The Welsh Dragon That Went to the Ends of the Earth

Captain Scott’s Welsh Flag and Its Antarctic Journey

A Banner Unlike Any Other

Captain Robert Falcon Scott;
Dr. Edward Adrian Wilson;
Lieutenant Henry Robertson Bowers;
Petty Officer Edgar Evans;
Captain Lawrence Oates

This striking and time-worn banner, bearing the fierce Red Dragon of Wales on its green and white field, is far more than a national emblem. It is the very flag that travelled with Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition to Antarctica — a proud symbol of Wales that made an extraordinary journey from Cardiff to the frozen edge of the world and back again.

A Gift From a Nation of Supporters

In June 1910, as Scott prepared to set sail from Cardiff aboard Terra Nova, the people of Wales embraced the expedition with remarkable enthusiasm. Local businesses, civic leaders, and individuals contributed money, equipment, and supplies. Among these gifts was this Welsh national flag, specially made by James Howell & Co., a respected Cardiff department store renowned for fine tailoring. Crafted from heavy wool and measuring 3.45 metres by 1.83 metres, the flag features a boldly stitched Red Dragon in a heraldic segreant pose — upright, claws raised, and wings unfurled. Its faded green field and worn stitching reveal the harsh conditions it endured during its long Antarctic service.

Flying the Dragon in the White Silence

Terra Nova

On 15 June 1910, the Terra Nova departed Cardiff to the cheers of thousands lining the docks. This flag flew proudly from her rigging, representing both Cardiff’s generosity and the broader Welsh support for the mission. Far from home, the flag took on an even deeper significance. In Antarctica, Scott’s party raised it to celebrate St David’s Day on 1 March 1911 and again in 1912, bringing a moment of Welsh identity and warmth to the stark polar landscape. The gesture resonated strongly back home — a reminder that Wales had a meaningful place in the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.

Return to a City in Mourning

When the Terra Nova returned to Cardiff in June 1913, the expedition’s tragic outcome was already known. Yet, as the ship entered the docks, this same Welsh flag was once again hoisted high. It fluttered alongside the White Ensign and the Cardiff coat of arms, uniting the city in both mourning and pride. Today, the flag is carefully preserved in the collections of Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales. Its worn fabric serves as a powerful testament to endurance — a survivor of fierce Antarctic winds, human ambition, and the sorrowful end of Scott’s quest for the South Pole.

Legacy of a Welsh Icon

The “Captain Scott Welsh Flag” remains one of Wales’s most cherished historical artifacts. It represents the courage of the men who carried it to one of the most hostile places on Earth, the unity and generosity of the Welsh people who supported the expedition, and the enduring pride of Wales during the great era of polar exploration. To gaze upon this faded Red Dragon is to imagine it once flying defiantly against the Antarctic sky — a Welsh symbol roaring with pride at the very bottom of the world.