On This Day, 4 June 1918

Evening Despatch

Tuesday 4 June 1918

SMETHWICK WAR PENSIONS.

A report issued by Mr. Sidney Taylor, the secretary of the Naval and Military War Committee for Smethwick, states that on 31 March there were 4,864 cases registered in the books of soldiers’ and sailors’ dependants, with approximately 9,000 children. There were 2,574 applications for financial assistance, and 2,272 were granted.

There are nearly 1,000 discharged disabled men on the books. A training scheme inaugurated by the committee has been fairly successful.

For the 21 months’ work in connection with the local committee there was received £6,430 from the Statutory Committee and Ministry of Pensions, while £1,016 was recovered from persons to whom advances had been made. The principal item of payments was £4,066 as supplementary separation allowances.