Charitable Organizations

A soldier could rarely have too many pairs of socks. This French-based charity had offices in Paris, Montreal, Toronto, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

During the First World War, the YMCA was a major supplier of comforts to soldiers, which were often distributed through huts like this one, at the large Canadian camp at Witley, in the south of England.

The YMCA offered sightseeing tours of London to Canadians in uniform through its Beaver Hut in The Strand.

The Knights of Columbus was one of the many organizations that offered accommodations to servicemen and women on leave during the Second World War. The note on the back reads: "Dear Mother: Got a nice room here for the week-end after arriving in London at 8 o'clock yesterday morning from Glasgow. Love, Bill."

Franked in 1941 with the distinctive "V for Victory" postmark, this commemorative cover was auctioned to raise money for British war victims.

During the Second World War, the Salvation Army operated dozens of rest facilities for Canadians in uniform, like this one in London's former West Central Hotel.

“Muggins” collected over $6000 for the Canadian Red Cross Society in Victoria, British Columbia, during the First World War.

The newsletter of the Canadian Prisoner of War Relatives Association, published monthly in Montreal.

A huge bingo game at Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens in 1941 raised money for the British War Victims' Fund, organized by the Telegram. Hockey announcer Foster Hewitt was a featured guest.

In this wonderful image (probably from 1943), women of the Canadian Red Cross Society serve snacks from a mobile canteen provided by the Salvage Corps of British Columbia. The occasion is not identified, but the patrons include Air Raid Precautions workers, policemen, and labourers.