SCHOOL BADGES
At first, the school badge was a decorative monogrammed G intertwined with A and occasionally included reference to the Glasgow coat of arms story. However, by 1935, Wallace Orr - a former Academical who joined the staff as Art Master - designed a new badge consisting of a quartered heraldic shield with the Bishop's Mitre of Saint Mungo on the upper left to represent the City of Glasgow, the Lion which represents Scotland on the upper right, the torch of learning on the lower right and three crosses of sacrifice chosen to recall what was described as "the perpetual mainspring of the school, the spirit of sacrifice and service" on the lower left. The school colours were heraldically represented originally as azure (blue) and argent (silver).
The Glasgow Academicals War Memorial Trust was set up in 1920 and governed the school after the Glasgow Academy Company ceased doing so. They were granted by Sir Francis James Grant, the Lord Lyon, the seal which afforded them the right to bear arms on 14 May 1937. Ben Aston, the History Master came up with the school motto 'keep faith' in that same year, which was translated into Latin as 'Serva Fidem' with the verb deliberately cast in the singular to appeal to the members of The Academy as individuals. Prior to this date, there was no formal school motto adopted, although 'Vivat Academia' or 'long live our Academy', was often found underneath the monogrammed GA motif.
The Glasgow Academical Club had its own heraldic armorial ensign granted by Sir James Balfour Paul, the Lord Lyon, dating from 12 June 1922, which consisted of an azure (blue) background with an argent (silver) chevron between a Scottish thistle on the upper left and a branch of palm on the upper right. An oak tree with a salmon holding a signet ring it its mouth, a Robin in the tree and a bell hanging from it to represent the coat of arms of Glasgow, was depicted at the bottom.
After the Westbourne School for Girls merged with The Glasgow academy in 1991, the previous ensign was resigned in favour of a new armorial bearing granted by Sir Malcolm Rognvald Innes, the Lord Lyon on 13 October 1992. The new ensign was subtly altered with the addition of purple, which was Westbourne's distinctive colour, to show the integration of the two schools.
