MP pays respect to Veterans 

The 27th of June each year marks National Veterans Day. It is an opportunity to honour those men and women who have served in the Armed Forces as well as thousands of other people such as Merchant Mariners who have seen duty in military operations. This year’s national Veterans event was held in Blackpool but across the country hundreds of local events, including one at North Kent Police station, also took place.

As well as commemorating the unique contribution that Veterans have made to this country, Veterans Day events give Veterans the chance to meet up and in some cases renew acquaintances formed while they were in the services. They also allow us to focus on some of the issues affecting ex-servicemen and women today in their everyday lives. Many Veterans are in challenging circumstances, often as a direct result of their time in the Services, and require a substantial amount of practical support and advice in dealing with their health, housing or employment needs. Over the last ten years as an MP, I’ve worked closely with Veterans organisations such as the Soldiers, Sailors, Airman and Families Association (SSAFA) on a number of cases involving local ex-servicemen and women. Their staff and volunteers, many of them Veterans themselves, do a tremendous job supporting Veterans and their families in North Kent.

There are some Veterans though who either don’t seek help when they need it or aren’t aware that they’re eligible for assistance. Veterans Day events provide us with the perfect opportunity to encourage them to come forward to get the practical support that their service has entitled them to. As SSAFA says, it takes only one day’s service in any of our Armed Forces to qualify for assistance. This includes National Servicemen, their partners and dependents. Reservists and TA too are eligible for assistance subject to service.

A few years I took part in the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme. This gave me the opportunity to spend time alongside existing servicemen and women and gain an understanding of the circumstances in which they have to operate and the challenges they have to deal with on a daily basis. It was an experience that enhanced my appreciation and admiration for the men and women of the Armed Forces and underlined just how important events such as Veterans Day are. These events remind all of us of the work that our Armed forces do, the personal sacrifices each serviceman and woman has to make and most important of all of the debt that each and every one of us owes to them.


A free national helpline for Veterans has now been set up. The contact number is 0800 169 22 77