Just tidying up some blasts from the past (including some very ancient ones), largely for the benefit of anyone searching the site for information.
Interesting item. Here’s a better picture of one:
Several sources attribute it to WWI era as a patriotic pin but it’s not definitively proven to be WWI as opposed to WWII., although the reference to "World War" would make more sense for WWI as
@TheCannonballGuy says. At first I also thought that was the French tricolore flag, but
incorrectly shown (the blue band should be closest to the hoist)… and then it dawned on me. It’s correctly oriented for a ‘Tango’ signal flag (for the letter T) but when flown alone it has the international meaning of “Keep Clear” or “Leave Me Alone [because I’m busy]”. Typically, fishing vessels might for example fly it to discourage any approach by other vessels if they had their nets out and were engaged in trawling.
I would guess it was worn by people in general, or employees of a particular company, who were engaged in important war work.
This may or may not be related, but if it were WWII, the Providence emergency shipyard (the Walsh-Kaiser yard) was created at Field’s Point near Providence, RI in 1942 to construct “Liberty ships” in support of the war effort. The yard produced 64 ships and employed over 20,000 people at its peak. Employment at the yard meant exemption from military service, as long as work was available and job performance was satisfactory. There was a military recruitment office on site and male employees laid off or fired for any reason would immediately receive a draft notice.
We had similar badges in Britain, issued by both the government and by individual companies during both World Wars to employees producing munitions, armoured vehicles, warships and utility items essential to the war effort. They were referred to as "War Worker" badges without qualification of which war. As well as being patriotic, they were intended to avert pestering from recruiters and undeserved criticism from the general public that apparently able-bodied young men weren’t serving in the armed forces and might be conscientious objectors or draft-dodgers.
I’ve never heard of ‘WLR'S EMB MFG’ of Providence, RI.
Addendum:
Apparently, industries in Rhode Island also made a significant contribution to the war effort during WWI, much of which went unpublished due to restrictions on what could be written. There was nevertheless a dramatic shift by textile and precision manufacturing companies to production for the US government which extended even to companies such as the Gorham Corporation, who were reported to be manufacturing hand grenades.
Also, at Fields Point, the Government initiated construction of the biggest boiler shop in the country for the use of the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation; and the Lord Construction Company erected many temporary buildings for two plants used in completing and outfitting ships built elsewhere on the orders of the Emergency Fleet Corporation of the US Shipping Board.
