By Jenna Leifso, Archivist
G.C. Heath and friend, about 1940-1945. Photo by J. Gordon Henderson. A992.0003.692. Rights: Public Domain
Your training is done and you’re about to go back to the war in Europe or the Pacific but you have to leave behind your new wife or girlfriend in Canada. What do you give her to remember you by? A popular option for those in the Royal Canadian Air Force or the Royal Air Force during WWII was the Sweetheart Pin. Similar in appearance to official badges, but with a slightly more feminine look, Sweetheart Pins came in a variety if shapes, sizes, and colours. Some were even made with semi-precious stones!
Sweetheart Pins were privately purchased by men to give their girlfriends or wives and often indicated their service branch. The woman in the picture is wearing an RAF Sweetheart Pin on her blouse. She most likely received it from her friend in the photograph.
New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and Britain all had their own versions of Sweetheart Pins.