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With their husbands either volunteering or being conscripted to fight during World War One, army wives 鈥� including JRR Tolkien鈥檚 wife Edith in Staffordshire 鈥� often had little direct support from the military.

Tolkien was training on Cannock Chase after joining the Lancashire Fusiliers in 1915 and, after marrying Edith in 1916, he helped her and her cousin move to lodgings in Great Haywood so they could see each other. But author John Garth says she would have had 鈥渕inimal鈥� support from the army 鈥� with her husband expected to support her financially from his salary.

She wasn鈥檛 alone 鈥� for the first couple of years of the war, women were left to get support through service charities because the separation allowance - a small amount stopped from a soldier鈥檚 pay 鈥� wasn鈥檛 enough to live on for them.

By December 1916, the government stepped in and set up the Ministry of Pensions to take charge.

Location: Great Haywood, Staffordshire ST18 0SH
Image shows JRR Tolkien in 1955
Image courtesy of Getty Images

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