HARRY KANE
Why one of the world’s greatest footballers chose to become a Tommy Club Ambassador
First six months and our first issue of the official Tommy Club magazine!
• Meet our Founding Patrons
• Tommy Club launch event
• VE Day plans
FOREWORD FROM OUR PRESIDENT
“I want to do all I can to keep our Armed Forces veterans top of mind. I am deeply concerned
about their ongoing needs and their mental health.
What we can
do
It is a pleasure to introduce the first Tommy Club magazine. How uplifting to look back and think that we only launched last October. I want you to know how proud I feel of everything that we have achieved together.
Together we have raised over £160,000 in donations for Armed Forces veterans who need us, and who needed our help to endure this pandemic. Already we are such a powerful community and we are changing lives every single day.
achieve
together in Tommy Club is much greater than anything we could possibly
alone and everyone who is a part of the new Tommy Club is helping veterans in their moment of need.”
We have helped older veterans on RBLI’s Village who have been so anxious about the pandemic and unable to take part in fitness and social activities at this time. We have even raised enough to start the works for a lounge extension which I think is incredible.
We have also helped working age veterans who need the jobs that Tommy and our Tommy Club is providing. These jobs are needed more than ever. It is no exaggeration to say that we have kept this social enterprise going and I can not thank you enough for all you have done to share Tommy products widely and by encouraging more new Champions to get involved.
I am especially delighted at how we have come together during a time of painful social distancing to be here for the Armed Forces veterans in our country who feel isolated. I was thrilled at how Tommy Club mobilised to help get over 3,000 birthday cards to the wonderful Tommy Trotter.
We are only just beginning and we have achieved so much. On pages 18–19 you will see the route of Tommy’s Race to Victory which will mark the Anniversary of VE Day this year. With our incredible Ambassador England Captain Harry Kane and our wonderful Founding Patrons, we are all going to make certain that this remarkable generation are honoured and in a way that helps veterans today.
Mental health is a big issue that I know we are all aware of. We must show our veterans that they are valued, and they are not alone, and Tommy’s Race to Victory will do this.
Let’s make it worthy of them.
Top image: The Salty Sappers team made up of Major Tim Ives, Warrant Officer Chris Watson, Captain Josh Warne and Corporal Chris Hayto (page 4). Left image: Tommy in the window watching the sunset (page 16). Right image: Founding Patron Ash Alexander-Cooper (page
TOMMY NEWS
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Silver Champs! Congratulations to 163 of you that are now Silver Champions!
THERE’S A BUZZ AROUND THE VILLAGE...
WE NEED YOU
Do you live near Aylesford and are you handy with a spade...?
If so, we’d love your help with a new project to clear out a site for a new allotment.
Once created, this important new project will provide a space where veterans can get outdoors, make friends and learn new skills, growing fresh organic fruit and vegetables.
Our new allotment will also include bee hives.
We are working with a local bee keeper, Jason Arms, who will set up the hives and also hopes to create a wildflower garden to encourage pollination and wildlife.
Once complete, we also hope to invite local schools to come and work in the garden and find out more about bees.
Don’t Forget
We want to see you proudly wearing your Tommy Club pin! Share a photo on Facebook or email: tommyclub@rbli.co.uk
Your Story
If you interested in volunteering to help us prepare our new allotment site, please email tommyclub@rbli.co.uk
Have you got a story to share? It could be yours, your families or your communities. We want to hear it! Visit TommyClub. co.uk/champions-area
December, expecting around 50 days later.
and
THE BOAT: Aptly named ‘Victory’. the team’s 28ft ocean rowing boat is proudly sporting a Tommy icon. The team will live, row, cook and sleep on board for the entire crossing.
Follow the Salty Sappers on social media and their website: thesaltysappers.com
Wishing the Salty Sappers the very best of luck. As Sir Chay Blyth said to us, just keep rowing! Peter Ketley & Neil Young Grandads of the Atlantic Tommy Club Founding Patrons who set a new Guinness World Record holders as the oldest pair to row across any ocean in 2019. Looking for local volunteers to dig in!
THE TEAM: Pictured here left to right, Major Tim Ives, Warrant Officer Chris Watson, Captain Josh Warne
Corporal Chris Hayto.
A VETERAN’S STORY
TONY CARVES OUT A NEW CAREER AFTER HIS MILITARY SERVICE
The best thing I have ever done was to contact RBLI. They really have saved my life.
Those are the words of veteran Tony, who struggled with PTSD, after carrying out a peace-keeping mission in Kosovo in 2000.
Tony was deployed to the capital city of Pristina, where he helped to evacuate people to safety from towns surrounding the city. He also worked with the Royal Marines to carry out a weapons raid on a large block of flats, where to their surprise they found men who had kidnapped women and forced them to into prostitution and drugs.
Shortly after Tony left the Army. "It was a real shock to have to leave the Army. In my life, I had only ever wanted to be a soldier – but that wasn't soldiering, that was something else," said Tony. "You never forget what you see, and what you leave behind. No amount of training prepares you for that. I could not deal with it."
Tony Mountain – Veteran
On leaving the Army, Tony did not have anything in place to help him start a new life. He first came to RBLI in 2019 to stay in temporary accommodation in the veterans' village.
His fine woodwork and carpentry skills were soon realised, and he was offered employment at Britain's Bravest Manufacturing Company – our social enterprise which provides jobs for Armed Forces veterans, so they can regain independence after leaving service.
Kate Bull, Managing Director of BBMC said, “Tony’s positivity and resilience make him a real asset to our team.”
Since joining the factory Tony has taken on a new project at the social enterprise helping to develop products for his fellow veterans to manufacture.
His most recent project involved the development of new wooden products for the RBLI Shop, including a bird box, hedgehog house, planters and a garden bench.
HARRY KANE
England Captain, Harry Kane MBE recently joined the rising number of famous faces who are supporting the Tommy Club, including musician Jools Holland,and TV explorer Levison Wood. We find out why Harry is proud to be a Tommy Ambassador.
Many of you may have seen pictures of Harry pictured at Spurs’ Enfield Training Centre, next to a life-size specialedition Tommy.
The figure, called Tommy United, recognises the famous Christmas truce of 1914 which saw British and German forces come together to play football between the trenches of the First World War.
Tommy Club President and former Chief of the General Staff Lord Dannatt said: “Football is a universal language and in 1914 people were able to put aside their differences and come together for a brief moment and play the beautiful game at a time
of great struggle. Despite everything they managed to create a moment of peace. I am delighted that Harry Kane is helping to draw attention to the Tommy Club. RBLI’s factory has been able to stay open, because of the public’s support for the Tommy. It is something our nation can feel very good about.”
We are all so excited that Harry Kane is helping us to take on the issues that face veterans today. Thank you to Harry and all our epic Tommy Champions for all that you are doing.
RBLI have supported military veterans for more than 100 years and I know the great work they do employing ex-service men and women and helping them overcome significant challenges. I encourage people to get involved and support the Tommy Club as every new Champion makes a difference. Together we can improve the lives of our nation’s heroes.
HARRY KANE
THE TOTTENHAM 16
HONOURING 16 BRAVE
Spurs have a rich and proud history with the Armed Forces with 16 former players having served in the First World War – including Walter Tull, the first black British Officer.
In 2018, one hundred years on from the end of the Great War, Spurs legend Ledley King visited our Kent village to honour the Tottenham 16, unveiling a plaque on our Wall of Honour.
The Tottenham 16 were all players who served in the First World War – in fact they joined up together on the promise that they could serve alongside their team mates.
Their regiment was even called 17th Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment First Football.
They all gave their lives too young. Most of them were only in their twenties when they died in battles whose names are synonymous with the most protracted, terrifying, and brutal battles of World War One – The Somme, Gallipoli, and Passchendaele.
The Tottenham 16 will forever be honoured for their comradeship, bravery and loyalty.
It’s fantastic to see the work the charity does to support ex-service personnel by giving them employment opportunities and accomodation.
YOU
TOO ARE A CHAMPION
Ledley King
Tommy Club provides support to our nation’s heroes who still need our help. Through crucial employment opportunities and providing a place to call home, the Tommy Club can change lives of military veterans. Every Tommy Club Champion helps to not only create meaningful employment or put a roof over someone’s head, but shows our nation’s heroes that our community is behind them every step of the way.
Spurs legend, Ledley King visited the village to honour the Tottenham 16, who in 1914, joined the Middlesex Regiment to fight together in WW1
Since its inception in line with the centenary of the end of the First World War, the Tommy has come to not only represent those who gave their lives in conflicts gone by, but also the evergrowing need to support the veterans of today, both young and old.
In October 2020, General The Lord Dannatt officially launched the Tommy Club, with celebrity antique expert, Raj Bisram and Olympian, Heather Stanning OBE, attending an event alongside military veterans supported by RBLI on our Kent village.
To mark the occasion a 10-ft version of RBLI’s iconic Tommy figure – the biggest in the figure’s history – which was made by veterans in RBLI’s Scottish social enterprise, Scotland’s Bravest Manufacturing Company, was unveiled.
Throughout lockdown, injured veterans working in RBLI’s social enterprise factories have raised more than £1 million for their fellow ex-service personnel through the manufacture and sale of Tommy figures.
Almost 30,000 10-inch Tommies were sold for last year’s 75th celebrations of VE Day and VJ Day, with every penny raised going directly to support veterans and their families through our range of employment, housing and welfare services.
Tommy Club Founding President General The Lord Richard Dannatt, GCB, CBE, MC, DL. said:
“Over recent years, the Tommy figure has become a truly national icon of veteran support, whether that’s for the many thousands around the UK have who bought one, or the injured veterans producing them in RBLI’s social enterprise.
The challenges of this year have affected us all and each of us face uncertainty. But what is certain is that the brave servicemen and women who served our country should not be left behind as the challenges continue.
It is crucial that they are given the opportunities to work, to thrive, and to lead independent lives.
This is what the Tommy Club can provide.”
The biggest Tommy ever made was unveiled at the launch event, attended by veterans, RBLI Village residents and Tommy Club Founding
including
I have long been a supporter of RBLI in their commitment to our country’s most vulnerable military veterans. I have seen time and time again, ex-servicemen and women regain their independence through its community, vital welfare support and the practical work opportunities that see them flourish in the civilian world.
Major Heather Stanning OBE Team GB Olympic gold medallist and Tommy Club Founding Patron
Patrons,
celebrity antique expert, Raj Bisram and Olympian, Heather Stanning OBE. Guests also received a tour of Britain’s Bravest Manufacturing Company, where they were presented with their Tommy Club welcome packs.
TOMMY
TOMMY CLUB FOUNDING PATRONS
PAUL
SAPSFORD AND TIM BROWN
Founding Patrons, Tim Brown and Paul Sapsford from Pew Pew Airsoft have raised over £50k for RBLI and the Tommy Club.
The two friends were first inspired to sell PVC and embroidered patches to help raise funds for RBLI during the charity’s 2019 centenary year.
Paul understands first-hand how RBLI provides support, after an accident at work left him with post-traumatic stress disorder.
“Then I found help with Royal British Legion Industries,” Paul said. “They organised for me to have counselling and supported me with getting back to work. Without doubt it’s the greatest decision I made following the accident.”
Paul found help from RBLI’s Maidstone office which provides support to those with PTSD,
Paul Sapsford and Tim Brown have raised over £50,000 for RBLI over the past two years, selling patches to fellow Airsoft players. More recently they helped us create beautiful embroidered patches for our challenge The Great Tommy Sleep Out! We can’t even believe it. We have beaten our target ten fold. We aimed for £5k and just smashed £50k, we are so proud to be part of the Tommy Club raising money for those who truly deserve it.
before then taking part in an RBLI Wellbeing course run at the Aylesford head office.
It was during his recovery that Paul was introduced to Airsoft – a team-based shooting sport with military style objectives.
“It was a new world that I entered into and gave me an escape,” Paul said.
Paul joined forces with Tim Brown, who runs the Pew Pew Airsoft Community Facebook page, with his children, Chris and Nicole. Together, they raise awareness of PTSD and raise funds for RBLI.
“As RBLI helped me so much – I was desperate to give something back,” Paul added.
We are incredibly thankful to the ingenuity of both Paul and Tim, and the Airsoft community for having raised such a phenomenal amount.
Tim Brown and Paul Sapsford from Pew Pew Airsoft
TOMMY CLUB FOUNDING PATRON
THE RT HON. THE BARONESS LIDDELL OF COATDYKE
I’ve seen first-hand the work RBLI has done to support Scottish veterans, particularly those that are most vulnerable due to physical or mental disability. Tommy Club is the nation’s opportunity to provide this truly life changing employment and skills support on an even greater scale. Now more than ever military veterans need our support. Thanks to every single Tommy Club Champion, they will know that they have a place to turn to when in desperate need.
The Rt Hon. The Baroness Liddell of Coatdyke, former Secretary of State for Scotland and former British High Commissioner to Australia, is a Tommy Club Founding Patron and supports Scotland’s Bravest Manufacturing Company (SBMC).
SBMC is the sibling of Britain’s Bravest Manufacturing Company (BBMC), who you know well by now!
Established in 2019 and based in the Erskine Village near Glasgow, SBMC provides employment and development opportunities for Armed Forces veterans and others with disabilities in Scotland who may need support adjusting to life after service.
Scotland’s Bravest team made the giant metal Tommy that we used for the launch of the Tommy Club (see page 9).
Through work like this, we are enabling veterans in Scotland to move forward in a supportive, professional workplace, delivering high quality products and services.
TOMMY CLUB FOUNDING PATRONS
ASH ALEXANDER-COOPER
In a regular military career spanning 22 years, former operations specialist and Tommy Club Founding Patron
Ash AlexanderCooper OBE became one of the most experienced British Army Officers of his generation.
Having joined the Gurkhas in 1995, Ash went on to spend almost seven years deployed operationally in Northern Ireland, the Balkans, the Middle East and Central Asia. His love of the military, what it has to offer individuals and what it can teach wider society and future generations is clear to see. This attitude is brilliantly reflected in the office of his Hampshire home - which coincidentally is situated on a former Gurkha barracks. The room displays an array of military memorabilia items, each of which holds a story and a deep history.
Included is a signed photo of George VI who visited the Gurkha base in 1949, a watercolour 1755 of Gurkhas (then Gorkhas) in Dehradun, India, a signed photo of Queen Elizabeth II who visited the same base in 1990, and a specially engraved lump of lapis lazuli given
to him as a gift from his Afghan partners as a thank you for his four years of service in the country. And such items have played a central role in Ash’s own military history.
The former Colonel’s familial connections to the military are deeply rooted – albeit not well known. Ash’s grandfather, Flt Lt EC ‘Eddie’ Preedy, was a navigator of Lancaster Bombers and a wide range of other aircraft during the Second World War. He signed up some time in the early 1940s before joining 617 Squadron - the legendary Dam Busters - after the ‘bouncing bomb’ mission, otherwise known as Operation Chastise.
Whilst not much of his grandfather’s military history is known to him, Ash nevertheless carried a piece of it with him during his own service yearsEddie’s original St Christopher pendant. The Patron Saint of travelling, St Christopher is a symbol of protection for service
He didn’t really talk about it. It wasn’t until I was well into my military service, and he was dying with cancer that we actually started having quite detailed conversations about service, the military. and leadership.
Former operations specialist Ash Alexander-Cooper a Founding Patron of the Tommy Club.
Flt Lt EC ‘Eddie’ Preedy.
“I attached it to my dog tags, and for all my most dangerous operations I had it with me. If it kept him safe, then I thought it would for me as well.”
personnel and is often carried during active operations.
Even the most sceptical would be hard pressed to disagree with the sentiment. Having been shot twice, blown up, survived a helicopter crash and been in countless close calls which saw his friends and fellow service personnel lose their lives before his eyes, Ash and his penchant for keeping the item close at hand clearly had its merits.
“It did its job.” He added humbly.
Since leaving the military, Ash carved numerous new career paths for himself. He is now a public speaker, a leading advisor in leadership, resilience, and change management as well as a prominent campaigner of mental health support.
However, he fully recognises that, despite the horrors he experienced and the many close calls, he is fortunate compared to many of his fellow veterans who now face daily mental or physical health challenges following their service.
“It [his service experiences] obviously has impacted me and I am aware of the losses, but I am extremely lucky that it has not taken too much of a toll.”
“But I know that it could happen at any time. My understanding is that trauma is cumulative. Nobody knows what their trigger, or what their threshold, may be.”
“That’s why I’m now so passionate about helping others - because I’ve seen the challenges they face and whilst I’m okay now, who’s to say that I won’t also need support in the years to come?”
It’s for this reason Ash leapt at the chance to become a Tommy Club Founding Patron when the project was established last year, having been involved in the Tommy since its inception for the anniversary of the end of the Second World War in 2018.
“There is an incredible cohort of people who have served over the past 20 years or so, who by and large may be fine now. But if we don’t plan now for the support that they might
need, then we risk storing up challenges for the future.
“We need to maintain wellness, rather than treat illness - and one of the best ways to do that is through meaningful and rewarding employment.
“That’s what the Tommy Club and its thousands of champions can provide. It recognises the stories of the past, and has them serve as inspiration when supporting the veterans of today and for generations to come.”
Ash in Afghanistan
THE HISTORY OF RBLI
In 1917, Landscape architect Thomas Mawson wrote “An Imperial Obligation.” Inspired by the death of his son in WW1, the book outlines the demand for a village for war veterans. And so began the growth of the RBLI Village in the heart of Kent. A place for veterans to heal, to work and to live amongst like-minded friends and comrades.
1919
Thomas Mawson leads the establishment of Industrial Settlements at Aylesford’s Preston Hall to provide support to troops returning from the Great War with tuberculosis.
1921
Industrial Settlement’s first village bungalows are built with large balconies and gardens so veterans can ‘grow their own’.
1926
HRH Edward Prince of Wales visited the Aylesford settlement, taking a great interest in the activities before becoming patron.
1964
RBLI’s social enterprise launches its reflective signs department - with 136 disabled employees.
1975
In December Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visits RBLI and tours the goods and signs departments.
1944
The total number of patients, settlers and dependants at the Preston Hall site rises to 1,641.
1971
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II bestowed the Royal prefix and new housing and the present factory was built over the following three years.
1985
RBLI greatly expands the woodwork and signs departments following periods of exponential growth in sales.
2002
RBLI purchases a Leatherhead social enterprise run by the Queen Elizabeth Foundation, expanding operations into Surrey.
2011
RBLI’s transformative employment support programme for veterans, LifeWorks, is launched.
2017
The first phase of RBLI’s Centenary Village is officially opened by the former Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon KCB.
2019
RBLI enters its centenary year and launches Scotland’s Bravest Manufacturing Company in Renfrewshire.
1993
RBLI’s high dependency nursing home Gavin Astor House opens.
2005
Queen Elizabeth Court, RBLI’s assisted living accommodation for veterans and their dependants opens its doors.
2016
The RBLI factory is rebranded and launched as Britain’s Bravest Manufacturing Company at the House of Commons.
2019
RBLI Celebrates 100 years and Appleton Lodge is officially opened and a time capsule is buried at the Centenary Village development by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
2020
Tommy Club is officially launched
VE DAY 2020
TOMMY STEPS IN TO THE BREACH AS VE DAY EVENTS ARE
As the country plunged into lockdown in response to the Coronavirus pandemic, celebrations for the 75th anniversaries of the climatic events of the Second World War were forced to be completely rethought...
TOMMY IN THE WINDOW
As street parties, mass gatherings and public events were cancelled, RBLI’s Tommy in the Window campaign offered the nation the opportunity to commemorate, by placing special edition Tommy figures and stickers in their windows.
Produced by veterans working in our social enterprise factory, Britain’s Bravest Manufacturing Company, the campaign gripped the heart of the nation, with more than 30,000 Tommies sold.
More importantly, over £1 million was raised for veterans and their families and we are so grateful to everyone that got behind this incredible show of support.
Thank you
We know that so many of you Tommy Club Champions joined the campaign to ensure there was a legion of ‘Tommys’ all over the country, to honour this poignant day in history and to thank a generation that made many sacrifices for peace in Europe.
Former head of the British Army and now Tommy Club Founding President Lord Dannatt said:
“This is a good time to remember that the nation has been through difficult times before and has come through challenges by pulling together.
The RBLI Tommy figure represents the price of victory and this special edition Tommy remembers many lives lost and many sacrifices that won peace for Europe in 1945.
As the Tommies are made by veterans they also represent our country’s support for veterans today.”
Window stickers, flags and special edition Tommy figures for this year’s VE Day celebrations are now on sale via the Tommy shop: rbli.shop/collections/ve-day-2021
BRITAIN’S BRAVEST MANUFACTURING CO.
VETERANS BECOME PART
BBMC veterans declared as key workers to produce and distribute essential supplies during the pandemic.
As the country went into lockdown, the veterans working in our Kent social enterprise, Britain’s Bravest Manufacturing Company were providing essential products to help keep Britain running.
Throughout lockdown, this dedicated team have been producing essential products for ventilator transport, the food and pharmaceutical industries, as well as signage for crucial infrastructure projects.
As a result, the workforce were declared key workers essential to the national supply chain.
Their mission to keep Britain running became a source of immense pride amongst the workforce, many of whom feel they benefit from getting out and going to work each day.
Living with a disability, illness or life-changing injury, combined with lack of social interaction
and unemployment can be devastating on mental health. For our veterans, having a sense of purpose is key and is what makes BBMC so special.
Managing Director of RBLI’s social enterprise Kate Bull said:
“It’s amazing to think that many of our team, having served their country in the past, are doing it once again.
As we now face a substantial rise in unemployment, it is crucial that businesses which are still able to function think even more about the effects of their staffing choices on societal needs.
As an organisation which has provided crucial employment opportunities for more than a century, the health and mental well-being of our team is our top priority. So we’ve taken every measure to ensure that our team is safe whilst still being able to provide such essential products.”
MADE OF STRONG STUFF
Did you know that all Tommy Club Welcome Packs and orders made by the Tommy Club are fulfilled by Britain’s and Scotland’s ’s Bravest?
At a perilous time in the nation’s economic history, your orders enable us to employ more veterans than ever, ensuring the future of our social enterprises, Britain’s Bravest Manufacturing Company and Scotland’s Bravest Manufacturing Company.
This year, Royal British Legion Industries will embark on the biggest national campaign in its history of more than 100 years, to celebrate one of the most important anniversaries in the country’s calendar, VE Day.
We are calling on YOU, our Tommy Club community of Champions, to play a key role in the heart of this major campaign. Find out how you can get involved our website: rbli.co.uk/veday
RELAY
With VE day 75th anniversary events cancelled last year, this brand new event is designed to give VE Day 2021 the recognition it deserves.
Tommy’s Race to Victory will see a core team of six military veterans and serving Armed Forces personnel, including RBLI’s chief executive Steve Sherry CMG OBE, run and cycle a gruelling route of more than 800 miles.
Beginning at Scotland’s Bravest Manufacturing Company in Glasgow, the core team will travel through iconic military cities and towns. They will finish at Britain’s Bravest Manufacturing Company, in the heart of the RBLI Village in Aylesford, Kent.
The team will deliver iconic Tommy figures to notable veterans from local communities and Tommy figures will also line the route.
BESTIES AND SERVING ARMED FORCES COMRADES, FAY AND STACY JOIN THE RELAY
Squadron Sergeant Major Fay Kent is what you might call a wonderwoman.
Fay joined the Royal Corps of Signals as a Junior soldier at the age of 16 and worked her way up to her current rank of WOC2. She is also seasoned athlete having represented her Corps across numerous sports including boxing, cross country and cycling; from London to Paris and back again in 48hrs (total of 576 miles).
However, the 800 plus miles she will be will be covering alongside other service
personnel and veterans may be her greatest challenge yet.
Fay will be joined by best friend of more than 20 years and fellow service woman Stacy, a WO2 of 16th Signal Regiment, who completed operational tours of both Iraq and Afghanistan.
The mum of two said: “I have seen and heard some very interesting situations in my time in the Army which is the main reason I am so devoted to RBLI.
Some of the veterans I have met on my journey would be homeless and helpless if it wasn’t for the support they received from the charity – so I am fully devoted to the cause.”
Stacy too shares Fay’s athletic history having represented the South of England at cross country as a youth and completing numerous charitable endurance challenges.
Most recently, Stacy completed RBLI’s Tommy 10k challenge, raising more than £2,000 in the process.
GET INVOLVED – RACE TO VICTORY OR PUT THE KETTLE ON!
For those of you that prefer to celebrate VE day without quite so much huffing and puffing, it’s Tommy Par-Tea Time!
This VE Day, we are asking our tea-riffic community of supporters to host a Tommy Tea party – your way!
Invite neighbours to your garden, friends to your driveway or colleagues over Zoom, celebrate VE Day with us.
Register your Tea Party and get everything you need to Par-Tea this VE Day online at rbli.co.uk/TommyTea
Over the month of May, you, your family and friends can support this national event by running, walking or wheeling your own way to Victory.
The challenge Pledge to complete 25km, 50km or 100km, any way you like, between 1st and 31st May.
All ages, experience and abilities are welcome and how you do it is up to you. Walk, run, wheel, cycle, scoot or even rollerblade!
What’s required
Choose your own routes, your own pace and follow the Tommy Club ethos – that nobody gets left behind.
It’s FREE to take part, all we ask is that you set up a fundraising page and share with your friends and family!
In return, you’ll get a free Tommy’s Race to Victory technical t-shirt and an invitation to join our Facebook community of other people taking part in the event.
Sign up now: rbli.co.uk/tommys-race-to-victory
TOMMY
MARTIN BARRAUD
CREATOR
Tommy Club Founding Patron, Martin Barraud, is an installation artist and award-winning conceptual photographer. Martin created the iconic Tommy and more recently is helping RBLI in its very successful VE Day Campaign.
Kent-based artist Martin Barraud began working with RBLI when he created the ‘Tommy’ for the There But Not There campaign.
In 2018, hundreds of Tommy silhouettes, manufactured by veterans at Britain’s Bravest Manufacturing Company, began to spring up all over the UK to mark 100 years since end of the First World War.
Barraud’s Tommy icon was inspired by a striking photograph of a WW1
soldier standing on the front, taken by English photographer, Horace Nicholls, who captured many wartime images.
Nicholls was also commissioned to photographed the interment of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey. His iconic image captures the resonance and simplicity of one of the revered sites in our military history.
The idea for this sacred landmark is said to have come from Reverend David Railton, who was based in Folkestone and given leave of absence to
wemake-youthink.com
Martin Barraud, photographer and installation artist behind the Tommy. Claire Williamson/Little Olives Photography.
A WW1 soldier at the front and the interment of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey, both photographed by Horace Nicholls.
serve as a chaplain on the Western Front. He did so with distinction, being awarded the Military Cross in 1916 for saving an officer and two men under heavy fire. The proposed tomb would represent all those who had fallen and therefore the identity of the soldier should never been known.
The process was carefully managed. Four unidentified British servicemen were carefully exhumed from battlefields in Aisne, the Somme, Arras and Ypres. The remains were then placed in plain coffins each covered by Union Flags.
In a private chapel, with only one other officer present, Brigadier L.J. Wyatt with closed eyes, rested his hand on one of the coffins. Neither men were told which battlefield the bodies had come. The other three were taken away for reburial.
The interment took place on 7th November 1920 and servicemen
kept watch at each corner of the grave while thousands of mourners filed past.
For the centenary in 2018, a Tommy silhouette was placed at each corner of the Tomb. It recreated a poignant scene described in a manuscript by a chorister, after the Abbey had closed and the crowds had left back in November 1920.
The Abbey was empty save for the guard of honour stiffly to attention, arms (rifles) reversed, heads bowed and quite still – the whole scene illuminated by just four candles.
It is no coincidence that Martin Barraud’s Tommy also stands with his head slightly bowed.
The origins of the term Tommy is widely disputed, the most common interpretation is that the term comes from ‘Tommy Atkins’, slang for a common soldier in the British Army.
The term was first established during the nineteenth century, but is particularly associated with World War 1. It is documented that German soldiers would call out to “Tommy” across no man’s land if they wanted to speak to a British soldier.
Over 100 years later, it is fitting that the Tommy icon belongs to Royal British Legion Industries, who have supported veterans since 1919, when injured and sick service personnel returned from the battlefields of WW1.
Tommy represents our history and enables us to commemorate those who have died since.
Tommies ‘on guard’ at The Tomb of the Unknown Warrior for the centenary of the Armistice on 11th November, 2018.
The Tommy has become a national symbol of commemoration.
IN MEMORIAM
CHARLES BOYER 1926
– 2020
Remembering Charles Boyer, who passed away in September 2020, age 94.
A D-Day veteran and a huge supporter of RBLI, some of you may recognise Charles from his lovely photo featured in our Tommy Champion Silver packs.
Charles Boyer was perhaps better placed than anyone to remember the moment that marked VE Day. Having fought on the landing grounds of D-Day before going on to get injured in Belgium, Charles witnessed the German surrender at Luneburg Heath in May 1945, “It was a great relief,” he said. ”A huge sigh of relief all around - including the Germans.”
Charles signed up in 1942, joining the Royal Norfolk Regiment by lying about his age. He soon found himself training for Operation Overlord.
“You couldn’t believe the noise – 4,000 ships going over and however many aeroplanes,” said Charles when recounting D-Day.
All we could see was beach and hill. We thought we were going to swim ashore, but the water was only knee high. We were told to run. Just run across the beach as fast as you can.”
Ever pragmatic, Charles said: “We were quite happy to get on with the job, no problem.”
Charles kept a copy of a message sent down by General Bernard Law Montgomery, Commander-in-Chief of the 21 Army Group. The rousing message read:
The
time has come to deal with the enemy a terrible blow in Western Europe. To us is given the honour of striking a blow for freedom which will live in history; and in the better days that lie ahead men will speak with pride of our doings.
Operation Overlord was the code name for The Battle of Normandy, which resulted in the Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany’s control. The battle began on June 6 1944, also known as D-Day, and was one of the bloodiest days of the Second World War. More than 4,400 combined allied troops died, with some 9,000 missing or wounded.
IN MEMORIAM
JOHN HUTCHIN 1924 – 2021
Remembering
John Hutchin, RBLI Village supporter, who passed away in March, age 97. A WW2 veteran, John served in the Far East, fighting in Burma with the Chindits.
John served in Burma during WW2 as part of the Chindits – a special force group tasked with working behind enemy lines to disrupt Japanese communications and supplies.
He recounted during his time supporting RBLI and ensuring his story lived on throughout the nation.
“One of three things happened when we were in the Far East” John said. “You were shot and killed, you were wounded and carried on as best you could, or you were left behind. I was left behind.”
Severely malnourished and unable to travel after a shrapnel wound to his shoulder, John was left by his fellow Chindits on a roadside in Burma with nothing but a few days’ rations, a gun and a few bullets. John only survived by getting to his feet, and marching for four days and four nights through the Burmese jungle.
Japan finally surrendered shortly after the United States detonated two nuclear bombs over the Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing more than 100,000 people. To this day, it remains the only use of nuclear weapons in armed conflict.
“We told the Japanese, who were dug-in in Indonesia, that the bomb had been dropped.” John explained “We drove up as close as we could with a loudspeaker and told them. But they shot as us because they didn’t believe the war was over –they thought it was a trick.”
“I was horrified when I heard the news the bomb had been dropped. I knew the war was coming to an end. I would have fought another two years in the jungle if they hadn’t dropped the bomb – I thought it was a dreadful thing to do. Luckily no-one’s done it since.”
Approximately 70,000 British and Commonwealth troops died during the Far Eastern Campaign, with more than 10,000 taken as prisoners of war. Conditions were horrific, with many suffering from malaria, typhus and severe malnourishment. As victory was declared in Europe, the efforts of this ‘Forgotten Army’ were largely overlooked as they continued to fight on until Japan finally surrendered in August, 1945.
QUEEN ELIZABETH COURT
THE NEED FOR SOCIAL SPACES
Last year before the pandemic hit, 90-yearold resident, George started a fundraising committee to expand the lounge and social space. Thanks to you, our Tommy Club Champions, the work can now commence!
Queen Elizabeth Court (QEC) is RBLI’s vibrant assisted living scheme for people who have served in the Armed Forces and their spouses.
Before Covid-19 restrictions, George Bradford, who is a resident of QEC and his fellow committee members led collections, appeals and events to help raise funds to expand the lounge and social space. Their cause took on even more importance when lockdown restrictions were introduced. The existing space doesn’t allow for social distancing, which has been particularly tough for older veterans, who are used to being able to socialise, eat meals, and take part in mobility, fitness or craft sessions together.
GREAT NEWS...
We are delighted to announce that thanks to your support, the Queen Elizabeth Court lounge expansion is ready to start as soon as restrictions allow!
CHARLES BOYER’S LEGACY
Charles first moved to Queen Elizabeth Court in 2017 and within just a few short years, Charles established himself as one of the village’s most loved residents. Charles has left a lasting legacy at RBLI, recognising an upcoming project at Queen Elizabeth Court. He will be sorely missed by his family and RBLI.
QEC resident and fundraiser, George Bradford, is a former Royal Marine and a Founding Patron of the Tommy Club.
BARRATT DEVELOPMENTS
A LEADING PARTNERSHIP
As well as funds raised by George’s Committee and The Tommy Club, the project has the full backing of Tommy Club’s first corporate Founding Patron, Barratt Developments and partner Greenwich Hospital.
Represented by CEO David Thomas, Barratt Developments were personally invited to become patron by Tommy Club President Lord Dannatt. They took no time in showing their commitment to the project by donating an incredible £100,000 in its first week.
RBLI Chief Executive Steve Sherry CMG OBE said:
“Whilst those of us in the Third Sector work tirelessly to lead the conversation on veteran support, for the private sector to join that discussion, ultimately, organisations have to take that first step and stand up and be counted.
Barratt Developments is without doubt such an organisation - they are a true leader in the private space when it comes to the support of the military community.
We cannot thank Barratt Developments enough for their on-going support, and together we will continue to improve the lives of military veterans and their families.”
DID YOU KNOW....?
RBLI and Barratt Developments first joined forces in 2018 when the country’s leading housebuilder donated £750,000 to RBLI’s Centenary Village development.
In 2019, Barratt commissioned Britain’s Bravest Manufacturing Company to produce signage for Barratt sites across the South East, opening up a new revenue stream for the social enterprise.
The BBMC team have been kept busy working on Barratt’s residential signage ever since and are really proud of the results.
RBLI are fantastic to work with. Their vision fits in with ours and the fact that they cover such a vast area and many different industries, they have extensive knowledge and new ideas that they bring.
David Thomas, CEO of Barratt Developments, really lived up to the role of Patron when he visited QEC in 2019. He threw himself into serving tea to the residents and even did the washing up before he left!
Raveena Cox Field Sales Manager, Barratt Developments North Thames Division
THE GRAPEVINE
SNIPPETS FROM AROUND
An amazing Tommy community initiative was brought to our attention by Tommy Club Champion, Neil Taff Barritt.
Back in February this year Royal Fusilier and D-Day veteran, Tommy Trotter, was facing the prospect of celebrating his 100th birthday alone in lockdown.
Tommy’s friend and bar owner, Julia Cooper, had originally organised a big birthday celebration for him, including a regimental guard of honour. When the plans had to be scrapped due to Covid-19 restrictions, Julia put her thinking cap on, to make sure Tommy’s big day did not go by without occasion.
Julia launched a campaign, asking members of the public to send birthday cards to Tommy – and that’s where the Tommy Champions came in.
You sent cards by the sackload The original target of 1000 cards for Tommy Trotter was smashed and he received enough cards to fill the floor in Julia’s bar!
Chief Executive Brigadier Steve Sherry CMG OBE said: “Whilst this pandemic has been incredibly challenging for us all, it has also brought out the very best in us – and that’s no more evident than in Julia’s amazing campaign and the Tommy Club Champions who have offered their support.”
Tommy and Julia’s amazing story featured on both the BBC and ITV – did any of you see it?
Courtesy of the Tommy Club, Tommy received a personalised Tommy for his home and favourite bar as well as honorary Championship.
I’m sure you’ll extend your warm welcome to our newest Champion!
WANT TO SHARE SOMETHING ON THE GRAPEVINE?
So many Tommy Club Champions that have gone above and beyond over the last six months and we’d love to feature as many of your stories as possible here.
If you’d like to submit a story to the Grapevine, please email it to Tommyclub@rbli.co.uk Keep it snappy and don’t forget to include pictures!
TOMMY TROTTER
RBLI’s
D-Day veteran Tommy Trotter received thousands of cards for his lockdown 100th birthday and made headline news after after you championed his story. Tommy is now a Tommy Club Champion in his own right!
STEPHEN AND DAWN SPREAD JOY WITH TOMMY TEA BOXES
When VE and VJ day celebrations were cancelled last year, we asked Team Tommy to put the kettle on... So many of you supported our first ever a Tommy Tea event, including Stephen and Dawn from Southampton, who used the opportunity to bring joy to their local community and make some lonely people smile.
The couple made and delivered 70 special Tommy Tea afternoon tea boxes to elderly and lonely residents around their local community – many of whom are veterans.
The boxes were packed with finger sandwiches, jam, scones & clotted cream, cake and shortbread – all made by the pair!
To add an extra element of Tommy magic, they also purchased and included a Tommy lapel pin badge in every box.
Each box was hand delivered. Some were bought as gifts or exchanged for a donation, which meant the couple also raised £300. A really fantastic effort! Stephen also set up a Zoom for anyone that wanted to participate, so they could all enjoy their Tommy Tea together.
Stephen and Dawn, you are our heroes!
DON’T MISS OUT... TOMMY TEA RETURNS FOR VE DAY 2021!
Go to our website for details and to sign up. rbli.co.uk/TommyTea
IN LOVING MEMORY OF THOMAS STEWART (ROYAL ARTILLERY)
Submitted by Tom’s nephew, Duncan Stewart, Tommy Step Challenge fundraiser and Tommy Club Champion.
As well as raising as much money as possible for our brave veterans and their Families, I dedicated taking part in the Tommy Challenge to my late Uncle Tom. I have so many wonderful memories of his stories from the 12 years he served with the Royal Artillery: 19 - Gibralter Battery of 19 Missile Regiment:
He told me about the hilarious tale of Nojmegan Marches in the 1960’s, and how the Americans were incredibly competitive (blazing past everyone), only to be passed some miles down the route, scattered at the side of the road due to exhaustion!
He told me about having to do Guard Duty for Rudolph Hess at Spandau Prison, the Duties at Checkpoint Charlie, and the experiences of his Tours of Northern Ireland.
However my best memories simply were of him as my Uncle Tom. I hope that I’ve done my Uncle and his Family Proud .
TOMMY 10K CHALLENGE
THANK YOU!
OF THE FUNDS RAISED FROM TOMMY 10K ARE GOING TOWARDS THE RBLI CENTENARY VILLAGE . THANK YOU!
TOMMY CLUB
THE VILLAGE
CONSTRUCTION
RBLI’s Centenary Village development will expand affordable social housing at a time of local and national pressure, helping families in real danger of eviction or debt crisis, and single veterans at great risk of homelessness.
So far, RBLI has successfully raised over £18m towards our Centenary Village development. This means we have less than £4m to go to finish this crucial project which will see homes, and much needed wrap-around support, for over 100 vulnerable veterans and their families for decades to come.
We are delighted that following the government’s road map, it will once again be possible for visits to RBLI’s Village and new Centenary Development from 29th March.
The construction works are progressing well and already, the ground floors of the first buildings can clearly be seen.
The Covid-19 pandemic has increased the urgency for the new homes. The most
disadvantaged in the UK are affected by the economic impact of this crisis. RBLI is seeing redundancy, financial crisis, and family break-ups on a new scale, as well as relationship breakdown as families struggle to cope with the months of financial pressure.
Now more than ever there is a desperate need to support our nation’s veterans. We have seen an increase in referrals since the start of the pandemic, from both veterans at risk of homelessness and those facing financial crisis.
To find out more about this project, go to rbli.co.uk/centenaryvillage
Thank you to all who braved the rain and snow to take part in Tommy 10,000 Step
Challenge in January – it kicked our year off to a great start.
As many of you know, this challenge had symbolic significance: the 10,000 steps, over 31 days, totalled 155 miles, which was the distance travelled by our Tommies during the fighting retreat to Dunkirk.
The challenge gave us an opportunity to collaborate with Tommy Club Founding Patron and social historian, Neil Storey.
I could imagine those old soldiers giving you all one of the best thanks you could ever get –a big Tommy thumbs up.
Neil helped us share the experiences of two sergeants who travelled this immense distance, one of whom was Neil’s great uncle, Verdun who was serving with 2nd Battalion, The Norfolk Regiment. Their stories come straight from the men’s war diaries and along the way we heard from each of their families.
We also featured other heroes, demonstrating not only the courage of the time, but also showcasing the very best of humanity. Dunkirk is an example of the strength and courage humans can possess when called upon to do so, and shows what we can achieve when we work together in the face of adversity.
Neil Storey said of his great uncle and the other men, “Verdun and indeed all the veterans I knew very seldom if ever spoke about their experiences in the teeth of battle, but they would often reminisce about the comradeship in their battalion and how they helped each other get through, often with a bit of humour.
I believe I saw some of that special shared humour and support during the challenge in the messages and stories in our group and the money raised has been absolutely brilliant. I think it is something you can all be very proud of.”
NEIL STOREY Award-winning social historian and Tommy Club Founding Patron
Over raised
Over Tommy Champions took part, and gained their silver medals as a result!
Over fundraisers took part. That’s over SIX MILLION steps!
Parachute Regiment veterans and Guinness World Record holders, Peter Ketley (top) and Neil Young (bottom)
Tommy Club Founding Patrons, Peter Ketley and Neil Young, (known collectively as ‘The Grandads’), started raising money for RBLI in 2018, when they set a world record as the oldest pair to row across the Atlantic.
Peter and Neil, who both served in the Parachute Regiment, dug out their old bergens and took on the ‘Paratrooper’ version of the 10,000 step challenge –tabbing five miles every day with 40lb backpacks.
Peter said: “It’s been many years since I tabbed and the old bones complained a bit at first!
But every time I went out, I thought about my grandfather who was at Dunkirk as a 53-year-old padre with 1/6th East Surrey Regiment.
I found myself making comparisons with my own experiences in the Falklands and still cannot imagine the relentless hardship he endured.”
The Grandads raised just over £2,100.
tabbing abbrev. (Army)
From TAB – Tactical Advance to Battle. A forced march carrying a heavy backpack over a long distance. The Royal Marines liken it to a ‘Yomp’ but the Paras claim tabbing is much faster... We’ll stay clear of that debate!
TABBING FOR TOMMY CLUB: THE GRANDADS
TOMMY
Throughout the country, and overseas, over 4000 participants signed up to take part in Royal British Legion Industries’ ‘The Great Tommy Sleep Out’ braving the cold and wet during the month of March.
This challenge was designed to raise awareness and make us think about those that are homeless, especially at this time of year. Together we raised crucial funds to support homeless veterans during the corona virus pandemic; an estimated 6000 military veterans currently live on the streets of the UK.
Our brave supporters including cadets, scouts and Fire & Rescue Services and military groups have already raised over £205,000 which is an amazing achievement! Every penny raised by the campaign will go directly to RBLI’s wide range of services providing home, welfare and employment support to military veterans.
We have been astounded by the passion and camaraderie that our ‘Tommy Sleepers’ have shown throughout the challenge. Creating shelters and really pushing engagement and awareness.
Some, including such as Paul Biggins and Rob Yuill, slept out for the whole month. David Whithorn even slept out in original WW1 kit.
Young Army cadets from Sussex ACF stepped up to the challenge as a group and put their skills to great use, raising over £4,000!
We must also give a big thank you to the ‘Fantastic Fifteen’ who joined RBLI’s CEO, Brigadier Steve Sherry to sleep out.
The team included CEOs and Managing Directors from some of the UK’s biggest corporations including Manpower Group, General Dynamics, Shepherd Neame Thomson Snell and Passmore plus our very own Founding Patron, Barratt Developments.
Their combined efforts raised almost £25,000 – incredible work!
Friends Steven Foster and Mat
from the Kent and East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service sleep out for three nights with only a sleeping bag and no essentials unless donated to
David Whithorn slept out for the whole month in original WW1 kit. He said, “It has been an absolute privilege to be part of this campaign and to share our photographs, experiences and stories.”
THE
TOMMY
CLUB COMMUNITY SHINES THROUGH
We can’t thank you all enough for your perseverance, enthusiasm and comradeship. It has been absolute pleasure for the team to work with such wonderful people.
Because we raised so much more than we could ever imagine, we have been able to not only continue providing our current services for homeless veterans, but complete a brand new series of works. We are now able to update our emergency accommodation kitchens and living areas, plus provide more facilities than ever, including new gym equipment.
Harris
them!
Sussex Army Cadets
Our online shop is packed full of veteran-made gifts and ideas for homes and gardens and, every purchase supports RBLI. Visit rbli.shop to start shopping today!
GLASSWARE
Looking for a special gift for an Armed Forces friends or family members? Our engraved glassware range is made by Mike, a Royal Navy veteran who served over 22 years in the Royal Navy as a Weapon Engineer, various operations in the Persian Gulf, the Baltic Seas and off the coast of Sierra Leone.
Unfortunately, a cancer diagnosis and resulting permanent back pain cut Mike’s Navy career short and he was forced to look for a less physical alternative. Mike has found a new vocation with Britain’s Bravest Manufacturing Company, where he makes our beautiful engraved glassware.
YOUR EXCLUSIVE TOMMY CLUB DISCOUNT Enter ‘TOMMYCLUB’ at the checkout to receive your 10% champion discount
WOODEN GARDEN PRODUCTS
This high-quality range of wooden garden products are hand-made by Tony, a veteran, who is putting his excellent carpentry skills to great use at Britain’s Bravest Manufacturing Company.
Tony developed PTSD following a traumatic peace keeping mission to Kosovo in 2000. He struggled to adjust to civilian life before coming to the RBLI Village in 2019. Read his full story on page 5.
Tommy Glass Tankard/
Mug
Tommy ‘They shall’
Tumbler
VE Day Glass Tankard/
Mug
Small Tommy planter
£57.00
Small Tommy planter £89.99
Birdy Base Camp
£38.50
Hedgehog HQ and planter £57.00
Garden planter bench
£179.99