{"product_id":"ww1-holy-trinity-church-south-kensington-fund-raising-badge","title":"WW1 Holy Trinity Church, South Kensington fund raising badge.","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis badge is a souvenir from a fundraising bazaar held at Holy Trinity Church in South Kensington, London (Prince Consort Road), a Church of England parish church built in 1901-1907. It commemorates the event on August 15, 16, and 17, 1918, near the end of World War I.\u003cbr\u003eChurch Context\u003cbr\u003eHoly Trinity South Kensington served a wealthy middle-class and aristocratic parish in the Albertopolis cultural district, established after the 1851 Great Exhibition. The church, designed by G.F. Bodley in Perpendicular Gothic style, is Grade I listed and features WWI memorials for 43 parishioners killed, including the three Lucas-Tooth brothers from prominent local families.\u003cbr\u003eBadge Purpose\u003cbr\u003eThese celluloid or embossed tin badges were common WWI-era souvenirs sold at church bazaars to raise funds for church repairs, war memorials, or relief efforts amid wartime hardships like the 1918 fire damaging another Holy Trinity (Sloane Square) chancel. Similar fundraising badges from Kensington (e.g., for war hospitals) confirm the format and era, often featuring church images and event dates to attract donors.\u003cbr\u003eHistorical Relevance\u003cbr\u003eIssued months before the Armistice (November 1918), it reflects community efforts to support troops, wounded soldiers, and church maintenance during final war strains, including air raids and economic pressures. Such bazaars, like those at Holy Trinity Sloane Square in 1899\/1928, raised significant sums (e.g., £2,000 in 1899, equivalent to ~£120,000 today) via stalls and souvenirs.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gradia Militaria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52617238118728,"sku":"21.2.26","price":8.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0924\/1103\/5976\/files\/IMG-1898.heic?v=1773069228","url":"https:\/\/www.gradiamilitaria.com\/products\/ww1-holy-trinity-church-south-kensington-fund-raising-badge","provider":"Gradia Militaria","version":"1.0","type":"link"}