Local Veterans Awarded Badge of Honour

---

War heroes honoured by Chancellor of the Exchequer

A group of local veterans from Brenford and Chiswick went to Downing Street this week for a special presentation.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown and the Secretary of State for Defence, Dr John Reid MP presented veterans from the Chiswick, Brentford and Hanworth Royal British Legion’s with a Veterans Badge marking their service in the first and second world war.

The Chancellor and Secretary of State for Defence also announced that the eligibility to apply for a HM Armed Forces Veterans’ Badge has been extended to those veterans who served at any time up to 31 December 1959.

Local MP's Ann and Alan Keen accompanied the group.  Ann Keen MP said “The many heroic acts and sacrifices of our veterans must never be forgotten. This is why we established the Veterans Badge in the first place. I will be hosting a special event later in the summer for veterans from the constituency. We are keen to ensure that all those entitled to receive a badge do so and I am pleased to be able to confirm that from 27 June applications will be accepted from eligible veterans who served at any time up to the 31 December 1959.

Alan Keen MP said “It is important to remember the sacrifices of this generation and share their experiences with the next generation of young people. That is why it was so good to see wives, children and grandchildren accompanying the Veterans on this special occasion and I urge all local Veterans to get in touch so we can arrange for their badges to be issued. It has proved enormously popular, with nearly 190,000 issued to date across the UK.”

Brian Briers from Brentford said “I was asked to attend a Veterans Bade presentation at 11 Downing Street by my local MP, Ann Keen MP with our daughter Sandra. I was honoured to be in the distinguished company of veterans who had served from 1939 – 1954 and their wives, families and the widows of other veterans. We were welcomed by the Chancellor, Gordon Brown, the Secretary of State for Defence Dr John Reid MP and Minister for the Veterans Don Touhig MP and were well looked after. Discussion on the coach home was of, a pleasure of being recognised for what we had endured by our country.”

The HM Armed Forces Veterans’ Badge was launched in May 2004 with the intention that it would be made available to all First World War veterans and the Second World War veterans who, under the Heroes Return scheme, travelled back to the battlefronts they had fought on. Because the badge was so popular, eligibility was quickly extended to include all Second World War veterans and those who have served at any time up to 31 December 1954. From 27 June applications will be accepted from veterans who served at any time up to 31 December 1959.

Amongst the veterans included by the extension of the eligibility criteria will be those who served in the following campaigns and theatres:

• Cyprus 1955 – 1959
• Near East (Suez) 1956
• Arabian Peninsular 1957 – 1960

Further extensions to the eligibility criteria of the Badge will be announced in due course, along with updates on the modification of the badge for Merchant Seaman who served during military operations.

February 16, 2006