Report by the Marquess of Sligo on the Connaught Rangers' Aid Fund, 15 June 1916 Letters 1916-1923 George Ulick Browne

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George Ulick Browne, 6th Marquess of Sligo, 1856-1935, H.M. Lieutenant for County Mayo. The Irish Womens Association, formed in London in the Spring of 1915 for the purpose of providing food and comforts for prisoners of war belonging to Irish Regiments. This document is an account of the Marquess' first year of his management of the Co. Mayo branch of the Aid Fund for Connaught Rangers Prisoners of War. He has concluded that the best way to do business is through the Irish Womens Association and goes on to describe the contents of a typical fortnightly parcel and also the clothing entitlements of the prisoners. Additional parcels were sent for Christmas and St. Patrick's Day. The branch has dealt with a total of 504 POWs, located in Bulgaria, Turkey, Asia Minor, and Germany. The IWA. also send regimental clothing. Goods are sourced at wholesale prices, or, sometimes, free of charge. The IWA. also has a bonded warehouse in London, thus avoiding payment of duty on certain items. The writer hopes that subscribers will continue to contribute funds. He concludes saying that his daughter, Lady Ellen Browne, and another lady have started a scheme whereby people in the area knit socks and sell them to the IWA. - in this way the poor at home also reap some benefit.

 National Library of Ireland Clonbrock Estate Papers NLI35796/11/17a https://letters1916.ie/item/1541 English George Ulick Browne 1916-06-15 Westport House, Co. Mayo, Ireland Male 1935 World War I (1914-1918) World War I (1914-1918)

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 CONNAUGHT RANGERS' AID FUND. From The Marquess of Sligo, Westport House, Co. Mayo, Ireland. 15th June, 1916. Nearly a year has elapsed since I started the Co. Mayo Branch of the Aid Fund for our regiment, the Connaught Rangers, and I take the opportunity to publish a brief account of what has been done with the money entrusted to me. These monies were primarily intended to assist the men of the Regiment who are Prisoners of War, and, after arrangements had been made to meet with their requirements, any surplus was to be devoted to assist- ing men of the various battalions of the Regiment serving abroad, with clothing, outfits, and comforts. After many enquiries and negotiations I came to the conclusion that the way t obtain the best results was to do all my business through the Irish Women's Association. Of the Executive Committee of the I.W.A., the Marchioness of Sligo is a memebr and my daughter Lady Eileen Browne has been regularly assisting. H.M. the King having observed the excellent work done by the I.W.A. has graciously granted to it a suite of apartments in Kensington Palace, London, from which place the work has been carried on for many months. To deal with the Prisoners of War first. of these there are 505, of whom 121 are in Bulgaria, 6 in Turkey, 2 in Asia Minor, and the remainder in Germany. To every one of these every fortnight there has been, and still is, send a parcel. Each parcel consists of two boxes, each containing: 4 lbs. hard biscuits such as "Rations and Cabins" or Dujon Bread 1 lb. tin of beef or mutton 1 lb. tin of vegtables 1 lb. tin of milk Two pieces of soap Compressed soup Worcester sauce 1 lb. tin of fish 1 lb. tin of jam or dripping 1 lb. each of tea and sugar One tin of fruit or cocoa Coffee or cheese Mustard. Salt. 50 Cigarettes or tobacco. To these are generally added a pair of socks, a pipe, a toothbrush, etc., etc. Some of the prisoners are in hospital or are not sufficiently strong to assimilate the solid food snet to those who are well, and to them are sent special consignments or easily digested, prepared foods. Every prisoner receives the following:- 1 kit bag Once a year, one great-coat Every three months, 1 pair of boots and laces Every six months the following: 2 vest 2 pants 1 Cardigan 1 cap 1 pair canvas shoes and laces 2 shirts 1 suit 2 pairs socks 1 pair gloves 1 comforter Extras: Dubbin, comforters, hair, shaving and tooth- brushes; razors, mittens, cards, games, etc. 2 At Christmas time we sent an extra parcel to every Prisoner of War and on St. Patrick's Day we made substantial additions to the food parcels. There has been great difficulty in assisting prisoners in Bulgaria, but as the result of long interviews this month with the American Consul for Bulgaria, it is hoped that these diffi— culties have been overcome. Some people prefer to send parcels direct, instead of through me, to friends in Bulgaria, or to N. C. O. there to be distributed. It has been found that owing to faculty communica— tion, the carelessness, or otherwise of N. C. O., the men often have not received the parcels consigned to them. The American Consul in Bulgaria strongly advises that articles should until further notice be sent to that country through central distri— buting organisations, such as I. W. A., rather than through indi— viduals. Parcels to Germany as a rule arrive at their destina— tion with regularity and are acknowledged in the most grateful terms by the Prisoners themselves and very often by their rela— tives over here. From the exchanged prisoners and those trans— ferred to Switzerland we hear that parcels generally deliv— ered intact, and we also hear that the Prisoners depend for their very lives on these parcels and that were it not for them many men would have died of insufficient and unsuitable food. As regards men of the various battalions of the ;C. R. serving abroad, the I. W. A. sends regularly parcels of regimental clothing as woollen socks, flannel shirts, smokes, cards, games, under— clothes, soap, chocolate, milk, writing paper, envelopes, boot— laces, matches, tinder lighters and many other articles. In order to avoid waste and overlapping these things are sent only at the request, or with the sanction, of the O. Cz. of the unit. All foods and materials, thanks to the generosity of manufacturers, the I. W. A. buys at wholesale prices; it often obtains them below cost price and frequently free. Having been constituted a "Bonded Warehouse", it does not pay duty on tea, sugar, golden syrup, smokes, etc.; and all packing and supervising is done by voluntary workers, so that expenses are reduced to a minimum. I trust that those who have so generously responded to my appeals, and who have assisted in raising funds, will consider that their efforts have been put to good use. Further and larger funds are needed. The tightening of the blockade means that food will become scarcer in Germany. The first to suffer will be our unfortunate countrymen who are prisoners. It is therefore certain that their sufferings will increase, and we must be pre— pared not only to continue to send consignments as before but to those who were good enough to subscribe a year ago will do so again. In order that the poor might assist their fellow countrymen and, at the same time, reap some benefit, I started a scheme of purchasing woollen socks made by the people of this neighbour— hood. My daughter, Lady Eileen Browne, and Miss Annie Powell of Cloghane, Westport, undertook and have since most ably carried this out. For the last nine months, an average of over 600 pairs of socks per month have been sold to the I. W. A. and distri— buted by them to Irish Regiments and Irish Prisoners of War. SLIGO H. M. Lieut. for Co. Mayo. Westport House, Co. Mayo, Ireland Report by the Marquess of Sligo on the Connaught Rangers' Aid Fund, 15 June 1916 George Ulick Browne Report by the Marquess of Sligo on the Connaught Rangers' Aid Fund, 15 June 1916