White feather (symbol)

Uncommon card · No. 180264

The white feather was a widely recognised propaganda symbol in the United Kingdom, Australia and other Commonwealth countries. It was most prominently used in the "White Feather Movement" in Britain during the First World War, in which women gave white feathers to non-enlisting men, symbolizing cowardice and shaming them into signing up for military service. Other than the White Feather Movement, it has, among other meanings, represented cowardice or conscientious pacifism; as in A. E. W. Mason's 1902 book The Four Feathers. In the 21st century, the meaning of a white feather as a symbol of cowardice is almost entirely limited to historical reference. In the United States armed forces, however, it has been used to signify extraordinary bravery and excellence in combat marksmanship.

Read on Wikipedia · Image Joao Estevao Andrade de Freitas, Public domain