I’ve been wearing my poppy with pride all week. As a former RAF Officer and as a member of the Royal British Legion (New Mill branch) I was honoured to sign up to the Legion’s manifesto for the Armed Forces recently. I’ve pledged to do my bit for Service Personnel and their families, the bereaved, veterans and dependants.
Last night I met the brave men and women of 15 Brigade Territorial Army at their Huddersfield base. I chatted to the reservists who have just returned from 5 and 6 month tours in Helmand province to resume their civvie careers as HSBC Bank IT managers, truck drivers and trainee solicitors. They believe in their mission in Afghanistan and we should believe in them. I do. It’s just a shame that the government have cut the training budget for our Reserve Forces. I also met student members of the Officer Training Corps from local universities, they too have had their funding cut.
