The Town of Bolton in the County of -- Lancashire --

A Celebration for Prisoners returning from WW I

On Saturday 21st June 1919, Tea and Entertainment was provided at the Drill Hall in Silverwell Street in celebration of the returning Prisoners of War. A souvenir booklet was produced to mark this event. A copy of this booklet is available here for viewing or download.

The introduction in the souvenir booklet contains the following text:-

The Evening News Fund for sending parcels of food to Bolton and District men in the prison camps in Germany was formed in October, 1915, and was the means of despatching 5,000 parcels at an average cost of 6/- each between that date and December, 1917, when the whole system of supplying food to prisoners of war was organised by order of the Army Council under a central committee acting through regimental care committees. This order made a change in the methods of the Fund, which henceforward confined its activities to collecting money and forwarding it to the various funds which were entrusted with the care of Bolton men. By one or other of these methods, from the inception of the Fund until the Armistice £8253 was expended directly on food for the benefit of our local soldiers in Germany, and on November 30, 1918, a sum of £300 remained in hand and is being spent to-night with the sanction of the Charity Commissioners on providing food in far different circumstances for the men for whose benefit it was generously subscribed.

In a very brief summary it is impossible to acknowledge properly the kindness of our townspeople. The amount raised, £8553, and addition a still larger sum raised separately for men of the 5th L.N.L. by another Fund in the town, shows the ready sympathy felt for the sufferings of our men in enemy hands. All sections of the community joined in helping the Fund, and if we may specify two, where all deserve mention and thanks, we would specially commend the school-children for a large collection of £600 in July, 1917, and workers of a certain industrial establishment who by regular weekly collections and other means showed their of the objects of the Fund.

To the "Evening News" it has truly been, in the well worn phrase, a labour of love. Proud in the knowledge that we were able to lighten the burden of those who were suffering for us, and happy in our success in eliciting the support of our readers, we have also the satisfaction of knowing that our organisation was equal to the work and that every penny subscribed was expended on parcels of food without any deduction whatever. To his band of voluntary helpers and supporters the Editor pays his warmest thanks, and to all here he says

WELCOME AND THANK YOU.