| | by admin | | posted on 7th January 2023 in Quakers in 100 Objects | | views 6115 | |
The Quaker Star badge represents the Quaker Star being the recognisable logo that identifies the Society of Friends.
The eight-pointed red and black star was first worn by British Quaker relief workers during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 - 1871.
As part of the Friends War Victims Relief Service (FWVRS), Quakers worked among the civilian population of towns and villages devastated by the war.
Quakers at the time wanted an identification to differentiate both themselves and their supplies from other groups carrying out similar efforts.
Until the star was adopted, Quaker workers had used the British Union Jack as well as the Red Cross flag as symbols. This combination caused confusion among Prussian soldiers and made it easy for French civilians to mistake the Quakers for Red Cross workers. Neither relief group desired this confusion of identity.
At the time, a red and black star was in use by the London Daily News Fund on shipments to aid the poor in war-torn France. A decision by Quakers to use the star as their symbol was made with the newspaper's approval. This enabled Quaker relief supplies to receive the same reduction in duty fees and ease of passage through customs authorities as shipments made by the Daily News.
The FWVRS was revived at the outset of World War I in 1914, and the star was again adopted as its emblem. American Quakers also adopted the star symbol in 1917.
The star has been used in a variety of forms ever since, representing Quaker work for peace and the relief of suffering caused by war. When British and American Friends were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1947, the emblem of the dove of peace was added.
In recognition of both Quaker Peace & Social Witness and the American Friends Service Committee, which both use the star as their symbol.
