Sir David Beatty souvenir button
c. 1916Circular souvenir fundraising badge or button sold during World War One. It is made from printed paper between a tin base and celluloid cover.
It features a greyscale portrait of Admiral Sir David Beatty facing slightly to the right. He is wearing his formal dark Royal Navy dress uniform and his signature peaked cap perched at an angle over his right eye
The name 'SIR DAVID BEATTY' is printed in red upper case block lettering along the upper edge of the button. The background is cream in colour.
The reverse has a metal pin which encircles the edge of the badge before ending in a point which can be pushed through clothing for attachment. There are no maker's marks.
Admiral of the Fleet David Richard Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty, was a high-profile British Royal Navy officer. He famously commanded the 1st Battlecruiser Squadron at the Battle of Jutland in 1916 and later served as the First Sea Lord.
He was celebrated as a dashing, aggressive naval hero. Featuring a household name and charismatic figurehead on the button incentivised people to buy and wear it proudly.
Buttons like this were widely produced during World War One—frequently across Britain, Australia, and New Zealand—to raise money for wartime charities, naval comfort funds, and veteran support organisations.
Details
Details
"SIR DAVID BEATTY"
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