Use or lose your regimental associations, younger veterans warned
The Garrison Sergeant Major of London District has warned younger veterans to use their regimental associations or run the risk of losing them altogether.
Warrant Officer Class 1 Andrew 'Vern' Stokes, who earlier this year oversaw the delivery of the King's coronation, made the plea as some veterans told Forces News regimental associations were too formal, and that sometimes the older veteran community could be difficult to engage with.
The GSM issued his warning following a meeting of the Shropshire Branch of the Coldstream Guards Association – his own association – which he said recently faced a "make or break" situation due to a lack of participation in association activities.
"We've got to make it appealing," WO1 Stokes said.
He added: "Associations need to have a diaspora that crosses all ages and not just support elderly veterans.
"Whilst that is really important, that we maintain that and we still do that, we also have to have an edge that attracts younger members."
In 2021, the national census found that 1.85 million people in England and Wales were classed as veterans.
Fifty-three per cent were over 65, meaning almost half of all veterans are of working age. It's this group the GSM is calling on to get more involved with the regimental associations.
WO1 Stokes said: "I think the issue is volume. These associations were formed about 100 years ago, shortly after the First World War. The Army was much much bigger and there wasn't distractions like social media.
"Now the issue is the Army's much smaller, so therefore we don't recruit as many people and we don't see as many service leavers as we saw before.
"So we don't have the same volume to sustain the numbers of the branches that we have for all of the regimental associations."
And, he stressed: "The branches need to modernise."
One regimental association that has attempted to do that is The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.
Earlier this year, they secured funding from the Office for Veterans' Affairs to help engage their younger veteran cohort, after an internal, General-led, review found there were Fusiliers who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan that they were failing to engage sufficiently.
"We identified a problem," said Colonel James Denny, Regimental Secretary of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.
He added: "There was a gap of an age group in the late 30s to 40s, people who had been to Iraq and Afghanistan, who had not re-engaged with the regiment for very good reasons once they had left the Army.
"Following a review, we ran a competition between three or four companies and chose an app and a web-based system to support our veterans."
The app's called Fusilier Connect and the regiment secured funding from the Office for Veterans' Affairs to roll it out.
Asked if he agreed regimental associations were too formal, the GSM said yes, adding: "If we need to rub off a bit of the formality, that's fine. That's achievable."
But he appealed to those who have stepped away from the military following their Army service to not forget about the regimental family that will be "always there".
"If you don't think the branch of the association is for you, that's absolutely fine. Find your own space and find your own way of bedding into a community.
"But don't forget about it."
Mr Stokes added: "When the time is right and when you want to reconnect with people from your regiment, then go searching for the branches because they're always there. And they'll be there to help you.
"But the trouble is, if we don't use them, we will lose them.
"So, if you're 50-50 in any way, then go to your branches and support them. Because your support will maintain them for a long time."
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