WWI and the Staff: Examples of Organisational Support

To help their employees benefit from this scheme, the organisation subscribed to the loan on their behalf. 2d/week was then deducted from the salaries of those who wished to participate but all the risk was taken on by the organisation. A further War Loan was launched in January 1917 and War Loan sweepstakes became a popular feature of work social activities!

The organisation paid a war bonus to staff to help them afford the increased costs of living. Records in the archives show that often this was slightly higher than the amount stipulated by the Government.

War bonus amounts seem to have been kept consistent across the different modes of travel and the different railway lines. Indicative of their time, the minute books for both the City and South London Railway (Northern line) and the Metropolitan Railway show that female administrative staff were not given the same war bonus as their male counterparts.

For staff at home, 31 mess rooms were opened at which hot and substantial meals, consisting of a cut from the joint, two vegetables, and a desert, could be bought for a reduced rate of 7d or 8d. 5 recreation institutes were provided for the use of staff for concerts, dancing, meetings, and social recreation generally, and 18 athletic and social clubs were formed.