WAR SAVINGS WEEKS – NOTES
by TERRY SPENCER


  1. The National Savings Scheme was first introduced in 1917 during the Great War c.f. Taylor A.J.P. ‘English History 1914-1945’, O.U.P. (1965) p88
  2. Pontefract and Castleford Express 23-2-1940, p10
  3. loc cit p9
  4. ibid
  5. loc cit 5-4-1940, p9
  6. loc cit 21-6-1940, p1
  7. loc cit 10-1-1941, p4. The ‘Spitfire Fund’ was a feature of other neighbourhood towns but appears to have been more loosely structured than alter campaigns. c.f. loc cit 20-6-1941 for details of Castleford’s ‘flag day’ event.
  8. loc cit 24-1-1941, p4. For details of Pontefract subscribers and editorial comment c.f.issue 17-1-1941, p9
  9. loc cit 14-2-1941, p5
  10. ibid
  11. loc cit 25-4-1941 p6
  12. loc cit 21-2-1941 p6
  13. loc cit 28-2-1941 p5
  14. loc cit 7-3-1941 p1
  15. The civic dignitaries included the K.U.D.C. Chairman and President of the local Savings Committee, Cr. A. Braim, Cr. B. Arnold, Chairman of the Committee and Cr. A. Reynolds, Committee Treasurer. Also Mr. W. Berry, Town Clerk.
  16. Pontefract and Castleford Express 14-3-1941, p2
  17. loc cit 21-34-1941 p6
  18. loc cit 14-3-1941 p2
  19. loc cit 9-4-1941 p5
  20. loc cit 24-7-1942 p5 & 31-7-1942 p5
  21. loc cit 23-1-1942 p5
  22. loc cit 30-1-1942 p6
  23. loc cit 13-2-1942 p5
  24. loc cit 27-2-1942 p8
  25. ibid
  26. ibid
  27. loc cit 20-2-1942 pp 4 & 6 for photographs and reports of Pontefract’s efforts. Also issue 27-2-1942 p7. The submarine ‘Unique’ was later sunk and eventually replaced by a new vessel bearing the same name loc cit 14-1-1944 p4
  28. loc cit 27-3-1942 p8
  29. loc cit 20-3-1942 p6
  30. loc cit 13-3-1942 p7
  31. loc cit 6-2-1942 p1
  32. loc cit 27-2-1942 p4
  33. ibid & 6-3-1942 p5
  34. ibid
  35. ibid & 13-3-1942 p7
  36. ibid
  37. loc cit 6-2-1942 p3
  38. loc cit 13-2-1942 p5
  39. loc cit 23-1-1942 p5 & 27-2-1942 p6
  40. 13-3-1942 p7
  41. loc cit 6-3-1942 p7. For details of H.M.S. Kennet c.f. essay ‘Knottingley’s Warship – H.M.S. Kennet’
  42. Pontefract and Castleford Express 13-3-1942 p7
  43. loc cit 20-3-1942 p6
  44. loc cit
  45. loc cit 19-2-1943 p1
  46. loc cit 26-2-1943 p3
  47. loc cit 5-3-1943 p3
  48. loc cit 19-3-1943 p2
  49. loc cit 10-3-1944 p8. By 1944 5,500 books had been donated by the people of Knottingley district with J.S. Fletcher’s ‘When Charles the First Was King’ reportedly in great demand by servicemen from the area.
  50. 26-3-1943 p3
  51. loc cit 10-3-1944 p3 & 25-2-1944 p3
  52. These communities included Badsworth, Billingley, Brierley, Kirk Smeaton, Little Smeaton, Little Haughton and Minsthorpe. loc cit 5-4-1944 p4
  53. loc cit 3-3-1944 p1
  54. loc cit 21-4-1944 p2 For details of Garforth’s 1944 Savings week c.f. issue 28-4-1944 p2
  55. loc cit 23-6-1944 p1
  56. loc cit 12-5-1944 p6
  57. loc cit 14-7-1944 p3 Pontefract sought to attain £1 million for all savings weeks 1941-44 inclusive. For details of amounts in previous years c.f.loc cit 14-1-1944 p4
  58. loc cit 18-2-1944 p3 Miss Beryl Rathmell was a schoolgirl, a contemporary and fellow pupil of the writer.
  59. loc cit 24-3-1944 p6
  60. Miss Moira Beeners was a pupil of the Ropewalk Secondary School and is remembered by the writer as being a respected senior pupil when he entered that venerable institution in 1946.
  61. Spencer T. ‘Knottingley and Ferrybridge War Memorials’ (2001) p29 and accompanying footnote 18 for reference to Knottingley Township Committee’s provision of comforts for local servicemen during the Great War.
  62. Pontefract and Castleford Express 5-5-1944 p4
  63. c.f. Spencer T. The ‘K’ Sisters – Entertainers Extraordinaire’
  64. Mr. E. N. France. A local teacher and gifted musician, was at the forefront of local fund-raising and together with Mr. E. Treadgold and other local teachers was instrumental in raising money (including the celebrated mile of pennies) to enable the purchase of playing fields for children of the town. c.f. Spencer T. ‘Knottingley Playing Fields’
  65. For a number of years before the outbreak of war, L.P. Luke had produced the ‘Ropewalk Review’ a public entertainment featuring the pupils of his Ropewalk Senior School in sketches and musical items written and arranged by Luke and E.N. France and assisted in the production by school colleagues. c.f. Pontefract and Castleford Express ?-?-???? p?
  66. loc cit 5-5-1944 p4 & p5
  67. loc cit 9-6-1944 p3
  68. loc cit 12-5-1944 p6 & 5-1-1945 p3
  69. loc cit 26-1-1945 p5
  70. loc cit 13-4-1945 p8
  71. The changing psychological attitude is clearly evident in a variety of items and events which featured in the local press and which were reflected more generally in the national newspapers of the period. Several advertisements in early 194? Refer to “after the war..” whilst a feature “What Pontefract wants to do after the war” appeared in March of that year. Relaxation of constraints on the general public was evident from the announcement in 199 that Pontefract was one of two racecourses at which race meetings were to be resumed during the following summer. Provision was also made for the release of servicemen to assist post war rebuilding programmes where necessary c.f. loc cit 25-2-1944 p3 & 5-3-1944 p5 and passim.
  72. loc cit 19-5-1944 p5 An advertisement placed by the Trustee Savings Bank in Spring 1944 gave the total of £273 million as the amount contributed via that organisation since the start of the National Savings Campaign in November 1939 c.f. loc cit 14-4-1944 p8
  73. loc cit 13-4-1945 p8
  74. The commemorative dates of V –E Day and V- J Day are the 8th May and 15th August respectively
  75. Pontefract & Castleford Express 13-7-1945 p5
  76. loc cit 20-7-1945 p5
  77. loc cit 27-7-1945 p5
  78. loc cit 3-8-1945 p3
  79. loc cit 17-8-1945 p8
  80. loc cit 10-8-1945 p6
  81. ibid
  82. loc cit 12-10-1945 p4 For an indication of how savings were amassed in advance of Savings Week c.f report on the savings rally at Knottingley Town Hall loc cit 5-10-1945 p1
  83. The writer remembers when as a schoolboy he joined a large throng gathered in the street to welcome back Sgr. Steels from hi long incarceration as a German P.O.W. This became a common practice, observed in the case of other returning P.O.W.s at least in the neighbourhood of the Broomhill estate.
  84. Pontefract & Castleford Express 19-10-1945 p8
  85. loc cit 9-1-1945 p3
  86. loc cit 23-11-1945 p3
  87. loc cit 8-2-1946 p8