SSAFA, the Armed forces charity, provides welfare and wellbeing assistance to our Forces and their families. This is a charity which the late Queen Elizabeth II supported from the very start of her reign, taking her father’s place as Patron upon his death in 1952.
In recent years, even when Her Late Majesty was reducing her workload, she remained as Patron of SSAFA, actively supporting their work and retaining a keen interest in the people and families they helped.
Queen Elizabeth II and SSAFA Pre 1952
The Soldier’s and Sailor’s Families Association was established in 1885 by Major James Gildea. Queen Elizabeth II’s great-grandmother, HRH Princess Alexandra of Wales, became the first ever President of SSAFA. The name of the charity was changed in 1918 to The Soldier’s, Sailor’s and Airmen’s Families Association following the founding of the Royal Air Force.
The Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth, was patron of SSAFA alongside her daughter until her death in 2002. She had a lifelong interest in the charity and had been a volunteer since the First World War, long before her involvement with the Royal Family.
In 1941, SSAFA opened its first children’s home, and by 1946 was operating 15 different homes for children orphaned by the war. These homes helped to care for 6,000 children a year. Princess Elizabeth provided support for these homes, sending gifts of honey to SAFFA to be shared amongst the homes. Don Suisse, a Swiss organisation that also provided relief for World War II victims offered SSAFA a 60-day holiday for 40 children based in these homes. All expenses were covered by Don Suisse as a wedding gift to Princess Elizabeth.
When Princess Elizabeth married the Duke of Edinburgh in 1947, she received a multitude of wedding gifts. The Philatelic Society gifted the couple stamps, which were auctioned as agreed by the Princess and the proceeds (which would be nearly £20,000 in today’s money) given to SSAFA. She also gave £500 to SSAFA which was part of her wedding present from the British community in Belgian Congo – this is over £15,000 in today’s money.
Between 1949 and 1951, the Duke of Edinburgh was sent to Malta to take up a new posting as Lieutenant of the Royal Navy destroyer H.M.S Chequer. During this time, Princess Elizabeth visited her husband four times; celebrating her 24th birthday there, announcing her second pregnancy, and visiting the stationed Armed Forces personnel as well as SSAFA headquarters.
Queen Elizabeth II and SSAFA Post 1952
When Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne in 1952, she became patron of SSAFA. Following her coronation a year later, the Queen paid tribute to the Armed Forces and demonstrated the connection between the monarchy and military. In 1953, Prince Philip’s uncle and the Queen’s cousin, Lord Mountbatten, became SSAFA President and served until his death in 1979.
In 1955, to mark the 70th anniversary of SSAFA, war orphans, along with the chairman of SSAFA General Sir Reginald Denning, attended a tea party with the Queen Mother at St. James’ Palace. During this time, there were nearly 6,000 war orphans in the UK, and SSAFA had continued to provide Children’s Homes for the displaced, orphaned or homeless children since World War II. In the same year, the Africa General Service Medal was approved by The Queen and awarded to those involved in the Mau Mau conflict in Kenya, as well as members of SSAFA and other charitable organisations.
The Queen participated in the celebrations for the 100th anniversary of SSAFA in 1985. Her Late Majesty and members of the Royal family, for the first time in history, attended two events on the same day for a single charity. Firstly, there was a Centenary Thanksgiving Service at Westminster Abbey, and this was followed by an evening reception at St James’ Palace. Trooping of the Colour took place to mark the Queen’s birthday, and a Grand Spectacular held at the Duke of Yorks’ Headquarters followed to continue the pageantry of the day and celebrate SSAFA’s centenary.
Just weeks after the outbreak of the Iraq War in 2003, Queen Elizabeth II visited SSAFA headquarters to hear directly from Service families and SSAFA representatives about the challenges they face. She also addressed the children of those deployed and urged them to write to their parents. Ten years later, in 2013, Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the new SSAFA Headquarters, Queen Elizabeth House, in the heart of London. Here, she met with beneficiaries, volunteers, employees and also spoke to families and service personnel affected by the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.
Film Premieres
Over the years, multiple military-based films have premiered, with the proceeds being donated to SSAFA. Firstly, in 1958, Ealing film Dunkirk premiered at Empire Theatre, with the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh present. Also in attendance were Dunkirk veterans who were especially invited to attend and line the red carpet route. Afterwards, the Queen met all the high-ranking Service officers, officials and film stars, as well as the assembled Dunkirk veterans.
In 1962, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh also attended the film premiere of Lawrence of Arabia; the World War One epic. The proceeds from this premiere were shared between SSAFA and Save the Children, each making over approximately £195,000 in today’s money. Eight years later in 1970, the couple also attended the film premiere of Waterloo, which battle scenes were filmed using 17,000 soldiers from the Red Army. This premiere raised an incredible £253,504 in today’s money for SSAFA. The final SSAFA film premiere was for Aces High in 1976, a film about the Royal Flying Corps. Also attended by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, this film raised a substantial amount of money for the charity.
Platinum Jubilee
SSAFA presented a concert at the Royal Albert Hall to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 70-year reign and patronage. ‘The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee – 70 Years’ took place on 16th March and was the first high-profile event to take place during the Platinum Jubilee year. Hosted by the BBC, the concert featured music performed by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, as well as works by Great British composers, with a focus on music played at Her Late Majesty’s 1953 Coronation and other key events during her reign. British mezzo-soprano Laura Wright, ambassador for SSAFA’s charity Military Wives Choir, also performed and spoke about her meetings with The Queen. The event raised £4,456.49 and was attended by SSAFA President Prince Michael of Kent, as well as SSAFA supporters, volunteers and corporate partners.
All purchases from the 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Tribute Gold Sovereign Series will contribute to the work of SSAFA and ensure the continuation of their crucial work in providing welfare and wellbeing assistance to our Forces and their families continues. Looking at buying gold sovereigns in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II? You can view this range HERE.
