Prior to Confederation in 1867, the Royal Arms of the United Kingdom served in Canada as the symbol of royal authority.[16] Arms had not been granted to any of the colonies in British North America, apart from 17th-century grants to Nova Scotia[17] and Newfoundland.[18][19] The year after Confederation, arms were granted by Royal Warrant on 26 May 1868 to Ontario,[20] Quebec,[21] Nova Scotia[22] (that Nova Scotia had been granted arms was forgotten, and it took until 1929 for the historic arms granted in the 17th century to be reinstated)[17] and New Brunswick.[23] In the Royal Warrant of 1868, Queen Victoria authorized the four arms of the first provinces to be quartered for use on the Great Seal of Canada and while this was not done for the first Great Seal, it is through this reference it became the de facto arms for Canada until 1921.[24] That is why it was in this form Canada was represented on the first Red Ensign carried by Canadian troops at Vimy Ridge in 1917.