Our Historical Photography Project asks what is the Silver War badge?
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1 February 2017 13:00
The Silver War Badge was issued to service personnel from Great Britain and what was then its Empire who had been honorably discharged from the First World War due to sickness or wounding.
The sterling silver badge was intended to be worn only on civilian clothes (‘civvies') and never on a uniform and was initially awarded as a sign of gratitude from the monarch and taken from his supply of ‘King’s Silver‘. It bore the inscription “For King and Empire, Services Rendered”.
There was a secondary need for this visible recognition in the early days of the war. Britain and the Empire suffered nearly 3 million casualties during the campaign with approximately 2 million wounded. Many of these were blinded or suffered injuries which were not as noticeable as those who had suffered disfiguration or lost limbs.

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