Kin Blog

Here at Kin, we have so many archived letters that were sent over from places all over Britain during World War II as the Milk for Britain campaign was taking place. The organizers of the campaign took great care to share excerpts with all of the Kinsmen, to let them know that all of their efforts were having impacts on real people overseas. 

The page these letters were taken from is titled "Letters of March 23rd", from one of the regular bulletins that Kin published throughout the campaign to send to Kinsmen clubs. 

The above letter came from the Waifs and Strays Society, located in Westcote Manor Nursery. Taking care of toddlers, the letter asks that their sincerest thanks be given to the Kinsmen clubs of Canada for their contributions of milk: 

"Will you please convey to the members of the Kinsmens Club of Canada our most grateful thanks for the three kegs of dried milk which were sent to us. This helps out our milk ration very considerably and is so necessary for these toddlers, many of whom are not very robust when they come to us." 

Caretakers all over the country were incredibly grateful for the Kinsmen's contributions: 

"I desire to express my grattitude to the Kinsmens Club of Canada for their goodness in making this splendid gift [the milk]. The quality is excellent and will be very valuable during the winter months. 

The senders may be interested to know that the little children in our Hostel are from the blitzed areas, and they need extra care in order to compensate for their separation from their parents. 

I can assure our good friends overseas that their kindness is extremely helpful and fully appreciated by all concerned." 

Without the Kinsmen's hard work towards fundraising and organizing the milk shipments, it's hard to say what would have happened to many of the children mentioned in these letters. 

Stay tuned for more Letters from Britain. Any questions can be directed to Sarah Welton (swelton@kincanada.ca)