To the soldier or the sailor Home Service is insurance against things which may happen to the folks at home. Because of the Red Cross he can feel secure about his family. He can 'soldier better' with the knowledge that should sickness enter his household, should loneliness oppress the wife or the mother, should the members of the family be unable to manage their affairs in his absence, should any accident of fortune or misfortune come, the Red Cross is ready to supply money when that is needed, credit when that is needed, and friends who are needed most of all. Knowing this, the men in the service can, as one of them said, "go forward with a clear mind." They can do their duty with a feeling of assurance that enables them to bear their own hardships and dangers with cheerfulness and courage. Because of the Red Cross, the morale of the army and navy—that thing of the spirit which is more important than ships or munitions and without which victory is impossible—continues to be strong. Such is the part which Home Service is playing in the war that is now being fought.
But the war will not be decided when the peace terms are signed. "The true victory," as Sir Baden-Powell has said, "lies not so much in the actual tactical gains on the battlefield today as in the quality of the men who have to carry on the work of the country after the war."
