Peace camps, from Greenham Common to Molesworth and Faslane, became enduring symbols of grassroots resistance to nuclear weapons, remembered today through the badges and postcards that carried their message far and wide.
Peace camps emerged from the growing anti-nuclear movement of the late 1970s and 1980s, as NATO prepared to site US cruise missiles in Britain. The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) was already well known, but peace camps brought protest into everyday life — communities living permanently at the gates of bases.
Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp, founded in 1981 after the march from Cardiff, became the most iconic. Soon Molesworth in Cambridgeshire (1984) followed, joined by Faslane, Upper Heyford, Menwith Hill and Aldermaston. Each camp became a living protest site — part community, part statement — inspiring solidarity across the world. Badges and postcards helped to link these far-flung encampments, serving as pocket-sized declarations of resistance.
Life on site was improvised but deeply connected. Protesters lived in caravans and tents, often in freezing weather, facing police raids and evictions. Yet the hardship also built resilience and creativity. The camps buzzed with art, song, and communication — including homemade badges and hand-printed postcards sent to friends, allies, and MPs.
At Greenham, postcards often featured photographs of the women’s human chains, peace symbols on the fences, or quotes about nonviolence. They were both a morale boost and a subtle act of outreach, carrying the message of the camps through the postal system. Badges meanwhile were worn by supporters everywhere, from students to trade unionists — tangible proof of connection with those living behind the wire.
Groups such as CND, the Peace Pledge Union, Quakers, and local peace groups offered vital support in funding, printing, and logistics. Some provided badge-making kits or helped distribute postcards through stalls and newsletters.
Environmental allies like Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth also recognised the shared struggle. Their joint networks helped peace camp imagery — from badges to illustrated postcards — circulate widely at demonstrations and festivals. This partnership ensured that even those who never visited a camp could still participate symbolically through these small but powerful tokens.
Badges and postcards were essential tools for visibility and solidarity. Both could be produced quickly and cheaply, often in local print shops or even on-site. Many Greenham badges featured linked hands, barbed wire, or slogans like “Take the Toys from the Boys.” Postcards often echoed these same motifs — a missile encircled by peace signs, or photographs of the colourful fence weavings.
At Molesworth and Faslane, designs varied: “No Cruise,” “Peace Camp Lives,” or photo postcards of the encampments themselves. These items funded tents, food, and legal defence. Today, they survive as intimate records of creative resistance — the handmade graphics and photocopied cards capturing the human warmth behind the protests.
Peace camp badges and postcards helped to define a generation of protest art. They were not just keepsakes, but tools of communication, defiance, and solidarity. For the women of Greenham and the broader peace community, they transformed personal conviction into public visibility.
Today, these small artefacts stand as reminders of lived protest — fragments of tents, wire, and song turned into symbols of conscience. They show that art, even at its humblest scale, can hold the memory of resistance and the hope of peace.
☮️ Organisation: RSPB
🕰️ Age: 1980s mainly
💎 Rarity: [/]
🪙️ Material: Tin
📏 Size: Various
🎨 Variations: Various
💰 Price Guide: Various
📌 Top Tip: Many peace camp badges were DIY-and made in small numbers It will take time to track some of them down, but it's well worth the effort.
For collectors, peace camp badges and postcards form one of the richest branches of modern peace memorabilia. Early Greenham pieces (1981–83) are the most desirable, with simple two-colour printing and local provenance. Postcards from the same years, especially those mailed from the camps with original postmarks or handwritten messages, are equally prized. Every peace collection should have the GCWPC badge that comes in two colours, white & pink both with a guide price of £20-£40.
Later 1980s examples — particularly those from Molesworth and Faslane — remain accessible, while still evoking a pivotal era of anti-nuclear activism. Hand-drawn or stitched badges and limited-run postcards with feminist art or poetry are the rarest finds, often one-of-a-kind.
1980s original standard Greenham or Molesworth badges can sell for £20–£20. Hand-made badges can reach up to £50. Mailed postcards usually sell for £6–£10.
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