White feather A white feather has been a traditional symbol of cowardice , used and recognised especially within the British Army and in countries associated with the British Empire since the 18th century . It also carries opposite meanings , however : in some cases of pacifism , and in the United States , of extraordinary bravery and excellence in combat marksmanship . A symbol of cowardice . The white feather as a symbol of cowardice supposedly comes from cockfighting and the belief that a cockerel sporting a white feather in its tail is likely to be a poor fighter . Pure - breed gamecocks do not show white feathers , so its presence indicates that the cockerel is an inferior cross - breed . World War I . In August 1914 , at the start of the First World War , Admiral Charles Fitzgerald founded the Order of the White Feather with support from the prominent author Mrs Humphrey Ward . The organization aimed to shame men into enlisting in the British Army by persuading women to present them with a white feather if they were not wearing a uniform . This was joined by prominent feminists and suffragette s of the time , such as Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughter Christabel . They , in addition to handing out the feathers , also lobbied to institute an involuntary draft of men , including those who lacked votes due to being too young or not owning property . The campaign was very effective , and spread throughout several other nations in the Empire , 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 . Likewise , the Silver War Badge , given to service personnel who had been honourably discharged due to wounds or sickness , was first issued in September 1916 to prevent veterans from being challenged for not wearing uniform . The poetry from the period indicates that the campaign was not popular amongst soldiers ( e . g . Wilfred Owen ' s " Dulce et Decorum Est " ) - not least because soldiers who were home on leave could find themselves presented with the feathers . One such was Private Ernest Atkins who was on leave from the Western Front . He was riding a tram when he was presented with a white feather by a girl sitting behind him . He smacked her across the face with his pay book saying : " Certainly I ' ll take your feather back to the boys at Passchendaele . I ' m in civvies because people think my uniform might be lousy , but if I had it on I wouldn ' t be half as lousy as you . " The supporters of the campaign were not easily put off . A woman who confronted a young man in a London park demanded to know why he was not in the army . " Because I am a German " , he replied . He received a white feather anyway . Perhaps the most ironic use of a white feather was when one was presented to Seaman George Samson who was on his way in civilian clothes to a public reception in his honour . Samson had been awarded the Victoria Cross for gallantry in the Gallipolli campaign . Roland Gwynne , later mayor of Eastbourne ( 1929 – 1931 ) and lover of suspected serial killer John Bodkin Adams , received a feather from a relative . This prompted him to enlist , and he subsequently received the Distinguished Service Order for bravery . The writer Compton Mackenzie , then a serving soldier , complained about the activities of the Order of the White Feather . He argued that these " idiotic young women were using white feathers to get rid of boyfriends of whom they were tired " . The pacifist Fenner Brockway claimed that he received so many white feathers he had enough to make a fan . The white feather campaign was briefly renewed during World War II . In fiction . " The Four Feathers " . The adventure novel " The Four Feathers " ( 1902 ) by A . E . W . Mason tells the story of Harry Faversham , an officer in the British Army , who decides to resign his commission the day before his regiment is dispatched to fight in Sudan ( the 1882 First War of Sudan , leading to the 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 sails to Sudan , disguises himself as an Arab , and looks for the opportunity to redeem his honour . He manages this by 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 asks each of his accusers to take back one 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 seven feature films , the most recent being " The Four Feathers " ( 2002 ) , starring Heath Ledger . " The White Feather " . Five years later P . G . Wodehouse published " The White Feather " , a school story about apparent cowardice and the efforts a boy went to in order to redeem himself by physical combat . " To Serve Them All My Days " . In this 1980 BBC production , David Powlett - Jones , a shell - shocked Tommy , takes a position in a boys ' school . Suspecting that fellow teacher Carter may be avoiding war duty , he muses , " I ' d give a good deal to know whether he ' s really got a gammy knee " , to which an acerbic colleague responds , " I suppose we couldn ' t get some chubby cherub to give him the white feather " as a means of accusing the suspected malingerer . " Downton Abbey " . In the first episode of the second series of Downton Abbey some women , presumably members of the Order of the White Feather , interrupt a benefit concert to hand out white feathers to the men who have not enlisted . In music . The Order of the White Feather 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 . In 1983 , 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 a political flavour , referencing cowardice as the cause for an unchanging war - torn world . In 1985 , the progressive rock band Marillion released a concept album entitled " Misplaced Childhood " , whose final track , " White Feather " , was an explicit reference to pacifist idealism . It is also mentioned in songs by English post - punk / garage band the Horrors . These songs are " Three Decades " and " I Only Think of You " . 2010 the Australian Rock band Wolfmother released their new album " Cosmic Egg " , whose third track is " White Feather " . A symbol of pacifism and peace . In contrast , the white feather has been used by some pacifist organisations as a sign of harmlessness . In the 1870s , the Māori prophet of passive resistance Te Whiti o Rongomai promoted the wearing of white feathers by his followers at Parihaka . They are still worn by the iwi associated with that area , and by Te Ati Awa in Wellington . They are known as " te raukura " , which literally means the red feather , but metaphorically , the chiefly feather . They are usually three in number , interpreted as standing for " glory to God , peace on earth , goodwill toward people " ( Luke 2 : 14 ) . Albatross feathers are preferred but any white feathers will do . They are usually worn in the hair or on the lapel ( but not from the ear ) . Some time after the war , pacifists found an alternative interpretation of the white feather as a symbol of peace . The apocryphal story goes that in 1775 , Quakers in a Friends meeting house in Easton , New York were faced by a tribe of 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 . In 1937 the Peace Pledge Union sold 500 white feather badges as symbols of peace . Other symbolism . In the United States , the white feather has also become a symbol of courage , persistence and superior combat marksmanship . Its most notable wearer was US Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock , who was awarded the Silver Star medal for bravery during the Vietnam War . Hathcock picked up a white feather on a mission and wore it in his hat to taunt the enemy . He was so feared by enemy troops that they put a price on his head . Its wear on combat headgear flaunts an insultingly easy target for enemy snipers .