The white feather has completely different symbolic meanings in the US Army if compared to the British Military and armies associated with the former British Empire. In the American armed service, a white feather is a symbol of excellence in combat marksmenship. However, in Britain, the meaning could hardly be more different.
Since the late 18th century, the white feather was the mark of cowardice. It's beginnings come from the world of cockfighting as birds with any white tail feathers were thought of as inferior fighters. The better gamecocks were selectively bred without white tail feathers.
It grew to become commonplace for ladies in particular to hand white feathers to gentlemen of fighting age they spotted in the street. Plenty of men were so humiliated by being passed a white feather in public, they'd find a local recruiting office and sign up to the military. A large number of were destined merely to stop an enemy bullet.
The act of presenting white feathers was so widespread that a number of the men who were handed them shouldn't have received them. Quite a few men who had been home on leave and strolling the streets in civilian clothes would be given feathers. Other undeserving recipients included men who had been discharged due to injury, were back home recovering from injuries or people who were clinically not fit to enlist.
The majority of the women who handed out white feathers were a part of a movement known as "Order of the White Feather" that had been set up in 1914 to encourage females to give feathers to young men who hadn't joined up with the military. All the same, there were people who thought that the ladies were at times somewhat to keen to give out feathers to men who should not have been given them.
Yet, one pacifist that refused to fight, had been satisfied with the fact he was given so many feathers. Fenner Brockway was reported to have stated that as a result of refusing to fight in World War I, he had received ample white feathers to make a fan.
Since the late 18th century, the white feather was the mark of cowardice. It's beginnings come from the world of cockfighting as birds with any white tail feathers were thought of as inferior fighters. The better gamecocks were selectively bred without white tail feathers.
It grew to become commonplace for ladies in particular to hand white feathers to gentlemen of fighting age they spotted in the street. Plenty of men were so humiliated by being passed a white feather in public, they'd find a local recruiting office and sign up to the military. A large number of were destined merely to stop an enemy bullet.
The act of presenting white feathers was so widespread that a number of the men who were handed them shouldn't have received them. Quite a few men who had been home on leave and strolling the streets in civilian clothes would be given feathers. Other undeserving recipients included men who had been discharged due to injury, were back home recovering from injuries or people who were clinically not fit to enlist.
The majority of the women who handed out white feathers were a part of a movement known as "Order of the White Feather" that had been set up in 1914 to encourage females to give feathers to young men who hadn't joined up with the military. All the same, there were people who thought that the ladies were at times somewhat to keen to give out feathers to men who should not have been given them.
Yet, one pacifist that refused to fight, had been satisfied with the fact he was given so many feathers. Fenner Brockway was reported to have stated that as a result of refusing to fight in World War I, he had received ample white feathers to make a fan.
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Throughout 1914-1918, World War I raged and many young men couldn't wait to join the army. However, some refused to fight and they were not held in high regard by the community.. This article, The First World War - White Feathers of The Great War has free reprint rights.