Badges of Honour

This badge collection gives us an insight into the lives of women who wore these badges, why they were worn, when they were sometimes too frightened to wear them, and when they were worn with pride.

GWL has widely interpreted the term badges to include items such as brooches and pocket watches as they, like traditional badges, have also been worn with pride to broadcast a particular message.

Their ability to display an individual’s interests and membership in particular groups adds to badge’s unique significance.

GWL has several badges from throughout Europe and further afield e.g. the above badge worn during Barack Obama's US presidential campaign.

Within protests, badges offer a collective voice by using slogans and images to show a common identity, purpose and aim.

The badges in our collection cover a variety of areas from LGBT rights...

to abortion rights...

to violence against women.

The collection includes a large variety of LGBTQ badges.

This badge was worn as part of the campaign against the controversial Clause 28 which outlawed 'promoting' homosexuality.

The law came in to force in 1988 and was not repealed in Scotland until 2000 and the rest of the UK in 2003.

This badge was worn in response to the killing of members of the public by security forces in Northern Ireland since 1972.


The badge names several of the individuals killed as part of the campaign to stop the use of plastic bullets.

Badges like the one above were worn during the miners strikes of 1984-85 to show the support of women to the cause and highlight the impact that the strike had on their lives.