The white feather has a long and complex history in human culture. In some contexts, it has represented peace, innocence, and purity. However, it has also been used as a symbol of cowardice. The phrase “showing the white feather” refers to cowardly behavior. This meaning comes from the old custom of attaching a white feather to the tail of a fighting cock to indicate its poor quality.
The white feather’s association with cowardice was reinforced during World War I. At the start of the war in 1914, many men chose not to enlist in the British army, which relied on volunteers. Some women took it upon themselves to present these men with white feathers as a reminder of their duty. The practice aimed to shame them into enlisting. However, not all men who received white feathers were cowards. Some had legitimate reasons for not fighting, such as poor health, supporting a family, or holding an essential civilian occupation. Remembrance of the white feather campaign lingers in British culture today.
Origins of the White Feather Symbol
References to the white feather date back centuries in literature and legend. Ancient Greek and Roman texts sometimes portray the white feather as representing safety, peace, and new beginnings. However, even in antiquity, the white feather had contrasting connotations.
| Date | Reference | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| 8th century BCE | Homer’s Iliad | Menelaus offers a white feather to seal a truce. |
| 1st century CE | Petronius’ Satyricon | A soldier presents a white feather to mark the end of military hostilities. |
The white plume on a helmet indicated an officer of high rank in classical antiquity. This hierarchy persisted for centuries among European armies. However, the meaning of the isolated white feather continued to fluctuate.
The White Feather as a Sign of Cowardice
The specific notion of the white feather representing cowardice or dishonesty gained prominence in the 1600s. This connotation came from cockfighting, a popular blood sport in England. Gamecocks had feathers of various colors inserted into their tails. A white feather supposedly indicated a timid rooster that would flee from fights.
| Year | Reference | Quote |
|---|---|---|
| 1605 | William Shakespeare’s Macbeth | “Afraid to be the same in thine own act and valor as thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have that which thou esteem’st the ornament of life and live a coward in thine own esteem, letting I dare not wait upon I would, like the poor cat I’ th’ adage?” |
| 1611 | King James Bible, Revelation 21:8 | “But the fearful, and unbelieving … shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone.” |
By the 1700s, the white feather was firmly established as representing cowardice and shame in Britain. Even some early dictionaries defined it as such. However, displaying white feathers to label cowards only emerged as an organized activity during World War I.
The White Feather Campaign in World War I
In August 1914, Britain entered World War I by declaring war on Germany. The British government expected that its regular army of about 710,000 professional soldiers would need to expand massively. However, Britain did not have conscription (mandatory enrollment). It relied on volunteer recruits to participate in the war effort.
Within weeks, over 750,000 men had volunteered for military service. However, the number of recruits dropped sharply by the end of 1914. As casualties mounted, the need for soldiers remained. Some politicians called for conscription. Meanwhile, many British women took matters into their own hands.
Beginning of the White Feather Campaign
The symbolic white feather was adopted by some women who sought to shame men not in uniform into enlisting. The campaign originated in Folkestone in August 1914 with Admiral Charles Penrose Fitzgerald. He reportedly instructed women to present white feathers to men not serving in the war, although the story may be exaggerated.
Either way, the movement quickly spread through England over the following months. Some prominent suffragettes and feminists led the efforts, including Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughter Christabel. They hoped to demonstrate that women could aid the war effort beyond nursing and manufacturing.
Rise of the Order of the White Feather
By late 1914, the campaign became more organized with the founding of the Order of the White Feather. This group of women coordinated efforts to identify and harass men not in uniform. Members of the Order handed white feathers to such men in public places like restaurants, pubs, and parks. This act served to essentially brand them cowards.
| Prominent members of the Order of the White Feather |
|---|
| Emmeline Pankhurst – Leading suffragette |
| Christabel Pankhurst – Daughter of Emmeline, also a suffragette |
| Mary Allen – Wife of politician Ernest Allen |
| Jessie Pope – Writer of war propaganda |
| Phyllis Campbell – Sister of novelist Gordon Bottomley |
The Order likely had several hundred members at its peak. Its leadership came from upper class and aristocratic circles. Local branches formed across Britain to carry out organized feather distributions.
Impact of the White Feather Campaign
It is difficult to gauge the precise impact of the white feather campaign. However, it contributed to the social atmosphere pressuring men to enlist. Those handed white feathers experienced shame and embarrassment.
Some men did enlist shortly after such encounters. For example, a naval recruit named Jack Cornwell enlisted at age 16 after receiving a white feather while in public with a girl. Tragically, he soon became the youngest recipient of the Victoria Cross for gallantry.
However, many men had legitimate reasons for not enlisting. Some were ineligible due to medical conditions, such as men discharged from the army for neurasthenia (shell shock). Others served in vital civilian roles like munitions manufacturing. A small badge reading “King and Country” was eventually distributed to signify such service, but the public sometimes assumed it indicated cowardice.
Use of White Feathers to Recognize Bravery
There were efforts to reclaim the white feather for representing courage rather than cowardice. In 1918, the Leeds branch of the Order of the White Feather switched to awarding white feathers to women whose husbands were serving overseas.
The group acknowledged that the feathers had caused needless shaming of honorable men. Other organizations distributed white feathers to soldiers to denote veterans of the front lines. However, these attempts could not erase the feathers’ damaging legacy.
Conscription and the End of the Volunteer Army
By 1916, voluntary enlistment was insufficient to replace mounting casualties. The British government introduced conscription through the Military Service Acts. All men aged 18 to 41 were ordered to serve in the armed forces unless exempted.
This expansion of the draft removed the need for groups like the Order of the White Feather. Conscientious objectors who refused military service for moral reasons faced imprisonment or social stigma instead.
Conscription ended the exclusively volunteer army. Over 2.5 million men entered service through conscription, providing necessary manpower through the end of the war. With enlistment now compulsory, the state rather than vigilante women took over enforcing duty.
| Key dates in British conscription during WWI |
|---|
| January 1916 – Military Service Act introduces conscription for single men |
| May 1916 – Conscription extended to married men |
| April 1918 – Upper age limit raised to 51 |
Legacy of the White Feather Beyond World War I
The white feather campaign darkened views of the white feather as a symbol. While it had multiple meanings throughout history, its ties to cowardice solidified in Britain. The phrase “show the white feather” became synonymous with weakness or fear.
Folklorists have found that white feathers continued to provoke reactions in the interwar period. Stories circulated of men knocking the feathers out of women’s hands. In one extreme case, a military veteran committed suicide after receiving a feather meant for a policeman.
During World War II, the white feather did not return as an organized shaming tactic. However, it retained connotations of mockery. Occasionally, civilians reportedly sent feathers anonymously to exempted individuals.
The cultural memory of the Order of the White Feather’s harassment lingered for decades after WWI. It remains a cautionary tale about the excessive pressures of wartime patriotism and gender roles. While the white feather has regained some of its more positive associations with purity, its history with British honour and duty endures.
Conclusion
The white feather originated as a multifaceted symbol in ancient cultures, representing attributes like peace and courage. However, in 17th century England it emerged as an indicator of the poor fighting quality of roosters. During World War I, pro-war women crafted the white feather into a visible token of cowardice and shame. Though the practice died down after the introduction of conscription, the feather’s stigma as an accusation of weakness persisted. The story of the white feather reveals the extreme lengths to which patriotic pressures can go during wartime.
