CND: Real Ale Drinkers Against The Bomb badge

The history of the Real Ale Drinkers Against the Bomb badge, designed by Alasdair Beal, linking pub culture and humour to nuclear disarmament activism in the 1980s.

Combining pub culture with political conscience

The Real Ale Drinkers Against the Bomb badge was one of the most beloved and humorous emblems of the 1980s peace movement. Combining pub culture with political conscience, it captured a distinctly British mix of seriousness and self-parody. It invited people who might never join a protest march to raise a glass instead — for peace.

Like Cat Lovers Against the Bomb, the design originated with Alasdair Beal, whose knack for turning everyday communities into “Against the Bomb” groups gave the anti-nuclear campaign a friendly and accessible face.

The badge that made protest sociable 🍺

Created in the early 1980s, the Real Ale Drinkers Against the Bomb badge was inspired by the grassroots enthusiasm of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) and the revival of traditional British beer culture. Beal cleverly combined that identity with the growing movement for nuclear disarmament, creating a badge that appealed to pub-goers, peace activists, and anyone with a sense of humour.

The design was typically round, printed in black and white, and featured clear lettering around a simple image — often a foaming pint glass or a peace symbol incorporated into pub iconography. Its tone was lighthearted but never flippant: it expressed solidarity through everyday fellowship, where good company and good conscience went hand in hand.

Alasdair Beal’s humour and design 🧠

Beal’s ability to mix humour with clarity made his badges instantly recognisable. As an architect, he understood proportion and balance; as an activist, he understood message and meaning. The Real Ale Drinkers design was part of a wider series that included Cat Lovers, Ageing Hippies, Special Branch, and several other “Against the Bomb” variations.

Each played on familiar social groups, showing that anyone — whether a cat lover or an ale enthusiast — could take a stand for peace. Beal’s series was a subtle antidote to the idea that activism belonged only to the committed few. His humour brought people in, and his crisp visual style kept the message clean and memorable.

Pubs, peace, and people 🍻

In the early 1980s, pubs were central meeting places for local peace groups. They hosted fundraisers, badge sales, and casual organising sessions. The Real Ale Drinkers Against the Bomb badge turned that social reality into a symbol — one that made the campaign feel like a community rather than a cause.

By linking the conviviality of pub culture to the moral urgency of nuclear disarmament, the badge bridged a cultural gap. It offered an entry point for people who might not feel at home in political meetings but who could easily agree that “enough is enough” — and that life, like a good pint, was something to be savoured, not blown apart.

A toast to a lasting influence 🕊️

The Real Ale Drinkers Against the Bomb badge helped shape what is now remembered as the classic CND badge aesthetic of the 1980s — black and white, circular, humorous yet sincere. Its tone of ordinary friendliness influenced many later peace badges and T-shirts that blended identity, humour, and activism.

Forty-odd years on, the badge still raises a smile and a cheer. It reminds us that the struggle for peace is not only fought in protests and policy, but in how we live, gather, and share fellowship. In its own modest way, it proved that laughter and conscience could coexist — that even a pub slogan could carry the weight of hope.

Here’s to the Real Ale Drinkers Against The Bomb badge — one pint closer to peace.

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