Members of the Armed Forces and Veterans Breakfast Club (AFVBC) in March were joined by members of the Royal British Legion Youth in visiting the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas to pay their respects.
The event took place on Saturday, April 9, in remembrance of the upcoming 40th anniversary of the end of the Falklands war on June 14, 1982.
Speaking to the founder admin of the group, Jeff Walters, about why the group decided to go he said: “It’s a trip all veterans like to go on, it’s the 40th anniversary of the Falklands so it’s quite personal to go pay respects to those I knew and never came back.”
“It’s basically just to pay our respects to those who never came back, there’s a lot of new stuff every year.”
He also said that the group was able to go on the trip using money they have raised from fundraising raffles and donations, adding that a key donator for this trip comes from March - Cassanos owner Kevin McCort.
The veterans were joined by members of the Royal British Legion Youth, both young people volunteering at the charity and the youth officer for the Chatteris branch, Becky Cooper.
“As youth officer for Chatteris RBL, I have established links with lots of varied veteran organisations. I believe it is important for young people to learn from veterans and current service personnel the importance of remembrance and keeping their stories alive.”
Continuing to say that the AFVBC were “very pleased to see these three young people and highly praised their behaviour” on the day of the trip.
Speaking to Jeff further about the purpose of the group, he said: “It's what we call back to the tribe, veterans leave the service after a lot of years feel lonely but they miss the comradeship and like to get back together and get with like-minded people who know what they're talking about civilians haven't got a clue.
“Couple chaps here with PTSD and our group helps with PTSD. The group helps vets deal with their PTSD by talking about their experiences and listening without prejudice.”
If you would like to get into contact with the group, call 07785787875 or email jwalters53@hotmail.com
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