WW1 pensions - Who administered them and do records survive

[dravin]

Dear all

Regarding pensions for soldiers and their dependants, who administered them and do records survive for them

Is it a source of information worth exploring

I have soldiers awarded pensions and a widow who was awarded a pension for herself and one dependant child (I have the PIN 82 record)

Was there a record of who drew what and from where?

Any advice on this appreciated

[ss002d6252]

Try the records now in the possession of the Western Front Association.

http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/great-war-current-news/pension-records.html

[Terry_Reeves]

dravin

They were controlled by the Ministry of Pensions which was created in 1916 and in 1953 became the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance, hence PIN in the records you have looked at and other PIN classes.

There are no records of who drew what from where although you might get lucky and find a card which gives you the amount of pension. The pensions were administered by regional boards.

TR

[dravin]

Thank you ss002d6252

I had quite forgotten those cards, its been a while since I heard anything on them, anyone have any update on their availability?

Hopefully they will be made available for a whole lot less than the present search fee

Thank you also to Terry_Reeves

That confirms what I thought was the situation, I feel sure I investigated this some time ago but sadly the wee grey cells seem to be bailing out :-(

Appreciate the feedback

[rolt968]

There is an odd little cache of information in Scotland if people appealed against the decisions of local pension tribunals. It is discussed in this thread:

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=217245&hl=

Unfortunately they are only available as originals at the National Records of Scotland.

R.

[TEW]

I recently received a PIN26 record and there was mention in there in 1961 of the WO Record Centre, Hayes and the Archives Registry, Scholefield Mill, Lancs.

General googling lead me back to the LLT and THIS page which says:

War Pensions Agency
For records of continuing payments after the initial award it will be necessary to apply for details from the War Pensions Agency. They should be able to advise you on the availability of the records and how to apply. This is also the source of information concerning widow’s pensions.
War Pensions Agency, Norcross, Blackpool FY5 3WP, United Kingdom.

Then there is a link to another page 'Widows' pension records at TNA' which says:
The National Archives holds a small but valuable collection of records of widows’ and dependents’ pensions. See this article for details and a full listing by name:

However, the link doesn't seem to work (perhaps a PM to Chris?). Using the search terms pensions AND dependants AND widows between 1900 and 1924 at TNA brings up results in T, P, CAB, PMG and externally to the London Metropolitan Archives.

TEW

[Magnumbellum]

They were controlled by the Ministry of Pensions, which was created in 1916 and in 1953 became the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance, hence PIN in the records you have looked at and other PIN classes.

To be more precise, the Ministry of Pensions, which had been created solely to administer pensions arising from the Great War and had nothing to do with Old Age Pensions or any other kind of pension, was merged (after assuming responsibility for pensions arising from WW2) with the Ministry of National Insurance to become the MPNI in 1953. After further mergers and reorganisations it still survives as the "Pensions" part of the Department for Work and Pensions (the last government deemed the entire remainder of the Social Security system not to be worth mentioning in connection with the newly renamed department, although, presumably, it was a mark of special esteem for war pensions that "pensions" was retained in the department's title.

[David_Underdown]

This research guide shows the main record series for war pensions held at TNA http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/research-guides/first-world-war-pensions.htm Some of the series are name indexed

[Terry_Reeves]

That's interesting Magnabellum, I never mentioned "OId Age Pensions or any other kind of pension" I also said the the M of P merged with MPNI in 1953, hence the PIN designation, so why are you repeating what I have said? I think you have axe to grind outside of WW1.

Oh, and by the way I have spent a fair few hours looking at the whole business of pensions for WW1 servicemen and their dependants during and after the war. I don't pretend to be the oracle on the subject, but I have looked at a lot of files on the subject and as a long time researcher, I don't fall into the trap of presuming anything. Can you provide any evidence that the pension records of WW1 servicemen were preserved as"a mark of special esteem" ?

TR

[Magnumbellum]

That's interesting, Magnabellum, I never mentioned "OId Age Pensions or any other kind of pension". I also said the the M of P merged with MPNI in 1953, hence the PIN designation, so why are you repeating what I have said? I think you have axe to grind outside of WW1.

I was not repeating what you said, but clarifying. You simply said that the Ministry of Pensions "became" the MPNI without mentioning a merger with another, hitherto entirely separate, ministry. I never suggested that you mentioned Old Age Pensions or any other kind of pension, but also sought to clarify for the ordinary reader exactly what the function of the Ministry of Pensions was. I suggest that most people, if they heard the bald phrase "Ministry of Pensions", would assume that it had something to do with the state retirement pension or its predecessor. Is there really any need to take offence at my making it clear that the Ministry of Pensions, despite its potentially ambiguous title, was concerned exclusively with war pensions?

[Terry_Reeves]

Magnabellum

You know exactly what you are doing when you respond to posts on this forum - pushing your own agenda. Your post only confuses the issue. Do I need really to remind you about your "infamous" Porton down post of just a few weeks ago, of which you had no evidence?

You are entitled to your opinion, but I am entitled to my facts with regard to WW1 pensions, which was clearly what the subject was about.

If you wish to discuss this off form then I will be more than happy to oblige, Please contact me in the first instance, through the pm system.

TR