Who's really committed to the armed forces?

I've just come across this chart on the Royal British Legion website, showing how many MPs and parliamentary candidates from each of the political parties contesting the general election have signed up to the Legion's manifesto.

I find this extraordinary: there are 650 parliamentary constituencies in the UK and all three of the main parties are standing candidates in these seats.

That means around 1,000 candidates of all parties have not signed up to the pledge to do our duty by our servicemen and women. Now of course this chart could be out of date, but it is still an alarming situation.

Unfortunately, the Legion doesn't have a facility to enable us to find out whether any of the candidates standing in Putney have failed to sign up to their manifesto - but be assured that I certainly have:



No doubt some candidates will respond by saying that it's gesture politics to sign a pledge - and they're absolutely right: it's a really important gesture that demonstrates how committed each candidate is to making sure that our armed forces are properly looked after.

National defence is the first duty of any government. I personally think any candidate who does not understand and respect that to their core isn't qualified to serve as an MP.

Royal British Legion email

You may recall that last year at Labour Party Conference I signed up to the Royal British Legion's manifesto to support our armed forces, pictured above with Charlotte Tailby of the Legion. Support for our soldiers - both those in service and our veterans - is an issue I'll champion as your MP.

Now, with the election coming soon the Legion have just got in touch to confirm they've registered me as one of their supporters:

Fromelles fallen laid to rest

I wrote last year about the dedication of the first war cemetery in fifty years on the site of one of the worst battles of the First World War at Fromelles in France.

It was the first major battle involving Australian and British troops fighting side by side on the Western Front. The 5th Australian Division suffered 5,533 casualties, of which 1,780 were killed, and the 61st British Division suffered the loss of 1,547 men killed, wounded or taken prisoner.

Well, a couple of days ago the soldiers who ended up in mass, unmarked graves at Fromelles were finally laid to rest at the new war cemetery, watched by relatives of the fallen.
You see a short clip of the burial service for the unknown soldier at Fromelles from the BBC.

Armistice Day

In Flanders Fields
by John McCrae, May 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky the larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago we lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie in Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow in Flanders fields.

Remembrance Sunday

A bugler plays the Last Post at a Remembrance Service in Lashkar Gah, Helmand, Southern Afghanistan in November 2007.

Byline: SAC Kimberley Waterson RAF, Source: Army, Crown Copyright

Backing the British Legion

One of the invitations I was pleased to accept at Labour Party Conference was from the Royal British Legion, which is asking general election candidates of all parties to sign up to their manifesto to care for members of the armed services - both serving and veterans.

I'm pleased to add my support to this cause because I am a passionate supporter of our servicemen and women. Defence has always been a difficult issue for some in Labour: there is a fringe element in my party (that's actually a lot stronger among Liberal Democrats) that resents money going to the defence budget. Those who believe that are just plain wrong.

Defence and national security is the first duty of a government and funding the military we have asked so much of is not up for negotiation in my book. So while we can have the debate about whether to scale back elements of our nuclear deterrent; or whether we have sufficient fighter planes or our navy is strong enough, my view is that a substantial share of any of the savings made in these areas needs to be reinvested in supporting military families.

That's clearly not the Conservative priority. They have specifically spelt out that Defence is not an area they are prepared to protect from the savage cuts they want to make. Because of what they've said quite publicly about how much they're planning on cutting that means slashing at least 10% - and I suspect nearer to 20% from the defence budget.

And everything they cut from defence won't be going back into areas of our military that still need investment - it will be going towards paying for their inheritance tax cut for the richest 2% of the country.

In the context of the poor state of military accommodation - which wasn't been given sufficient priority by either party for decades, but which is at least being put right now, the Tory inheritance tax cut for the richest 2% seems especially perverse. In fact, a far more popular policy would be an inheritance tax increase on the richest 2% of estates specifically ringfenced to complete the job Labour has started of bringing every barracks and every other military home up to scratch.

You can read the Royal British Legion's manifesto here. In the photo above I'm with Charlotte Tailby of the Legion. The photo was taken by Photoshot.

Wootton Bassett

The people of Wootton Bassett, the town to which the bodies of our servicemen and women return to, deserve our unending gratitude for the unfailing and moving respects they pay each and every tragic occasion. They do not that they seek such thanks, but in their respects they represent us all.

Today is Armed Forces Day

Today is the first-ever Armed Forces Day in Britain - a day when we can pay tribute and give thanks to our servicemen and women in the Army, Navy and Air Force. Many of us think such a day is long overdue, and I am sure this event will become a fixture in our national calendar.

Wandsworth is home to territorial soldiers from the London Regiment based in Battersea, Balham and St John?s Hill and the 31st (City of London) Signal Regiment based in Southfields - many of whom have seen operational duty in Iraq or Afghanistan. There are also army, sea and air cadet squadrons located within the Borough.

There are loads of events, national and local planned for today - indeed, they've been happening all week. And you can play your part too.

You can display an Armed Forces Day flag - like the one at the top of this post and in the banner image of my site - by clicking here. Just download, print it off and stick it in your window.

If you want to get more involved then the official Armed Forces Day website has a host of ways to show your support, including children's competitions and signing up to the Facebook and Twitter Armed Forces Day events.

The forecasts are for perfect outdoor weather today, so why not take part in some of the local events? Here are details of the main Wandsworth event:

Battersea Park, 12 noon - 5pm
The - fun - day will commence midday at the bandstand in Battersea Park with the Pipes and Drums from the London Regiment heralding a military salute and opening ceremony.

After the military spectacle the day?s family festivities will get underway and visitors will have the opportunity to meet the soldiers and cadets to speak about their military role in the community and beyond. There will be activities and exhibitions for residents of all ages:

• Watch weapons demonstrations including mortars, machine guns, assault rifles and anti-tank missiles;
• Take part on the Army's Paintball Range;
• See the equipment carried by the soldiers whilst on operations, try to put up a poncho and feel the weight of a Bergan on their back;
• Watch a field kitchen in action;
• Talk to members of the Sea Cadets, Army Cadets and Air Cadets as well as veterans from the Royal British Legion and staff from the charity Help for Heroes;
• Experience a ride in a tethered hot air balloon with all donations to go to the London Regiment?s Welfare and Benevolent Fund;
• Listen to music from the Westminster Saxophone Quartet jazz band and the Bryden string quartet;
• Watch or take part in a game of rounders ? civilians versus military;
  enjoy a free Tai Chi session;
• Children above the age of 3 years are invited to take part in creative workshops at the Gallery Piazza. The workshops will be: flag making (create your own family flag) and create a City State (what would you do if you were in charge of your own city?);
• Face painting will also be available with all donations going to The Royal British Legion.

You can find out more about nearby events and the national celebration of our Armed Forces at http://www.armedforcesday.org.uk/.

Why we never forget

The Australian Memorial at Fromelles, (c) Commonwealth War Graves Commission

The Battle of Fromelles began 19 days after the opening of the Somme campaign during the First World War. It was the first major battle involving Australian and British troops on the Western Front. The 5th Australian Division suffered 5,533 casualties, of which 1,780 were killed, and the 61st British Division suffered the loss of 1,547 men killed, wounded or taken prisoner.

In 2008, the existence of mass graves was confirmed and the British and Australian Government decided to undertake a full archaeological excavation of the site. Earlier this week, work to recover the bodies of up to 400 soldiers began at Pheasant Wood.

Dignitaries from the UK, Australian and French governments were present alongside representatives from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which is overseeing the project on behalf of the UK and Australian governments, and the team from Oxford Archaeology which is undertaking the recovery operation. They were joined by people from the local community, and those visiting Fromelles to pay their respect to the fallen.

By 2010 all bodies found will be permanently laid to rest in individual graves at a new Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery at Fromelles, the first to be constructed in fifty years.

The lists of names of UK and Australian soldiers who are thought might be recovered has been published, and families who believe their relatives may have lost their lives at Fromelles are urged to check the lists on http://www.cwgc.org/fromelles.

Anyone believing they may be related to British soldiers buried at Fromelles should contact the Historic Casualty Casework, Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre, Service Personnel and Veterans Agency, Imjin Barracks, Gloucester GL3 1HW, 01452 712612 extension 6303 or 7330 or email SPVA-JCCC-fromelles-GroupMailbox@spva.mod.uk.

David Cameron's "Age of Austerity"

British Armed Forces Day: 27 June

I was delighted that the government last week announced the first-ever British Armed Forces Day, which will take place on Saturday 27 June 2009.

This will be an opportunity for the entire nation to celebrate the vital contribution our servicemen and women make to our country; to say thank you, and to reflect on their sacrifices for our country over the years.

For the past three years 27 June has marked Veteran's Day, but the government felt that serving, as well as retired servicemen and women should be celebrated.

The historic Royal Naval Dockyard at Chatham in Kent has been chosen to host the main Armed Forces Day celebrations, but there will be other events up and down the land - including, hopefully, at the Territorial Army base in Merton Road and the Royal British Legion in Upper Richmond Road.

I would like the government to go further and make Armed Forces Day a Bank Holiday - something I will work hard for as Putney's MP and which I first wrote about last June.

You can find out more about Armed Forces Day at http://www.armedforcesday.org.uk/

How to treat 85 year old war veterans, by Wandsworth Council

Last week I wrote to the Housing Department about an 85 year old war veteran in West Hill with serious health problems whose bedroom keeps getting flooded because of leaks from the flat of the council tenant above him. His bedspread is now a tarpaulin, his carpet squelches with the water it has absorbed and his insurance premiums have soared because he keeps having to claim to repair the damage he had no hand in causing. I know this because I visited and saw for myself on Saturday.

My constituent had repeatedly asked the council to sort out the leaks but no action had been taken. I was happy to step in to see if I could help him out. Yesterday I got a reply from the Housing Department. Here's what they wrote:

"Mr X is a leaseholder. Therefore, regardless of his age, health or military experience he is responsible for carrying out any works within his property...I do not feel that the fact that I was unable to agree to Mr X's suggestion means that I, or anyone else in this team, have been inconsiderate or uncaring and I do not feel that an apology is necessary. The responsibility to repair the damage lies with him."

Well, that may be the sort of reply Putney's Conservative MP, or the three Conservative Councillors for West Hill might find acceptable, but I don't.

Wandsworth Council is renowned for seeking to claim back all costs to its property caused by others - and rightly so. Now the boot is on the other foot and suddenly repeated damage to a war veteran's home caused from a property they own is "nothing to do with us gov".

I've got news for them: it is and I'm not going to stop until they honour their responsibilities and show a little bit more respect to someone who served their country and never asked for any help from anyone, until now. Look at the way the Tories respond: contemptibly.

Putney Pensioner

The new edition of my newsletter for local senior citizens, The Putney Pensioner, has just been published.

Because of the huge increases in fuel prices this year - especially for gas - this could be one of the most difficult for pensioners and everyone else who struggles to pay their energy bills.

The Labour Government has already announced increases in the Winter Fuel Allowance and a big rise from £8.50 to £25 per week in the emergency fund that gets paid out if we experience especially cold weather. But look out for further announcements in the Chancellor's Pre-Budget Statement later this month for more help.

It's really important that pensioners claim everything they're entitled to, which is why this edition of the Putney Pensioner leads with this important story.

The edition also talks about work finally set to start on Putney Hospital; on veterans badges, the RAF Bomber Command Memorial fund and the safety checks for electric blankets the Fire Brigade is organising.

You can read the new edition here in Adobe PDF format. It goes to all pensioners in sheltered housing around the constituency plus anyone who subscribes.

RAF Bomber Command Memorial

As Remembrance Sunday draws closer, a fund has been launched to provide a statue in central London to commemorate the 55,000 RAF bomber crew who were killed during the Second World War.

While the efforts and sacrifice of those who contributed to other aspects of our war effort have been properly marked, those who flew and manned bomber aircraft have never been honoured.

In part, this may be because some have been discomforted at the role our bombers played and the horrific damage aerial bombing did. Nonetheless, without Bomber Command the war would have lasted much longer at the cost of many more innocent lives. Bombers were the only means in those days we had to strike in a significant way at the heart of the Third Reich's industrial and military capability. Simply put, we would not have won the war without RAF Bomber Command.

To find out more about the role the RAF Bomber Command played in WW2 and about the plans for the memorial - which includes a short video - click here.

William Gardens: "squatters out!"

Like many local residents, I've been appalled to witness how William Gardens, just behind St Margaret's Church in West Putney, has been taken over by squatters in recent weeks.

I cannot believe that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) - who own the estate and who have been decanting families from the blocks in order to renovate and make them fit for housing Servicemen and women and their families - did not imagine that leaving a derelict estate unsecured would not be a massively tempting target for squatters.

My anger with the MoD is that the legal action they will now have to pursue to reclaim William Gardens will delay the start date for the much needed renovations and therefore the date by which soldiers will be able to take up residence. And the costs of such action will, in all likelihood, far exceed the costs of some secure fencing, barbed wire and a few padlocks.

And equally, while some among those now squatting in William Gardens may or may not have some other recourse to avoid sleeping rough, I find it hard to believe that they are more deserving of space in this development than those who have fought - and in some cases been badly injured - in service to their country.

It has taken the MoD far too long to decant families from William Gardens - the last family left in July but the process has taken almost two years. While families need to be moved to suitable equivalent homes and be supported during the moving process, there is little more soul-destroying than being left behind as your neighbours and friends are moved out and you're left in an isolated estate on your own.

When the MoD decided to renovate William Gardens they should have decanted residents quickly; they should have had a schedule of works ready to commence as soon as the last family left and if that was unachievable they should have secured the site effectively until they were able to start works.

Veterans' Badges: do you know someone who hasn't claimed theirs?

This is a photo of me with Alex and Queenie Green, who live in Glenthorpe in Putney Park Avenue. Alex and Queenie have been married for 61 years, although the reason I visited them recently was not to mark that considerable achievement but because both of them served in the armed forces during the Second World War and neither had yet claimed their Veterans' Badge.

Alex and Queenie are lifelong Wandsworth residents: they spent most of their lives in Battersea before moving to Skeena Hill in Southfields and then to Glenthorpe.

They contacted me after receiving the recent edition of my special newsletter for senior citizens, The Putney Pensioner, which mentioned my campaign to encourage everyone eligible to claim their Veterans' Badge to do so. I was more than happy to drop application forms round to them and hear some of their tales of service life.

If you or a relative served in the armed forces, including service on the home front, I hope you'll take the time to download a veterans' badge application form - it's pleasingly short and straightforward - or contact me and I'll happily send you one.

Veterans Day

Today was Veteran's Day - a day for us all to acknowledge the contribution our armed service-men and women make to our country. In London, the event was marked by a Trafalgar Square rally where London Mayor Boris Johnson and Labour Defence Secretary Des Browne announced several ideas to make the lives of our veterans better. This was the third Veteran's Day and its gradually becoming a more significant event.

But there's a long way to go before Veterans' Day becomes something other than fourth or fifth-tier news story on our evening news bulletins. And the reason I say that is that there were no local events in Putney to mark Veterans' Day.

Holocaust Memorial Day is, rightly, marked locally. So is Armistice Day. Both these events exist to remember suffering and loss. It's time we also marked the positive contribution our soldiers make. Can you imagine the US marking its Veterans' Day in the same half-hearted; uncomfortable; almost embarrassed way that we in the UK do so.

It's one reason why a few weeks ago I came out in support of making Veterans' Day a Bank Holiday. That way we can make much more of a statement of our appreciation of what it is to serve, to put on more events nationally and locally, and get more people along to these celebrations. This isn't about us having another holiday; another national party. It's about us saying thank you to those prepared to offer up what the Americans call the last full measure of devotion.

Make Veterans' Day a Bank Holiday

The idea to make Veterans' Day - which is held at the end of June - a national Bank Holiday is one I back wholeheartedly.
The idea is one of a number proposed by Labour MP Quentin Davies, who has a long history of interest in and support for our armed services. There has been some debate recently - but still not what I would regard as a proper national debate - about the respect, or lack therof we afford our servicemen and women.

There is also a reticence - which I understand - not to be as brashly cheerleading in our support of our armed forces, as some other countries are: simply put it's not the way we do things. I'm not suggesting that we need to wear our patriotism on our sleeves to quite the same extent just to prove that we support our troops - but equally, there has been some unacceptable prejudice against soldiers in uniform and it's time to say this is wrong and that we're proud of the job they do. Soldiers should be proud to wear their uniform wherever, whenever - and be made welcome when they do.

So I think devoting a new public bank holiday to the sacrifice and dedication our soldiers give - and to spend some time reflecting on that contribution as a result - is perfectly fitting.

For information Veterans' Day this year, which obviously isn't a Bank Holiday, falls on Friday 27th June, as you can see from the logo above. But let's hope that come 2009 it will be.

PJ front page in Guardian

Further to my report yesterday on backing British Serviceman and Wandsworth resident PJ Williams get action from the Home Office so that he continue serving our country in the army, the Wandsworth Guardian have made this story their front page this week.

I'm delighted that this story - little short of a scandal, in fact - is getting the attention it deserves. If we continue the pressure on the Home Office, I'm confident that we'll get the breakthrough needed, and PJ will get the resolution to his two year nationality dispute he deserves.

Click here to read a full-size version of the front page.

How not to treat our servicemen

I wrote a couple of weeks ago about my campaign session in the Arndale.

Following our work there a resident od Sudbury House, Mr Williams, got in touch to seek help with a problem he's having with the Border & Immigration Agency (BIA).

MrWilliams is a Jamaican national who serves in the British Army. He married an EU citizen and has a teenage daughter who was born in this country. He has always worked and saw active duty in Kosovo. He is entitled to permanent leave to remain in our country, which he has made his home.

Yet the BIA has so far failed to deal with his application ? despite having over two years to do so. On its own, this is a shoddy state of affairs and one wonders why exactly such a relatively straight forward matter should take so long.

However, it is compounded by the fact that in making his application Mr Williams was required to surrender his passport to the BIA. Consequently, he has been unable to travel abroad for either personal reasons or professional business. That means that he has been unable to join his unit in either Afghanisatan or Iraq, where his services as a mechanic would be of obvious use and benefit to service personnel serving in those theatres of war. Imagine for one minute how you would feel if your passport had been confiscated by the government for two years - unable to travel abroad on work or holiday.

I have written to both the Border & Immigration Agency and Liam Byrne MP, the Immigration Minister, to argue Mr Williams? case. I want his application determined as a matter of priority.

Mr Williams has served this country in Kosovo and is willing to serve it again in Afghanistan, Iraq and wherever else he may be needed. He has shown a degree of commitment to our country that deserves our gratitude, an entitlement to stay as long as he chooses, and his passport back.

The Wandsworth Guardian has now taken up this story after I got in touch with them.

Marking the contribution women made in our World Wars

A couple of years ago, the Government launched a badge that all military veterans could wear with pride as a small way of marking their sacrifice for our country.

Now, the scheme has been expanded to include the Women's Land Army and Women's Timber Corps who worked on the Home Front providing food and wood during the First and Second World Wars while many of the men who had been the agricultural labour force were away fighting.

During World War I as many as 260,000 women were enlisted as farm labourers as part of the Women's Land Army - and in retrospect this was almost as significant an event in advancing the equal treatment and respect of women as the Suffrage Movement that gained ground in the 1910s and 1920s.

I fully share the views of Environment Secretary Hilary Benn who, when launching the scheme at the end of last month said: "It is absolutely right that we at last recognise the selfless efforts these women made to support the nation through the dark days of World War I and II. This badge is a fitting way to pay tribute to their determination, courage and spirit in the face of adversity. I hope that as many eligible women as possible will apply for one."

Application forms are now available for anyone who believes that they may be eligible for a badge. If you or a member of your family would like to apply, you can download an application form here, or by writing to:

Dermot McInerney
DEFRA
5E Millbank c/o 17 Smith Square
London SW1P 3JR

or by phoning the DEFRA helpline on 08459 33 55 77. You or your family member just need to provide date of birth, approximate dates of service and the location at which they were stationed.

The covenant with our armed forces

I believe passionately in supporting serving and former armed forces personnel and their families and if elected to Parliament they can expect me to be an advocate on their behalf.

So when I was at the Labour Party conference last week I made sure I attended the fringe meeting organised by the Royal British Legion. I talked with RBL officials and with the families of service personnel on active duty abroad and was moved by their stories of quiet heroism.

Conservative attacks on the Government?s record are cynical and dishonest, especially given the way the last Conservative Government ran down our armed forces. However, I am clear that as we ask more and more of our service personnel we should continually reassess the level of support we provide to them and their families.

That?s why I welcome whole heartedly yesterday?s announcement by the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Defence of extra funding for Wiltshire and Swindon coroner David Masters, who deals with inquests for service personnel repatriated through RAF Lyneham. The move is intended to deal with the continuing problem of inquest delays and backlogs. The bereaved families of service personnel who have been killed on active duty abroad should be entitled to know as quickly as possible the circumstances in which their loved ones died.