A new veterans group will commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Falklands war this weekend.
The Wirral Joint Services Club (WJSC) will hold a remembrance service at 41 St George’s Road on 18 June at 6.30pm. After the ceremony, which will involve hymns and a two-minute silence, curry and chilli will be served in the club house.
The Falklands conflict ended on June 14 1982 when Argentine forces surrendered to the British military. In total 904 people died during the 74-day conflict.
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Ahead of Saturday’s event the club wanted to remind people of the perils ex-military personnel face in retirement. Many former soldiers feel isolated, experience suicidal thoughts and suffer from PTSD, according to members.
Chairman Simon Parker promised to look after veterans no matter how many battles they had fought in. As well as servicemen and women Simon encouraged passionate supporters of the nation’s armed forces to come down on Saturday.
Simon told the ECHO: “There are a surprising number of veterans who are lonely. Some people who come to us haven’t left their house in years.
“It’s great as we provide them with a familiar, safe location and they can come down and chat to us. People need to remember you can be a veteran at the age of 25.
“We want to stop the isolation felt by many former soldiers. Our staff behind the bar are good at looking for triggers of PTSD or loneliness.
“Younger people need a lot of help too. It's difficult to adapt to life outside the military when you have been in it for such a long time.”
Simon served in the UK Armed Forces in countries including Kenya, Spain and Canada. He particularly wanted to highlight the work of Sharon and Gill who run the accounts and work behind the bar.
Another loyal member who is integral to the club is Harry Fynn. The 82-year-old served in the infantry for seven years, worked for the Royal Hong Kong Police and was the County Executive Officer for Merseyside between 1992-2012.
He told the ECHO: “All the profits we make at the club, including the bar, are invested into the Community Interest Group, which was set up to support military veterans in the Wirral.
“We have a good sense of humour here. People feel more comfortable to talk about the conflict. They also often feel more comfortable talking about what they've seen than to many of their family members.”
The WJSC holds coffee mornings every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and puts on social events on Fridays and Saturdays. It has an active social media presence and regularly welcome new members on Facebook.
The group was pulled together by committee members of the Veterans Mess Wirral and the Royal Air Force association in March 2022.
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