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Millions of troops on their way to the battlefields of World War One were fed and watered thanks to round-the-clock efforts of a team of women volunteers at Preston railway station.

The Preston Soldiers' and Sailors' Buffet was set up in 1915 following concerns that many men were turning up in the town with no money for food or drink, having hurriedly left their jobs to join up. In late 1914, more than two hundred miners from Tonypandy in South Wales had to sleep rough on the streets of Preston and beg for food. The women realised the town wasn't coping.

They organised themselves into rotas, working 12-hour shifts to provide a 24-hour service in what is now the Stattin's waiting room.

As well as food and drink, there were pens and paper so the men could write home. Tired soldiers and sailors could also get some sleep, safe in the knowledge that the women would wake them up in time to catch their train.

When the troops didn't have time to get off their train, the women went onto the platforms to hand out tea in special mugs. Those mugs were often kept as souvenirs and even taken to the trenches.

The Buffet operated beyond the end of the fighting until 1919.

Location: Preston, Lancashire PR1 8AP
Image shows women from Preston hosting a buffet for soldiers, courtesy of Harris Museum and Art Gallery
Report presented by Tim Padfield

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