#94 • On War Service Civilian Workers Lapel Pin: The Armorduct Mfg. Co. Ltd - Trading with the Enemy

Part of TRENCH ART & WWI Memorabilia (live auction by Bannerman Auctions)

High bid $50.00

Status: Sold

Category: Britain

On War Service Civilian Workers Lapel Pin: The Armorduct Mfg. Co. Ltd - Trading with the Enemy These On War Service badges identified civilian workers with occupational skills in industries vital to the war effort.  Some have a company name, some do not.  They were worn to prevent conscription or public shaming for not being in uniform and serving on the front.  This is an early war example, 2.8 cm in diameter and inscribed ON WAR SERVICE 1915 on the blue enameled rim.  In the center is the company name THE ARMORDUCT MFG. Co. Ltd. (a cable manufacturer).  Reverse with buttonhole stud is marked J.R.GAUNT & SON LONDON. There are no chips in the enamel but there is a small dent or discoloration near the "W" of War and a spot of corrosion on the brass disc.  Not that rare or unusual on the surface, there were many On War Service during WWI and the pins are not hard to find. Though this piece isn't Trench Art, this ironic little pin does figure very interestingly into the whole story of the detainment of Enemy Aliens in Britain during WWI. Armorduct Manufacturing Co. Ltd. was investigated under the Trading with the Enemy Amendment Act of 1916 which targeted German owned businesses operating in the United Kingdom.  The concern was that businesses owned or controlled by Germans were funneling profits to the German war effort and increasing public pressure forced Parliament to act.  A discussion in July, 1916 questioned why the wholly German owned business hadn't been "wound up" - production halted, assets liquidated and distributed and the business struck from the corporate registry.  The records mention attempts by a naturalized Briton William Small, aka Wilhelm Schmahl, to purchase the company.  Schmahl's offer was turned down and the sale of the company to a British-born interest rather than dissolving it was discussed.  Armorduct had active contracts to produce vital war material.  The January 4, 1917 issue of the Board of Trade Journal listed Armorduct as one of five companies to be wound up and the appointed controller is listed as John Paterson.  The fate Schmahl is unknown, he could very likely have been classified as an Enemy Alien and sent to one of the detainee camps. Definitely worth some research in the Internee Camp records.  Where did the wearer of this pin end up?  Did he get he find another essential job or did he get sent to the front?  So much history in this little pin - political, economic, cultural, and personal. Estimate: $100 - $200