Britain’s Silver War Badge
During the First World War, everybody in Britain, from Boy Scouts to postmen delivering the mail, was expected to do their patriotic duty. All eligible, able-bodied men enlisted to serve in the armed forces. Those who were employed in essential war work, such as munitions factories, wore special badges to identify their role. Those who were seen as not “doing their bit” were often confronted by women who presented them with a white feather to symbolise cowardice and shame them into joining the army.
It was inevitable that mistakes would be made and soldiers home on leave and not in uniform were sometimes presented with white feathers. Even soldiers who had been honourably discharged from military service, due to wounds received in battle but with no visible sign of disability, could fall victim to over-zealous ladies of the “white feather brigade.” To avoid causing distress to discharged veterans and prevent well-intentioned ladies accosting them, the British Government created a special badge to be worn to identify them as discharged veterans and prevent embarrassment on both sides. Known as the “Silver War Badge” (SWB), it was officially instituted by King George V on September 12, 1916, under Army Order 316.
Both men and women who had served at home or overseas between the dates of August 4, 1914 and December 31, 1919, and
