A proud heritage

SSAFA Forces Help's history is also a history of Britain's conflicts from 1885 to the present day and for social historians it records and brings to life the changing attitudes of the public towards our Armed Forces and their dependants.

Children on a train

Since its inception, SSAFA's roles have constantly expanded to meet changing needs and our history is illuminated by extraordinary events:

  • 1898 - We provide warm clothing for the poverty-stricken widows and children returning from the Army's tropical postings in India, Egypt and Burma
  • 1914 - We disburse over one million pounds in the first five months of World War One
  • 1945 - SSAFA representatives fly out to Japan to meet released British POWs with news and photographs of their loved ones
  • 2007 - We support the families of our servicemen and women on operations in Afghanistan and Iraq

More information...

Recent overseas conflicts from the Gulf to Afghanistan have brought different challenges for us, but our traditions of service and responsiveness are as strong as ever.  We are needed as much now as at any time in our history.

Who we are

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