Today, on Armistice Day, Mary Moreland (WWA Chair Elect) and Dr Nadine Muller officially launched War Widows’ Stories by appearing live on Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour. Talking to Jenni Murray at the BBC’s Old Broadcasting House in London, Mary and Read More …
“Female workers of Palmers Shipbuilding Company Limited who typify the many women employed for cleaning and scrubbing on board the ships at Hebburn-on-Tyne. They have all done this work for over three years […] Read More …
Who is a war widow? This may seem an unnecessary question. But who is classed as a war widow in the eyes of the government and who qualifies for the associated pension or benefits payments has changed considerably over the years. When we think of war widows, we usually imagine their husbands died […] Read More …
War widows’ pensions have always been intensely debated in British politics. A state-funded war widows’ pensions scheme was not introduced in Britain until the First World War, so the debate reproduced below predates any […] Read More …
In this letter to the Times newspaper, a correspondent criticises the discontinuation of widows’ pensions for boatswains, gunners, and carpenters. “Nauticus”, as he calls himself, goes as far as to suggest that the current regulations regarding […] Read More …
Because there was no coherent support system for war widows during the Victorian period, many well-meaning individuals set out to establish charitable organisations to help. In this letter, a correspondent calls for support for his longstanding plan to establish a Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Widows’ Fund. […] Read More …
This postcard was published by the Women’s Suffrage Atelier (London) in 1909. The fight for women’s right to vote was in full swing, and the postcard illustrated just how badly English laws protected women, and particularly widows with children. […] Read More …
The Crimean War (1853-56) was subject to much public criticism because of the way in which some of its battles were conducted and the amount of British soldiers that lost their lives lost during the conflict, especially in disastrous events such as […] Read More …
War Widows’ Pension continued to be taxed at 50% after the end of the Second World War in 1945. Members of Parliament raised the issue of widows’ pensions again and again, criticising both the low amount paid and its high Read More …
The outbreak of the First World War prompted the British government to introduce a national War Widows’ Pension scheme. All war widows were eligible, be they on-the-strength, off-the- strength, or widows of volunteers. Yet, the weekly payments made to them under this scheme were far too little to cover […] Read More …
