CND badges & postcards: History & timeline
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) badge stands as a powerful symbol of peace, protest, and political solidarity, leaving a deep mark on culture, music, and social movements.
Background ☮️
Founded in 1958 amid Cold War tensions, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) sought to rally Britain around a vision of unilateral nuclear disarmament. As the first Aldermaston March approached, campaign organisers wanted a single, striking emblem that could unify protestors under a shared cause.
The result was more than a campaign logo — it became a moral compass for an anxious world. The CND badge quickly transcended its original purpose, evolving into a universal sign of peace, equality, and resistance, worn on lapels, guitars, and protest banners across continents.
The design of the CND badge 🎨
Artist Gerald Holtom created the CND symbol from semaphore flag signals for the letters “N” and “D,” enclosed within a circle symbolising the Earth. It was both technically ingenious and spiritually expressive — a visual shorthand for peace through conscience.
Holtom described it as a person in despair, arms lowered, yet many saw it instead as a figure of strength and resolve. Its plain black-on-white form made it endlessly reproducible — from silk-screened badges to hand-painted fabric patches — a perfect fit for a movement built on people power and simplicity.
Popular slogans linked to CND badges 🪧
From “Ban the Bomb” and “Nuclear Disarm Now” to “No More Hiroshimas,” slogans have always walked beside the badge. The 1960s and 70s brought the now-iconic “Make Love, Not War,” aligning CND’s message with the spirit of the counterculture and the dream of global harmony.
Later movements found new words for the same calling: “Stop Trident” and “No to NATO Nukes” kept the badge current amid fresh challenges. Whether shouted in streets or printed on postcards, these phrases ensured the CND symbol stayed a living part of protest language.
Alliance with left-wing political groups 🕊️
CND’s moral clarity drew early allies from the political left, including figures such as Tony Benn and Michael Foot. For a time, the Labour Party even endorsed unilateral disarmament, marking the badge as a symbol of radical conscience within mainstream politics.
Trade unions, student bodies, and anti-imperialist movements also found common ground with CND. This solidarity broadened its reach but also sparked controversy — critics labelled it partisan, while supporters saw it as an authentic union of social and moral struggle.
Use in popular music and punk culture 🎸
The CND badge became an icon of 1960s folk and protest music, worn by performers like Joan Baez and Bob Dylan who carried the peace message to vast audiences. It soon symbolised not just policy but feeling — a melody of hope worn close to the heart.
By the late 1970s, punk reimagined the badge in raw black and white. Bands like Crass and The Clash tore it from its polite associations, stencilling it onto denim and record sleeves. The punk CND badge was loud, defiant, and alive — peace as rebellion, not retreat.
The cultural impact of the CND badge 🌍
Through decades of marches, art, and media, the badge became a shorthand for hope. It appeared on posters, school notebooks, and even haute couture. While some lamented its commodification, many saw this as proof of its lasting moral resonance — a symbol too strong to be silenced by fashion.
Today it continues to unite movements — for climate justice, refugee rights, and anti-war protest — with the same message: peace is everyone’s responsibility. Its simplicity endures precisely because its meaning is inexhaustible.
Collectability and legacy of the CND badge 🎖️
Collectors now seek original 1950s and 1960s badges, particularly those tied to early Aldermaston Marches or Greenham Common. Handmade enamel versions and local meeting editions are prized for their individuality and provenance.
Badges connected to women’s peace activism or specific protest sites command special interest. Their stories — where they were worn, who made them, what songs were sung beside them — make them living artefacts of moral courage.
Price guide: Common 1980s badges £5–£15; early enamel or Greenham-era pieces £40–£150+; rare first-generation Aldermaston badges can exceed £300.
Current campaigns involving the CND badge ✊
Today’s CND remains active against Trident renewal and global nuclear proliferation, and for a just peace that includes climate and humanitarian priorities. The same black-and-white symbol appears again on placards and social media, linking past witness to present activism.
At modern demonstrations, from COP climate marches to anti-war vigils, the badge’s quiet defiance endures. It remains both memory and invitation — to imagine a world disarmed in spirit as well as in arms.
CND badges & postcards: History & timeline
1950s – origins and the first march ☮️
In 1958 Gerald Holtom created the peace symbol for the first Aldermaston March; early badges were handmade, black-and-white and carried simple slogans like “Ban the Bomb.”
Early postcards showed marchers, bold type and stark photography — objects meant to inform, fundraise and mobilise a new movement.
1960s – mass movement and cultural adoption 🎨
The badge moved into mass-produced button form and enamel versions; imagery broadened to include doves, broken missiles and pop-art influenced layouts.
Postcards and posters from this decade mixed protest with emerging youth culture, helping the symbol travel beyond Britain.
1970s – revival and reinvention 🪧
CND activity revived with new local groups and diverse badge production: enamel lapels, DIY screen-prints and meeting-specific designs.
Artists introduced humour and local character, making postcards and badges into collectible keepsakes as well as campaign tools.
1980s – Greenham Common and punk-era protest ✊
The Greenham Common women’s peace camp, Molesworth and Youth CND produced a flood of inventive badges and postcards — slogans like “Women for Peace” and “Stop Trident” were common.
Punk aesthetics reworked the badge into raw, stencilled graphics sold at gigs and benefit events; independent publishers such as Leeds Postcards helped spread this visual culture.
1990s – reflection and reinvention 🔁
With the Cold War’s end urgency eased but the campaign refocused on Trident and disarmament education.
Commemorative runs and nostalgic reprints appeared, and designers experimented with colourways and anniversary editions.
2000s – digital design and anti-war resurgence 💻
The Iraq War era reawakened mass protest; badges and postcards adapted to digital printing and online sales.
Contemporary designs mixed classic symbolism with computer graphics, while collectors began cataloguing rarity and provenance on the web.
2010s to today – heritage and continuity 🌍
CND continues to produce badges for campaigns against Trident renewal and nuclear escalation; the symbol appears in climate and anti-war marches alike.
Modern editions often use sustainable materials and commemorative runs, while early pieces remain sought after by collectors and archives.
Price and rarity guide 💎
Early 1958 Aldermaston badges (first-generation, authenticated): £100–£250+ depending on condition and provenance.
1960s enamel and tin badges: £20–£60. 1980s local-group or Greenham-era designs: £15–£40 (some rare or artist-signed items can exceed this).
Leeds Postcards and similar 1980s–1990s postcards: £5–£20.
Top tip: always check backs for maker marks, campaign stamps or annotations — provenance raises both historical interest and market value.