SSAFA History

The origin of the Association
1885 The Soldiers’ and Sailors' Families Association (SSFA) was founded by Major (later Colonel Sir James) Gildea, an officer in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment.

As the Second Expeditionary Force set sail for Egypt in 1885, Gildea wrote a letter to The Times (Opens in new window) appealing for funds and volunteers to look after Service families left behind. Within three months, the charity was born and the then Princess of Wales (the future Queen Alexandra) was appointed President.

By the end of its first year, 231 women and 466 children had received grants totaling £515 and 10 shillings.

The Early Years
1886 The first Branches were set up in Devonport, Portsmouth, Chatham, Liverpool, Wakefield, Kent and Suffolk.

1892 A Nursing Branch was set up to provide fully qualified District Nurses for the serving men in large garrisons and seaport towns at home and abroad.

1895 SSFA Shropshire founded. (1921. Name changed to SSAFA Shropshire).

1898 A Clothing Branch was established to provide warm clothing for poverty-stricken Service families, wives, widows and children arriving back in Britain from foreign stations such as India and Egypt.

1899 The Boer War effectively put the charity on the map. Within 24 hours of the Boer Army crossing the border into Natal, Gildea launches an appeal which raises more than £1.2 million to support more than 200,000 widows and children.

World War I
During the First World War, the Association was appointed as agent for the National Relief Fund, disbursing nearly £1.3 million in the first five months of the war alone. The number of voluntary workers grew to 50,000.

1921 The Association changed its name to The Soldiers’, Sailors’ and Airmens’ Families Association (SSAFA), following the creation of the Royal Air Force in 1918.

World War II
During the Second World War, SSAFA developed into an organisation undertaking general family welfare work. By the end of the war, the Association had 29,000 voluntary workers and was administering more than £1 million each year.

During the war, the Clothing Branch distributed more than 4.2 million garments and 175,000 pairs of shoes. As a result of air raids on towns and cities in Britain, SSAFA opened sixteen children’s homes across the country.

The Second Half of the Century
1956 SSAFA helped to evacuate Service families following the outbreak of violence in the Suez Canal zone.

1960s SSAFA began the provision of a fully qualified Social Work Service to the MOD.

1991 The first Stepping Stone Home was opened for separated military families.

1996 SSAFA was contracted to provide Community Health services to British forces in Western Europe.

1997 The Confidential Support Line was launched.

1997 SSAFA Forces Help was formed when SSAFA amalgamated with the Forces Help Society.

The Forces Help Society was originally formed in 1899 to support the men discharged from the Army and Navy, helping them to adjust into civilian life.

For 125 years, SSAFA Forces Help has developed, to Colonel Gildeas’ vision, by adapting to the changing needs of Britain’s Armed Forces and Service community.

The care and support of SSAFA Forces Help is as important now as it was when the charity was established in 1885. In fact, the high tempo of current military operations, such as Iraq and Afghanistan, means that it is perhaps more important than ever that SSAFA is available; whenever and wherever, help is needed.

It is some what ironic that Sir James Gildea raised funds to support the families of British military personnel fighting in Afghanistan as early as 1880 and today, the charitable organization that he founded in 1885 that we know today as, SSAFA Forces Help; is still supporting the families of British military personnel that are again, fighting in Afghanistan.

The history of SSAFA Forces Help is also the history of Britain's Armed Forces from 1885 to the present day. Since its creation in 1885, the support and assistance provided by SSAFA has constantly been adapted to meet the changing needs of serving and ex-servicemen and women, and their families.