NEED OUR HELP? VOLUNTEER DONATE The Royal Naval Benevolent Trust OUR HISTORY ORIGINALLY ESTABLISHED AS THE GRAND FLEET FUND BY ADMIRAL JELLICOE, THE RNBT HAS GROWN INTO THE MAJOR NAVAL BENEVOLENCE CHARITY WHICH NOW SPENDS OVER £5 MILLION EACH YEAR TO HELP PAST AND PRESENT SAILORS, ROYAL MARINES AND THEIR DEPENDANTS. 6 NOVEMBER 1915 Admiral Jellicoe proposes the formation of the Grand Fleet Fund to alleviate ‘distress amongst men who are wholly or partially disabled, or amongst dependants of those killed.’ 1 FEBRUARY 1916 Inaugural meeting of the Grand Fleet Fund onboard HMS IRON DUKE ‘on behalf of Petty Officers and Men wounded and incapacitated during the War.’ Funds received: £861 12s 3d, including a donation of £50 from Admiral Jellicoe. 29 NOVEMBER 1918 Funds had risen to £33,000. First proposal to centralise benevolence by the formation of ‘The Royal Navy Trust’, suggesting that part of the committee ‘always to consist of ratings serving in the Fleet.’ 2 MAY 1922 As there were ‘funds accumulated in various ways during the late War’, the Admiralty decided to create a single benevolence charity for all ‘Non-Commissioned Officers or other ratings in Our Naval Forces’. Formation of ‘The Royal Naval Benevolent Trust (Grand Fleet and Kindred Funds)’ by Royal Charter. 17 SEPTEMBER 1942 Proceeds of premiere of ‘In Which We Serve’ donated to RNBT. Second World War casualties estimated as 45,775 ratings killed, some 130,000 injured. 1 AUGUST 1952 Pembroke House, formerly a naval children’s home, opened as a Care Home for elderly beneficiaries, initially for 30 residents in 4 or 5-berth rooms. 1 JUNE 1991 Castaway House opened by Admiral Sir Jock Slater. Formerly the RN Motoring School, this building was originally used by the Portsmouth Committee, but in 1995 the headquarters of RNBT moved from Gillingham to Castaway House in Portsmouth. The building is now shared with other Naval charities. 14 JUNE 2000 Pembroke House officially re-opened by the First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Michael Boyce, following modernisation, with full en-suite rooms offering facilities for both male and female beneficiaries, and widening the provision to include Nursing. 1 FEBRUARY 2008 RNBT assumed responsibility for the John Cornwell VC Memorial Almshouse in Hornchurch, Essex, in memory of the posthumous award to the Boy Seaman who dies of his wounds after the Battle of Jutland in 1916 thus returning to RNBT’s origins as the Grand Fleet Fund. 31 MAY 2012 Major extension to Pembroke House completed and opened by HRHs the Earl and Countess of Wessex. The Home now offers Care and Nursing facilities for 55 residents to the highest modern standards. HELP SUPPORT THE RNBT AND MAKE A DONATION DONATE NOW FIND US THE RNBT HEADQUARTERS Castaway House, 311 Twyford Avenue, PORTSMOUTH PO2 8RN T: 02392 690112 E: rnbt@rnbt.org.uk THE RNBT CARE HOME Pembroke House, 11 Oxford Road, GILLINGHAM ME7 4BS T: 01634 852431 E: enquiries@pembrokehouse-rnbt.org.uk LATEST TWEETS Tweets by TheRNBT INFORMATION About us How we help Pembroke House Work for us Support us Making a donation Accessibility Contact Cookie policy Privacy policy Sitemap © 2021 The Royal Naval Benevolent Trust. All rights reserved. Registered Charity Number 206243. Website design and build by Buzzword.