Soldiering On: War Widows in First World War Britain

Abstract

Before the First World War there was very little financial help for the vast majority of widows of soldiers. This began to change in the first two years of the war, as financial provision for war widows gradually moved from charitable support underpinned by a tiny amount of state provision to a fully regulated system. This was provided by an entirely new government department: the Ministry of Pensions. Founded in December 1916, the Ministry was created specifically to deal with claims for war disability and war widows’ pensions. This represented a fundamental change and recognition that the scale of this war needed new solutions and structures. The introduction of a government funded system of separation allowances and war pensions, gave working-class soldiers’ widows a safety net and an alternative to charity or the workhouse that was long overdue. However, a close examination of their treatment provides evidence of both continuity as well as change, as social class and patriarchy continued to define and confine them.KeywordsNational ArchivePension ProvisionHome FrontArmy BarracksService CharityThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.