The Heritage Bank has recently received two impressive Certificates.
During the Second World War a number of national campaigns were held to raise money to for the Armed Services.
The “Wings for Victory” campaign in 1943 was designed to purchase aircraft for the RAF and groups throughout the country, including schools, towns and villages, held fund-raising events. When certain targets were met a certificate was awarded.
The “Salute the Soldier” campaign of 1944 was an equivalent initiative aimed at raising money to fund equipment for the Army. While the campaign was national in scope, it was also distinctly local in application, with differing, often specific targets for individual cities, towns, and villages.
These week-long campaigns were just two among a great many which formed part of a continuous effort of the National Savings Committee to induce the civilian population to continue investing their funds in the war effort.
Posters and short films were produced to emphasise the importance of the savings and sacrifice of the British people at this particular time.
Two splendid Certificates which had been awarded to the community of Weston by the Secretary of State for War and which had been stored safely in the hamlet for almost 80 years have recently been passed to the Heritage Bank.
They suggest that the community had made great efforts to support the Armed Forces.
There had been an equivalent national campaign to support the Royal Navy, “Warship Week”, but no equivalent Certificate has yet been found in Weston perhaps suggesting that the community did not rise to that challenge or that the Certificate has sunk without trace?
