War and peace

The spectre of war looms large in the museum’s badge collection, which includes a fascinating collection of badges from the First World War period. The contentious nature of the Vietnam War is evident, with more contemporary conflicts in the wake of the 9/11 attacks in the United States also represented. Many badges in the collection celebrate peace and non-violent protest. Human rights are advocated and championed with badges produced by humanitarian organisations such as Amnesty International and by community groups including Food Not Bombs.