New report praises veterans for their selfless commitment to service

Veterans have been praised for their selfless commitment to service in a new report out today.

Hilary Meredith Solicitors received over 1000 responses from injured veterans to its Life After Service survey, with just 2% saying the UK is the best place in the world to be a veteran and just 3% saying veterans are sufficiently well supported on civvy street.

Despite this, the majority (66%) of veterans would still recommend a career in the armed forces to others, underlining their selfless commitment to service.

In other findings, 85% of veterans said there is still an element of shame and stigma within the armed forces over mental health issues while 82% said the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, which provides serving and former service personnel injured as a result of service with compensation, is not fit for purpose. Veterans also criticised the government’s failure not to appoint a Cabinet-level Veterans Minister.

Commenting on the findings, Hilary Meredith-Beckham, founder and chair of Hilary Meredith Solicitors said: "This research is a shocking indictment on the Ministry of Defence. 

"Veterans feel let down on a wide range of areas including housing, healthcare, employment, mental health, accident and injury. 

"The MoD also continues to adopt a 'deny until they die' approach to thousands of legitimate legal claims, leaving injured veterans in a legal no man's land. 

"It is simply unforgivable for our veterans to be treated in this way.

"Despite everything, the majority of veterans would still recommend a career in the armed forces to others. Their selfless commitment to service is quite remarkable."

Added Hilary: "We need a government that is willing to take bold action to support our veterans yet one of Keir Starmer's first acts as Prime Minister was to jettison the role of Veterans Minister from his Cabinet.

"This research must not be ignored. It needs to act as a long overdue wake-up call at the most senior levels of government." 

Decorated veteran Brian Wood MC said he was not surprised by the findings in Hilary Meredith Solicitors’ Life After Service report.  

At the age of 23, Brian Wood was thrust into the front line of the Iraq War at the infamous Battle of Danny Boy.

When his unit was ambushed by insurgents, he led a charge across open ground under heavy fire. His men emerged with no serious casualties and saved the lives of many other soldiers in the process. This act of outstanding bravery earned Brian the Military Cross.

But those same events led to a decade of trauma. Brian suffered from PTSD and struggled to fit back into civilian life. He was then summoned to give evidence at an inquiry into allegations of war crimes by British soldiers during the Iraq campaign.

After years of public shame, these accusations were shown to be false and justice was finally served.

Brian, who has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for armed forces charities since leaving the army, said:

“This research by Hilary Meredith Solicitors highlights hugely important issues.  Thousands of veterans up and down the country feel abandoned and alone.”

Hilary Meredith Solicitors has started a petition urging the government to provide greater support to veterans.

Fund more support for armed forces veterans when they leave - Petitions