Observer Corps Lapel Badge

The Observer Corps, later Royal Observer Corps, was a civil defence organisation formed to detect, identify, track and report aircraft in the skies over the UK.

Volunteer members had to pay for their own lapel badges, which could only be worn after they had gained certificates of efficiency. In 1940, Observer Corps personnel were ordered to wear badges at all times while on duty, to provide them with legal protection as legitimate combatants in the event of a German invasion. During the Battle of Britain, information gathered by the Observer Corps was a vital part of the Dowding System, enabling fighter aircraft to be mobilised swiftly against enemy attacks.