Page of illustrations by Samuel Begg in The Illustrated London News, depicting scenes at a Fortune of War caf? 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 caf? 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 caf?s 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 caf? with curtains drawn on account of the bad weather. The cafes were intended to mimic the outdoor cafes of France.