The Soldiers' and Sailors' Families Association was founded in 1885 by James Gildea. It later, in 1919, became a charity which was called the Soldiers', Sailors' and Airmen's Families Association (SSAFA) after the establishment of the Royal Air Force in 1918. SSAFA Forces Help was established in 1997 when two charities, the "Forces Help Society", and "SSAFA", merged. On 10 April 2013, the charity's name changed to SSAFA as part of a rebrand aimed at improving awareness of the organisation's work amongst members of the Forces community.