Supporting British servicemen - the British Legion Campaign

In real life, Dr Crippen has had a number of ex-serviceman patients. To the average Brit, the concept of an “ex-serviceman” means an elderly man proudly displaying his war medals on Remembrance Sunday. To a practising doctor, ex-serviceman more frequently means a young man, severely injured in the prime of his life.

Britain is currently at war in two countries. Iraq and Afghanistan. Our sanitised news bulletins present these wars without showing violence. Heavens, we would not want to upset all those middle class TV suppers. Most days, the newspapers report the name of a soldier who has been killed, a soldier like the squaddie from Holyhead. What the news does not show, and what the newspapers rarely describe, is the soldiers who are injured. Amputees with burnt faces are not photogenic. Soldiers with brain injuries, physical or mental, act strangely. It is all most unpalatable for the general public. Best ignored. Fortunately, the RAMC looks after these injured service men at Headley Court, which is located in leafy-laned Surrey. I read through about a third of the objections but gradually began to lose the will to live. A few are supportive, some movingly so. (Proud to be British)

In Proud to be British I named and shamed the Leatherhead Nimbys who did not want those nasty injured servicemen cluttering up their leafy lanes.

In Pity the Poor Soldier I wrote of the plight of an injured ex-serviceman

David was a paratrooper. He was a career soldier. He was blown up when the vehicle in which he was travelling went over a land mine. He has a vague memory of flying up in the air, but nothing else. He sustained horrific injuries to one leg. The medical care he received from the army was first rate. He lost count of the number of operations. Finally, he was honorably discharged from the Army. He is no longer “able bodied” or not in terms of being a paratrooper. He cannot play rugby. He can and does play squash. He is, of course, lucky to be alive. He knows that. And yet, his chosen career has gone. Does he keep in touch with Army friends? Not really. Paratroopers are not very good with injured ex-colleagues. He has met some of them for a pint a couple of times, but he feels uncomfortable, almost ashamed.

Pity the poor soldier who fights in an unpopular war.  (Pity the poor soldier)

In Quacktitioner goes to war we looked at the way the government is trying to save a few pence by sending undertrained soliders into the battlefield

The senior officers who have proposed an accelerated training course for 900 fast-track recruits for Afghanistan have admitted that there would be risks for the Army’s “reputation, duty of care and performance under pressure on operations”.The Ministry of Defence said that civilians recruited into the Army under the proposed accelerated training programme for Afghanistan could be signed up for less than 15 months as part of a plan to meet manpower shortages.These specially selected recruits would be badged as members of the Territorial Army, not as regulars, although officials admitted they would fulfil the role of regular infantry. (Quacktitioner goes to war)

The government has no shame. It is desperate to ensure that the public does not get to hear of the disgraceful treatment some of our soldiers receive:

Des Browne, the Defence Secretary, is trying to prevent coroners from being highly criticical of the Ministry of Defence over the deaths of British troops killed in action. In a highly unusual move, Mr Browne began legal moves yesterday to prevent coroners from using language prejudicial to the MoD when issuing verdicts on the deaths of troops who die on active service. Lawyers for Mr Browne went to the High Court to challenge comments made by a coroner in Oxfordshire after an inquest of a Territorial Army soldier in Iraq. Private Jason Smith, 32, died of heatstroke in 2003. Andrew Walker, the assistant deputy coroner of Oxfordshire, recorded at his inquest in November 2006 that Private Smith’s death was caused “by a serious failure to recognise and take appropriate steps to address the difficulty that he had in adjusting to the climate”.  (The Times)

The government cannot stop inquests, so it adopted two other underhand strategies. It is trying to silence coroners. It is also trying to ensure that soldiers and their families cannot be legally represented at inquests. The British Legion says the following:

Inquests can be very confusing for the families of Service personnel, particularly for those without knowledge of the legal system or the military. Solicitors can be expensive and funding is only available in “exceptional cases” where the family is financially eligible. The power to grant public funding for representation at inquest lies with the Lord Chancellor. Interestingly, all cases where someone has died in prison, in police custody or detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 are automatically classed as “exceptional cases” and the need to meet the financial eligibility criteria can be waived. However, Service families need to apply to the Lord Chancellor fortheir case to be classed as “exceptional” and they must meet the financial criteria. We are demanding that all Service families should be provided with legal advice, representation and advocacy during inquests at public expense. (British Legion)

Does not seem much to ask. The British Legion is running a campaign to get automatic legal support for servicmen and their families. Along with other bloggers, such as Guido, I endorse that campaign. Find out how to support our servicemen here.