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THE INTERWAR YEARS 1919-1938
THE SECOND WORLD WAR 1939-1945
Occasional gifts of the non-financial variety have been very well received by beneficiaries over the years. From 1934 to 1939, a Mr Robert Robertson gifted two tonnes of preserves and mincemeat worth £100 to be shared between hospitals, orphanages, care homes and training ships - just in time for Christmas!
It was also a time of expansion, consolidation and innovation for the Fund. This included setting up an information service for charities dealing with naval officers and their dependants, to help individuals identify the best sources of help. This service proved effective and by 1938, involved around 20 major naval and service funds. The Fund also made real progress building relationships with those it supported, leading to the first conference of maritime charities and the setup of a Representative Council of Sailors’ Missions and Homes in 1930. In 1935, the Fund introduced a standardised system of accounts for charities. Largely well received, this system improved account keeping, helped the Fund’s Distribution Committee better assess the needs of grant recipients and prevented duplicate entries for beneficiaries. Meanwhile, the Fund continued to clamp down on rogue or incompetent operators by identifying them in advance of allocating Flag Days (major collection and fundraising days), making it clear to the public to whom they should donate, forcing many undeserving organisations out of existence and ensuring funds would only go where they were needed most. Well-meaning wealthy and high-profile individuals were also warned to do their research before endorsing any charitable organisation.
Over £2 million in grants
The Second World War
Grants from the King George’s Fund for Sailors to charitable institutions quadrupled between 1939 and 1945. In total £2,014,376 was distributed, nearly a quarter of which were ‘business as usual’ grants and the rest a dedicated War Fund.
Where the First World War had led to the creation of King George’s Fund for Sailors, the second would shape how charitable institutions would work on behalf of UK seafarers in the future.
1939-1945
Only two days in, the transatlantic passenger liner SS Athenia, became the first UK ship to be torpedoed in the conflict, with the loss of 117 lives. The German U-boat, sadly, would come to characterise the violence of the Second World War at sea in the coming months and years. War raged on land, in the air and at sea. The British people once again put their hands in their pockets for seagoing armed and merchant servicemen and their families. The charitable institutions worked hard to continue supporting existing beneficiaries, as well as meet an increase in demand for their services. Ports in the UK and overseas saw an influx of British seamen in need of shelter, food and clothing. Widows and dependants of deceased Navy officers found themselves homeless. Many new entries to orphanages were children who had lost their parents in the war. Coastal communities mourned fishermen killed by enemy action while working. As the war continued, the cost of living in the UK rose, with disastrous effects for those already struggling to survive on meagre incomes, such as seafarers’ widows.
Economic conditions continued to be tough. Increased levels of shipbuilding and overseas trade in 1936 and 1937, which saw some harbours and estuaries return to their former state of activity, turned out to be only temporary. In 1938, many merchant and fishing ships had to be laid up again due to financial difficulties. Sadly, the shipping industry was not able to fully recover by the time the Second World War broke out the following year.
1938
1939
1939
For many institutions, the war quite literally came to them. Premises were bombed and in some cases destroyed. The Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (now SSAFA) reported the deaths of two widow residents and a maid in 1941 while the Dreadnought Hospital was bombed twice in the same year. Those not yet attacked scrambled to ensure air raid shelters were fit for purpose. Many institutions evacuated the people in their care to safer temporary premises elsewhere. Then there were the repair bills and the cost to relocate beneficiaries when the war ended. In the case of the Missions to Seamen, 14 of their stations fell into enemy hands; these sites were badly damaged and would need extensive repairs before reopening after the war.
1940
DID YOU KNOW?
1940
Fishermen continued to head to sea during the war to provide vital food supplies for the nation. In doing so, more than 1,000 British fishermen lost their lives
A direct hit from a bomb destroys operating theatres at the Dreadnought Seamen’s Hospital. The following year an incendiary attack destroys most of the roof
Only the beginning This bureaucratic snapshot of a Merchant Navy sailor being discharged from duty is a poignant reminder that for many leaving a life at sea, the really hard times were still ahead. The value of wet fish landed in the UK this year totals more than £12.3 million
Lieutenant-General Gerald Hickson, Royal Marines, joins the Fund as Chief Executive. He is remembered as a man of strong character and clear vision
Britain’s merchant fleet is the largest in the world, accounting for more than one third of global tonnage
3 September The Second World War breaks out. At this time, the Royal Navy is the largest navy in the world
5 September Two days into the conflict, the passenger liner SS Athenia is the first British ship to be sunk, with 117 lives lost
Rationing is introduced as enemy ships target incoming Allied merchant vessels, preventing vital supplies including fruit, sugar, cereals and meat from reaching Britain
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