Fortune of War cafe, WW1

Page of illustrations by Samuel Begg in The Illustrated London News, depicting scenes at a Fortune of War cafe in London. The idea for the cafes was thought up by Lieut. J E. Latham (an invalided officers of the South Staffordshire Territorials) and they were intended to provide congenial and well-paid employment to disabled men. The first began in Kilburn and was followed by cafes in Hackney, Aldgate and Edgware Road. The scheme was run on sound business principles and there was no sense of charity. Each cafe cost about £400 to set up. The men employed received £2 a week with free meals. Prices charged to customers were extremely moderate. The public were invited to invest in the cafes any sum from £10 upwards at 6%. Investors of £50 or more could nominate disabled men for employment. The top image shows the interior of a cafe with curtains drawn on account of the bad weather. The cafes were intended to mimic the outdoor cafes of France

Begg Cafes Charitable Disabled Enterprise Latham May16 Rehabilitation

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