The Aberystwyth Comforts Fund 1915-1919

Once it became clear to Britain that the war was not nearing its end in 1915, the home front of Aberystwyth realised that actions needed to be taken to aid the morale of soldiers from the town. The Aberystwyth Comforts Fund (ACF) was launched on June 22nd, 1915 by Sergeant Major Thomas Richard Fear who had retired from his military career and had been living in Aberystwyth since 1908. The Fund’s task involved sending packages to soldiers who once lived in Aberystwyth (of which there were over 1,000) by providing, as the Cambrian News on July 30th, 1915 stated, ‘comforts to the soldiers and sailors on active service abroad’. 

Sergeant Major Thomas Richard Fear and Aberystwyth servicemen

Having written a 12,000-word piece on the importance of the ACF in sustaining morale throughout the remainder of the war, it is difficult to summarise the extent of its influence. Regardless, what is clear from my findings in the samples of letters I had read (dated November 1915, October-November 1916, November 1917 and November 1918) was that many if not all soldiers appreciated the gifts given within the packages, which, throughout the war, were mainly cigarettes.  Aberystwyth soldier J Jenkins, who was serving in France on November 7th, 1915, writes about the cigarettes he had received stating that they were ‘quite a change to the trench cigs’ showing to those on the home front of Aberystwyth how appreciative soldiers were to receive higher quality goods than those in the trenches. This is not to say that cigarettes were the only luxuries sent to soldiers. Other Aberystwyth soldiers such as J Mason,  who served in the BEF through the A Com Regiment on November 11th, 1915, mentions that ‘I can assure you that I and my friends enjoy the cake.’ 

The impact of the Fund became increasingly beneficial as the war continued as Aberystwyth soldiers such as W. Lloyd, who served in the A. Squadron of the Royal Hope in France, wrote on November 5th, 1917, mentioning ‘my boys in my trench were without cigarettes + could not get any anywhere’. At this point, Comforts Fund packages were one of the few sources of luxuries making them even more vital to sustaining morale among Aberystwyth soldiers in the trenches. However, it is important to mention that some packages sent to Aber soldiers such as Tom Rees, an Aberystwyth soldier, serving in Egypt but situated in the Citadel General Hospital, shows that not all luxuries sent to soldiers were entirely successful. He wrote on November 6th, 1917, expressing his thanks for the goods ‘except for the cake which had gone mouldy’. 

While Aberystwyth soldiers clearly valued the goods they had received in the ACF packages, it was evident when reading the letters sent back by soldiers that the actual connection to home was more important to them. A continued sense of community between Aberystwyth soldiers and the home front could be seen through soldiers such as Sailor John Johnson,  who referred to himself as ‘one of the Aber boys’ in November 1915. This phrase remained a constant throughout the war and shows that regardless of the time spent in the trenches, Aberystwyth soldiers still retained a connection to their hometown and was a significant driving force behind their sustained morale. The ACF played a large part in ensuring this as Private Arthur Edwards, who served in France through the 9th Royal Welsh Battalion, wrote in his letter on November 1st, 1916 stating that he was ‘beginning to think you had forgotten me’. However, the contents of the ACF package (like local newspapers) kept Aberystwyth soldiers thinking of home and returning home which other soldiers such as W Morgan, who served in the B Company of the Nelson Battalion in the BEF, also shared hopes for. This can be seen when he wrote on November 4th, 1917 about the ‘hope that the day will soon arrive so we shall all come home’. 

There are many other letters providing numerous perspectives of other Aberystwyth soldiers in regards to the receiving of their Comforts Fund packages, however, this provides an overview to the clear importance that the ACF had in the period from 1915 until the war’s end.

Blog by project volunteer Oscar Seager

Sources
Cambrian News
Comforts Fund Papers, National Library of Wales