Once again, now that British bombs are raining down on the people of the Middle East, the symbols and slogans of peace reappear on our screens and in the media.Of all the symbols of my generation nothing has had the stand out and endurance of Gerald Holtom’s CND device, designed over 50 years ago and based on the semaphore code for N and D. Its adoption across the globe as a universal sign of peace and opposition to military action, whether nuclear or not, proves how simple imagery can resonate way beyond its original purpose. There must be few on Earth now who do not recognise it, perhaps having comparable familiarity to the cross or the crescent.
This a symbol many would love to see disappear one day, its work done.