Assistance Board Mobile Office

[Postwarden]

The Assistance Board, known until 1940 as the Unemployment Assistance Board became part of the wartime post-raid services, helping with claims for personal injuries, war damage and providing payments for the replacement of furniture, tools, clothing and other personal property.

Originally working in local council Rest Centres - where the Board's staff were identified by the armlet shown - from 1941 the Board formed a number of mobile offices which could be sent to any part of the country after serious air raids.

The photos show such a Mobile Office in Oxford in January 1943. As can be seen from the close up the staff of these Mobile Offices wore uniforms - their colour unknown - which carried a cloth arm title.

I have never seen an example of this title and wondered if anyone had.

Jon

[leigh kitchen]

Another one of those Home Front organisations that nowadays are so interesting.
I've never heard of them.
Go back a couple of decades and people like me were wondering why some people were interested in Home Front stuff, tons of it around, hardly anyone's really interested, bit like all that common as wotsit US army and air force stuff. Give me a good British army badge any time.
All the things I've missed that I want now........

[Hawthorn]

Have to echo what Leigh has said, all those times at Fairs and in shops walking past Home Front items, you couldn't give them away.

A collecting field all there own now as these images show. Have never seen this Unit before and wonder how rare items would be.

Simon

[Postwarden]

As one of those sad people who have been collecting Home Front stuff for over thirty years I have to agree that it used to be disregarded - and therefore cheap - but is now much sought after.

I'm disappointed that I never got any further than the first four parts of my Within the Island Fortress series that was going to record the uniforms, ephemera and insignia of the numerous Home Front Organisations - I still have copies of those on the WVS and Identity Documents.

And as an avid Home Front collector I have never seen an example of the Assistance Board arm title and have no idea what colour the uniform was - my guess is blue or green.

I am hoping to post details of some more unusual HF organisations so that they are at least recorded somewhere.

Jon

[Hawthorn]

Jon,

Look forward to seeing more items as and when you can post them. The odd Home Front items I have come across I have foolishly passed on but find they do still crop up locally. Will pm you should I find anything that I think will interest you.

Regards Simon.

[leigh kitchen]

Originally Posted by Postwarden

As one of those sad people who have been collecting Home Front stuff for over thirty years I have to agree that it used to be disregarded - and therefore cheap - but is now much sought after.

I'm disappointed that I never got any further than the first four parts of my Within the Island Fortress series that was going to record the uniforms, ephemera and insignia of the numerous Home Front Organisations - I still have copies of those on the WVS and Identity Documents.

And as an avid Home Front collector I have never seen an example of the Assistance Board arm title and have no idea what colour the uniform was - my guess is blue or green.

I am hoping to post details of some more unusual HF organisations so that they are at least recorded somewhere.

Jon

Would the uniform be likely to be green? Khaki and blue would be more readily available as BD, perhaps discount "army khaki" but would not blue fit in with civilian Home Front organisations rather than green? I've not heard or read of green as as a colour for BD, apart from army denims.

[Postwarden]

I have to admit that green was a guess. We simply don't know as yet what it was.

Jon