Soldiering On

“Why Cant 2 Brothers”? World War I and Britain’s Deceased Brother’s Widow Act of 1921

“…63 But as casualties escalated, leading to the introduction of conscription in 1916, the government acknowledged that a state system of pension administration would henceforth be required. 64 In December 1916, the newly formed Ministry of Pensions (MOP) took full responsibility for the pension scheme. Following the precedent set in 1901, the pensions for war widows that it administered under the Royal Warrant of 1916 were less than the separation allowances these women had received while their husbands were still alive as those had been understood to be both temporary and in service of the upkeep of a larger home awaiting a husband's return.…”