Who designed the badge from which Kiribati's flag is derived?

Arthur Grimble designed the badge from which Kiribati’s flag is derived.

The design began as a badge for the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, the British colony that preceded modern Kiribati and Tuvalu. Grimble, then a colonial official, proposed a maritime emblem featuring a frigatebird, a rising sun and ocean waves. The College of Arms granted the badge in 1937.

When Kiribati prepared for independence, the badge’s central imagery was retained and adapted into the national flag. The flag was first raised at independence celebrations in Tarawa on 12 July 1979. Its frigatebird represents power, freedom and traditional dance patterns, while the ocean bands refer to the Pacific surrounding the islands.

A common mix-up is to credit the later parliamentary flag committee or a political designer. Those figures were involved in refining or selecting the modern flag, but Grimble is the canonical answer for the original badge on which it is based.