Free learning resources from arts, cultural and heritage organisations.

What did the Preston Station Free Buffet do?

During World War One, wounded soldiers and sailors started coming back to Britain. They often passed through Preston Station on their way home. 
 
The soldiers’ journeys to and from war were often long and tiring. Some people in Lancashire thought that the soldiers and sailors travelling through might be hungry and thirsty. They decided to try to help. 
 
Black and White Photograph Showing a group of Wrens in Uniform on a Preston Station Platform
A group of Wrens in Uniform on a Preston Station Platform
 
The Harris Museum & Art Gallery holds many objects that show how the people of Preston helped the returning soldiers and sailors. Can you work out the different ways in which the people of Preston helped the returning soldiers by looking at the photographs below?
 
White mug with the message: Return to Preston Station. Soldiers and Sailors Free Buffet'
WW1 Preston Buffet Mug
 
A soldier sleeps on a bench with pillows and blankets while another sits by a fireplace at the station.
Sleeping Accommodation at Preston Station during WW1
 
Paper flag showing an illustration of a soldier and a sailor with the words 'Soldiers & Sailors Free Buffet Preston' printed on it.
Paper Flags Sold to Raise Money in WW1
 

Glossary

 

Buffet - A meal where people serve themselves at different times or a serving counter on a train or at a station
Origins - How something started