WW1 widows pensions

[alison300]

Wondering how pensions worked for widows? 

For example, the widow of Pte. G/6113 F.C. Banagan, 2nd Bn., Queen's Own Regt. attd. Royal Dublin Fusiliers received a pension of 31/3 a week for herself and 5 children.  Would she have received this sum for the rest of her life or would it have been reduced once her children reached adulthood?

Any idea what 31/3 would be in today's money?

[craggagh]

Hello -

31/3 = £1 11s 3d. In today's money, that would be £1.5625p.

craggagh.

[CaroleW]

If the pension included increases for the children then it would have gradually reduced as they reached (probably) 15yrs back then

[MaxD]

The "what was it worth" calculation can be done many ways.  One of the more sensible is to ask how that sum compared with average wages at the time.

Hansard has a comparison of 1914 and 1919 wages:

https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1919/aug/01/wages-1914-and-1919

Her weekly income at £1 11s 3 d is perhaps a little lower than the middle of the range - depending on which set of statistics you choose!

MaxD

[hanes teulu]

WIDOWS' PENSIONS - SELECT COMMITTEE'S FIRST REPORT (Feb 1915)
All Round Increases Proposed

" ... widows, orphans and dependants of officers and men who have lost their lives ....

Widows' Pension
We recommend that the scale for the widows in Class 5 of the White paper should be 10s a week. The rate should be increased to 12s 6d a week at the age of 35 years and 15s a week at the age of 45 .... The pension rates for children (including illegitimate children) should be 5s a week for the first child, 3s 6d a week for the second child and 2s a week for subsequent children.

Each motherless child should receive a pension of 5s a week (without reduction if more than three in number).

Widows should receive on remarriage a gratuity equal to two years of the government pension, either in a lump sum or in instalments spread over a period as may be decided."

The Act was implemented 10 Nov 1915 - I haven't been able as yet to confirm (a) if the Select Committe's rates were accepted/reduced/increased and (b) the age that the child's pension was discontinued (age 15 as previously posted looks good).

[hanes teulu]

From a newspaper article Nov 1915 after publication of the Act

"widow without children, 10s
widow with one child, 15s
widow with 2 children, 18s 6d
widow with 3  children, 20s 6d
widow with 4 children, 22s 6d
additional for each child in excess of 4, 2s
motherless children, 5s"

[alison300]

Wow - thanks everyone.  I wasn't expecting such detailed information.  My heart goes out to these women - they must have really struggled financially.

[Gwil]

  Would she have received this sum for the rest of her life or would it have been reduced once her children reached adulthood?

Looking at the Pension Card (from which I assume you have drawn your info)

It lists the children followed by a date of birth column which is then followed by a column headed 'date of expiry'.
eg
Child A   21 4 04   21 4 20

This suggests payments stopped when the child reached 16yrs

[hanes teulu]

Gwil,
thanks for clarifying.