NUFFIELD TRUST

In May 1939 Lord Nuffield had seen the remarkable response to a National Appeal for Voluntary Recruiting and on 14th October 1939 he endowed the Trust with 1 million shares in Morris Motors worth £1,500,000 to provide 'facilities for recreation' for the Armed Forces including the Militia, the Territorial Army and the Auxiliary Services. With the call up of Territorials and conscripts, Lord Nuffield gifted a further £50,000 to tide the Trust over until dividends from the shares were received... The Trust worked on the principle that it met the needs set out by the Armed Services, not available from public funds, and it gave each of the Services an allocation to spend. During WW2, many newly-formed units at home and overseas were set up with sport equipment, furnishings, libraries, games and radios. When the Trust found that Service personnel were having to sleep in railway stations etc when transiting through London, they started a subsidised hotel accommodation scheme and gave grants..

Registration numbers: 210829 (W)

Primary location: Portsmouth United Kingdom