White feather 523061 223892608 2008-07-06T11:01:54Z Lightbot 7178666 Units/dates/other [[Image:A single white feather closeup.jpg|thumb|White feather|200px|A white feather is sometimes given as a mark of cowardice.]] The single '''White feather''' as a symbol of cowardice comes from [[cockfight]]ing and the belief that a [[rooster|cockerel]] sporting a white feather in its tail is likely to be a poor fighter. Pure-breed [[gamecocks]] don't show white feathers, so its presence indicates that the [[cockerel]] is an inferior cross-breed. The symbol is particularly recognised within the [[British army]] and in countries associated with the [[British Empire]] since the 18th century. Contrariwise, in the United States it has come to symbolize extraordinary bravery and excellence in combat marksmanship, with its most notable wearer having been [[USMC]] [[Gunnery Sergeant]] [[Carlos Hathcock]], who was awarded the [[Silver Star]] medal for bravery during the [[Vietnam War]]. Its wear on combat headgear flaunts an insultingly easy target for enemy snipers.<ref> Charles Henderson. ''Marine Sniper'', New York: Berkley Books, 1986. (ISBN 0-425-18165-0)</ref> ==The Four Feathers== The book ''[[The Four Feathers]]'' was written by A. E. W. Mason and first published in 1902. It tells the story of the fictional character Harry Faversham, an officer in the [[British Army]] who decides to resign his commission on the eve that his regiment is dispatched to fight in [[Sudan]] (the 1882 First War of Sudan leading to the ''[[Khartoum|fall of Khartoum]]''). Harry's three fellow officers and his fiancée conclude that he is resigning in order to avoid fighting in the conflict and each send him a '''white feather'''. Stung by the criticism, Harry decides to sail to Sudan, disguises himself as an Arab and looks for the opportunity to redeem his honour. He manages this fighting a covert war on behalf of the British, saving the life of one of his colleagues in the process. On returning to England he gives back each of the feathers. The romantic idealism of the novel has been popular for over a century and it has been the basis of at least six feature films between 1915 and 2002, the most recent being [[The Four Feathers (2002 film)|The Four Feathers]] starring [[Heath Ledger]]. ==Order of the White Feather== In August 1914, a few months after the start of the [[World War I|First World War]], Admiral Charles Fitzgerald founded the ''Order of the White Feather'' with support from the prominent author [[Mary Ward]]. The organisation aimed to coerce men to enlist in the [[British Army]] by persuading women to present them with a '''white feather''' if they were not wearing a uniform. Many people{{Fact|date=April 2007}} however see this act as hypocritical as women had no idea what life was like on the battlefields and were never asked to go and give up their lives for their country. The campaign was very effective, and spread throughout several other nations in the [[Commonwealth of Nations|British Commonwealth]]. So much so that it started to cause problems for the government when public servants came under pressure to enlist. This prompted the Home Secretary, [[Reginald McKenna]], to issue employees in state industries with lapel badges reading 'King and Country' to indicate that they too were serving the war effort. The '''white feather''' movement was the inspiration for the [[Weddings Parties Anything]] song ''Scorn of the Women'', which concerns a man who is deemed medically unfit for service when he attempts to enlist, and is unjustly accused of cowardice. ==Pacifism== In contrast, the '''white feather''' has been partially embraced by [[pacifism|pacifist]] organisations as a sign of harmlessness. During the [[World War I|First World War]] the pacifist [[Fenner Brockway]] received so many white feathers he was known to comment that he now had enough feathers to make a fan. Some time after the war, pacifists found an alternative interpretation of the '''white feather''' as a symbol of peace. The story being that in 1775 [[Quaker]]s in a [[Friends meeting house]] in [[Easton, New York]] were faced by a tribe of [[Native Americans in the United States|Indians]] on the war path. Rather than flee, the Quakers fell silent and waited. The Indian chief came into the meeting house and finding no weapons he declared the Quakers as friends. On leaving he took a white feather from his quiver and attached it to the door as a sign to leave the building unharmed. The story may not be true, but in 1937 the [[Peace Pledge Union]] sold 500 '''white feather''' badges as symbols of peace. In 1985, [[progressive rock]] band [[Marillion]] released a concept album entitled ''[[Misplaced Childhood]]'', whose final track, ''White Feather'', was an explicit reference to [[pacifism|pacifist]] idealism. In 1983, instead, [[new wave]] band [[Kajagoogoo]] released their [[debut album]] called ''[[White Feathers]]'', whose opener was the [[title track]], a light-hearted allegory for weak people, whereas the final track, ''Frayo'', had in fact a political flavour, which seemed to lever on cowardice as the cause for an unchanging war-torn world. Though, from many a story, the white feather is interpreted as a white dove and therefore a symbol of peace and clamity, surprisingly the white feather doesn't appear to be associated with the [[dove|dove of peace]]. ==Notable recipients of a white feather== [[Roland Gwynne]], Mayor of [[Eastbourne]] 1929-1931 and lover of serial killer [[John Bodkin Adams]], received a feather from a relative during [[World War I]] causing him to belatedly enlist. He received the [[Distinguished Service Order|DSO]] for bravery.<ref>Pamela Cullen, "A Stranger in Blood: The case files on Doctor John Bodkin Adams", 2006. P626</ref> ==References== <references/> ==External links== *[http://www.globusz.com/ebooks/4Feathers/00000001.htm The Four Feathers] text online *[http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWfeather.htm Order of the White Feather] *[http://www.ppu.org.uk/poppy/new/tx_feather.html Peace Pledge Union] ==Notes== {{reflist}} [[Category:Symbols]] [[de:Order of the White Feather]]