A CAREER soldier from Westbury has been awarded money through a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship to support service veterans.
Andrew Simkins OBE, 55, from Edington, near Westbury, left the army in January after 37 years of service and is using his grant to travel abroad to see how other countries cater for their veterans.
The Trust is a tribute to Sir Winston Churchill who died in 1965 and all British citizens resident in the UK are eligible for the annual awards.
advertisement
Each fellow receives a grant, designed to give men and women from all backgrounds the chance to run overseas projects to make them more effective in their work.
He told the Wiltshire Times: "I knew about the Winston Churchill awards before and it seemed the right time to apply at the end of my service.
"I co-founded the 656 squadron Association, which looks after Netheravon squadron veterans and I am now the president.
"The squadron was formed as an RAF regiment and is now an army air core squadron. It served in Burma during the Second World War, then went onto serve in Malaysia for 15 years and was in the Falklands in 1982.
"The oldest member of our association is 99 and the youngest is in his mid 20s.
"I probably get more out of the association than I put in because I get an enormous amount of pleasure from my volunteer work.
"I wanted to see what other nations did with regards to their veterans.
"I'm going to the USA then down to Chile and then possibly to France depending on time.
"I will be visiting two of the large veteran organisations in the USA and then the equivalent organisation in Chile to compare and contrast.
"The aim is that the knowledge and experience you have gained can be contributed to your community at home."
Mr Simkins, who received an OBE in 2006 from Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace for his volunteer and military work, will be leaving for his trip in the middle of August and is currently organising his itinerary.
Posted by: Necker, Trowbridge on 9:29pm Tue 22 Apr 08
I hope Andrew has an amazing and rewarding time. The information and ideas gained sound like they are going to be beneficial to our service people young and old alike. Good luck & all the best.
I hope Andrew has an amazing and rewarding time. The information and ideas gained sound like they are going to be beneficial to our service people young and old alike. Good luck & all the best.
Posted by: cindy, darkest Corsham on 3:53pm Sat 26 Apr 08
I'm sorry, but this sounds like a jolly! He could find out how the US treats its veterans from the internet and by contacting the relevant organisations in the US. I think I'll ask for a grant to go to Australia to see what pattern bikins are this year.
I'm sorry, but this sounds like a jolly! He could find out how the US treats its veterans from the internet and by contacting the relevant organisations in the US. I think I'll ask for a grant to go to Australia to see what pattern bikins are this year.
Posted by: Muddled And Confused, Westbury on 6:32pm Sat 26 Apr 08
"The aim is that the knowledge and experience you have gained can be contributed to your community at home."
Why would Wiltshire residents want to know how to bomb, maim and kill our own
civilians from 33,000 feet?
"The aim is that the knowledge and experience you have gained can be contributed to your community at home."
Why would Wiltshire residents want to know how to bomb, maim and kill our own
civilians from 33,000 feet?
[quote][bold]Muddled And Confused[/bold] wrote:
"The aim is that the knowledge and experience you have gained can be contributed to your community at home." Why would Wiltshire residents want to know how to bomb, maim and kill our own civilians from 33,000 feet? [/quote]
I dont Know But i Know a Cllr That will.
HERE BRUSSELL HEAR BOY.
Muddled And Confused wrote:
"The aim is that the knowledge and experience you have gained can be contributed to your community at home." Why would Wiltshire residents want to know how to bomb, maim and kill our own civilians from 33,000 feet?
I dont Know But i Know a Cllr That will.
HERE BRUSSELL HEAR BOY.
If you liked this article and would like to share it with others on the web who might be searching for good content we've made it easy for you to do it.
At the bottom of all articles, you'll see links to six sites. These sites - commonly called 'social bookmark' or 'social news' sites - have large communities of web users who share and rate interesting, useful and fun things on the web.
Clicking the links will automatically add the address of the story you are reading to one of these sites, letting you share it with others. Each site will ask you to register to share stories. Registration is free and once a member, you can store, recommend and search for stories that interest you.
Print
Email this
Comment
