1924 Fellowship of the British Empire Exhibition Associate Member Badge Pin FBEE

Description

Antique 1924 Fellowship of the British Empire Exhibition Associate Member Badge Pin F.B.E.E.
DESCRIPTION
This nice old badge is silver tone metal with enamel and measures approximately 1" tall. It is stamped Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Co. Ltd. 112 Regent St. and is in good antique condition with minor signs of age/wear. (Please view all pictures carefully as they are part of the description. Penny is for size reference only.)
The British Empire Exhibition was one of the largest cultural and trade exhibitions staged in England. The exhibition opened at Wembley on the 23rd April 1924 until the Closing Ceremony on the 1st November 1924 and attracted some 27 million paying visitors. Fifty-six countries of the Empire participated in an exhibition that cost around £12 million (a massive amount of money for 1924) and extended over an area of 216 acres (87 hectares). The exhibit structures built there were originally intended to be temporary and although most were demolished afterwards some remained to become well know landmarks. For example, the
Empire Pool
became the Wembley Arena and the
Palace of Industry, Engineering & Arts
was a reinforced concrete structure that remained in use as a storage depot until demolished in the 1970’s. The most famous of all was Wembley Stadium with its two famous landmark towers and that survived in use until 2002 when it was demolished to make way for the new Wembley Stadium.
The Fellowship of the British Empire Exhibition (FBEE) was set up in 1923 as an ancillary organisation under the auspices of the exhibition organisers. It’s not clear to me exactly what their function was, but they were active in promoting the exhibition by organising special events and competitions. For example, on the 23rd June 1924 the FBEE organised a special visit for 100 wounded war veterans to the exhibition on the 23rd June in celebration of the Prince of Wales’ birthday (future King Edward VIII). The Prince of Wales was also President of the Exhibition committee. The FBEE also organised an essay competition with a prize of 20 guineas (£21) titled “
Newfoundland, her place, present and prospective in the British Commonwealth of Nations
”. Incidentally, the prize was won by Wilfred Templeman (1908-1990) with Sir William Lloyd (1864-1937) acting as the final arbitrator (see references below).
This base-metal badge was issued for the FBEE’s Associate membership whereas the full membership badge was made of hallmarked silver, both being of the same size and design. Full membership to the FBEE cost 2 guineas for which they received a certificate, the silver badge and two tickets to the exhibition (see references below). Associate membership cost 5 shillings and they also received a certificate, badge along with two tickets.
The badge design depicts the ‘Herrick’ Lion which was the official emblem of the 1924 exhibition and appeared on much of the souvenir merchandise produced for the event. This emblem was designed by Frederick Charles Herrick (also known as F C Herrick, 1887-1970) who was a prolific poster designer and illustrator. The beehive and bees symbolise industry.
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