The Royal British Legion

You will have noticed the red signs that have reappeared on the roadsides showing a man in a wheel chair and the legend ‘La route ne tue pas toujours’. Neither do battle casualties always die. Like the victims of traffic accidents they need care for the rest of their often wretched lives.

Many of you will be aware of the various campaigns that the RBL undertake in an effort to persuade the British government to HONOUR THEIR PLEDGE to the British forces on current operations.

Servicemen and Women who are badly injured on operations, receive a certain amount of compensation from the government. Currently there is a strong debate as to whether this amount of compensation is sufficient to meet his/her needs. Clearly it does not. The ‘One-Off’ payment by the government in no way provides for the necessary and often long-term care for these poor people. The shortfall is provided by the service charities who, in the main, get the necessary funds from public subscription … meaning You and Me!

Intervention in Iraq and in Afghanistan is disapproved of by a large majority of the public. Consequently people are not subscribing in their normal generous way. This is very sad. Public subscription for the South Atlantic Fund (Falklands 1982) was TEN AND A HALF MILLION POUNDS! For our poor service personnel in Iraq and in Afghanistan the fund has reached a mere three hundred thousand pounds.

The former operation lasted for a few weeks. Afghanistan and Iraq have dragged on for years. Because of the daily threat of roadside bombs, of suicide bombers, of improvised explosive devices the number of service personnel who suffer serious injuries has become very great. The dead hit the headlines, but the seriously injured are somehow brushed aside. Surely they will get better? We’ve got good hospitals, haven’t we?

Up to the end of August last year 182 servicemen have been killed. More than 3,000 have been injured. One hundred and two have been classed as ‘Very Serious’. To be classified as such you need to have lost two or more major limbs…a couple of legs....two arms and a leg? Your eyesight? What a glorious future. Add to this grim picture the psychological problems that emerge. Remember the stories of those poor wretched shell-shocked men from WW1? Mercifully, today, we know better.

Or do we? These men and women need our help. Please subscribe to service charities if you can.

Article written by Lt Col Graham Jefferies, with information from the Army Benevolent Fund newsletter