George Square / George Street

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The Halifax Guardian newspaper was located at numbers 28-32 George Street. It was Tory and Anglican. These buildings were later demolished to make way for the expansion of George Square into a wider area
The Halifax Guardian newspaper was located at numbers 28-32 George Street. It was Tory and Anglican. These buildings were later demolished to make way for the expansion of George Square into a wider area

Halifax Guardian Prisoner of War Fund

Following reports of widespread brutality as well as food shortages in some German prisoner of war camps a national committee was set up to organise relief to be sent. Local newspapers were canvassed to organise fund collections locally. The Halifax Courier had already been sending ‘comfort parcels’ to POWs of all regiments for local soldiers. The Halifax Guardian organised to send their relief to all inmates from the West Riding Regiment. Strangely, both newspapers claimed to be the sole distributor of relief and it is not clear what the official position was. At the end of the war the Red Cross acknowledged the work of the Courier with POWs, yet J J Fisher’s account of the West Riding Regiment credits the Guardian with with being the town’s POW fund. The Guardian used female volunteers to pack its parcels in the York Cafe (Alexandra Buildings on King Edward Street). The Courier continued to use its female packers using the Blue Coats School. One distinction, which may have been the distinction, was that the Guardian concentrated on food whereas the Courier continued sending predominantly other comforts.