This was our first meeting of 2025, held at the Union Jack Club. We had eleven members (including our speaker) with four apologies, largely due to the extreme winter weather.
Peter Burrows started of his display by stating “during my early days of collecting army post offices, I built up a number of tobacco fund post cards. I decided to research the various funds by visiting the British Museum Newspaper Library, and looking through their collection of newspapers, unfortunately there were some missing titles, and gaps, but today many have been microfilmed so I do not have to go through large books. During visits to stamp and postcard fairs I picked up appeal leaflets, donation certificates and acknowledgement post cards, etc. I also acquired a glass slide used to be shown in theatres and picture houses.
Many national and local newspapers set up funds late 1914 for their local soldiers, regimentals or naval ships. They paid their own expenses to run the fund, so it was inevitable that some of the smaller newspaper closed down due to low amounts of donations. Martins of Piccadilly were involved in supplying parcels for a number of newspaper funds from their Bonded Warehouse in Guernsey, as well for private individuals. Many tobacconist shops and manufacturers produced adverts, price lists, and order forms, etc to encourage the public to send gifts to their family and friends in the forces. This had started on a small scale during the Boer War. The gifts could be sent without having to pay duty, so the Customs and Excise provided “Exported from Bond or Drawback” labels. Some manufacturers published a series of adverts with different illustrations in magazines like Punch. The Overseas Club had already set up a fund in London, and they also organised offices in Montreal, Canada, and in New York City, USA, for Belgian soldiers.
Canadian newspapers also ran funds. Although the United States was neutral until April 1917, they ran a number of funds to supply British and Belgian troops. On entering the war they were slow to set up funds for their own troops, as they were supplied with free cigarettes and hot drinks by the YMCA, Red Cross, etc. In June 1917 the first transport ships carrying troops to France were not provided with supplies of cigarettes and tobacco, and it was only the quick action by the daughter of the Depot Quartermaster in New York, who by contacting patriotic bankers was able to buy supplies for the ships from the American Tobacco Company. She then set up the “An Army Girl’s Transport Tobacco Fund” to repay the bankers. The Americans organised concerts and published song sheets to help raise funds.”
The Overseas Club produced leaflets to hand out to school children to donate pennies to the fund, prior to Christmas and Empire Day. They would receive a certificate with their name on it, even if they could not afford a whole penny.

