- Not Forgotten Association
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Not Forgotten Association Formation 1919 Legal status charity Purpose/focus Entertainment to ex-service people Headquarters London Region served United Kingdom Patron HRH Anne, Princess Royal Website nfassociation.org Remarks Registered charity No. 229666 The Not Forgotten Association is a United Kingdom Armed Forces registered charity[1] for serving and ex-service men and women that operates throughout the United Kingdom. Whilst major care is provided by state, Ministry of Defence or other charity sources, the NFA provides extras that able-bodied people take for granted.[2]
Contents
History
At the outbreak of the First World War, United States soprano Marta Cunningham was resident in London. She undertook charity and canteen work in the East End, which she continued after the cessation of hostilities. In 1919 while visiting her local hospital, Cunningham asked the matron if she still had any wounded servicemen under treatment. Horrified to be given the answer 600, Cunningham discovered there were thousands of wounded men lying in hospitals, bored, lonely and in pain.
Cunningham established The Not Forgotten Association, with the object of providing entertainment and recreation for the war crippled that would alleviate the tedium of their lives and give them something to which they could look forward. Through her royal connections, Cunningham persuaded HRH Princess Mary to become the Association’s first patron, a position she held until her death in 1965.[3] Cunningham devoted the rest of her life to the charity, for which in 1929 she was awarded a CBE. Cunningham herself died on June 25, 1937,[4] and is buried in Hanwell Cemetery.[5]
Purpose
In 1926 the Association officially defined its task as being ‘to provide comfort, cheer and entertainment for the wounded ex-servicemen still in hospital as a result of the Great War'.
While the essential needs of the many thousands of ex-servicemen are taken care of by state and the military administration, the NFA provides them extras that able-bodied people take for granted. This ranges from televisions for those whose mobility is restricted or are largely housebound, to excursions and trips for the more able.
Those eligible are ex-service or serving men and women who have a War Pension or are in receipt of compensation from the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme or who are currently suffering from some form of ill-health.
Today
The Duchess of Kent stepped down as patron in 2000, when the duties were taken on by The Princess Royal. In 2009, NFA provided “Entertainment” to over 9,000 people.
References
- ^ Not Forgotten Association, Registered Charity no. 229666 at the Charity Commission
- ^ "Not Forgotten Association". charityportal.org.uk. http://www.charityportal.org.uk/detail.php?id=100096. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
- ^ "Our History". Not Forgotten Association. http://www.nfassociation.org/our-history/. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
- ^ The Musical Times, 78, July 1937, pp. 651–653
- ^ "Marta Cunningham". Find A Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=34655513. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
External links
Categories:- Organizations established in 1919
- British veterans' organisations
- Charities based in London
- Organisations based in London with royal patronage
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