the First World War by the French Air Force. It consisted of a blue-white-red design mirroring the Flag of France. The roundel was subsequently adopted by their allies, the British Royal Flying Corps, as their original painted Union Flags looked too much like the German cross. The British used the French colours in reverse, their national colours of red-white-blue. This design was subsequently adopted by British Imperial air forces with a maple leaf (Royal Canadian Air Force RCAF), kangaroo (Royal Australian Air Force RAAF) and kiwi (Royal New Zealand Air Force RNZAF). Roundels were subsequently adopted by the air forces of other countries. During the Second World War the red inner circle of RAF-based roundels on planes based in the Asia-Pacific was painted white or light blue, so they would not be confused for the red circle on Japanese planes. In recent decades, "low-visibility" roundels have been used, especially on active combat types. Low-visibility roundels usually have subdued low-contrast colors or stenciled outlines.

Examples of roundels
See [http://cocardes.monde.online.fr/v2html/en/miniatures.html Roundels of the World] for a more complete gallery. Image:RAAF-Roundel.svg|Australia Image:RCAF-Roundel.svg|Canada Image:French-roundel.svg|France Image:IAF-roundel.svg|India Image:Ie_round.gif|Ireland Image:Israel_Roundel.gif|Israel Image:NetherlandsRoundel.png |The Netherlands Image:rnzaf_roundel.svg|New Zealand Image:RAF-Roundel.svg|United Kingdom Image:Low-visibility-RAF-Roundel.png|United Kingdom (low visibility) Image:USAF roundel.png|United States Image:Flag coa.png|The coat of arms of Gabon includes three roundels across the top

See also
*Tincture (heraldry) *Bezant *Goutte

External links

- Roundels of the World
- Canadian Military Aircraft Roundels has a section on the history of roundels.
- History of the RAF roundel Category:Symbols Category:Heraldic charges

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