Blesma, The Limbless Veterans

Last updated

Blesma, The Limbless Veterans
Formation1932
TypeBritish military support charity
PurposeSupporting wounded and limbless British Armed Forces servicemen and women
HeadquartersChelmsford, Essex
Location
  • Chelmsford
Region served
United Kingdom
Chief Executive Officer
Vivienne Buck CBE
Website www.blesma.org
Formerly called
British Limbless Ex-Servicemen's Association

Blesma, The Limbless Veterans (formerly known as the British Limbless Ex-Servicemen's Association) is a British charity that helps all serving and ex-Service men and women who have lost limbs, or lost the use of limbs or eyes, to rebuild their lives by providing rehabilitation activities and welfare support. It operates throughout the United Kingdom and is a registered charity.

Contents

History

Wounded veterans making their own limbs after WW1 Men making their own limbs.jpg
Wounded veterans making their own limbs after WW1
Blesma Huddersfield Branch Blesma Huddersfield Branch.jpg
Blesma Huddersfield Branch

In the immediate aftermath of WW1, limbless men came together for their treatments and fittings, and there developed a spirit of kinship amongst them, arising from their common disabilities and shared experiences. The crutch, the walking stick, the empty sleeve, served as an introduction to friends who had met with similar misfortunes in battle. The spirit of comradeship which had existed in the trenches was kept alive amongst them.

It was during this time that limbless men gathered to discuss their problems and the possibility of some action to improve their conditions.

The first such group was in Glasgow, and in 1921 they created the first branch of the Limbless Ex-Service Men's Association. Soon groups formed in Edinburgh, Dundee, Hamilton and Aberdeen. Officers of the Scottish LESMA established contact with limbless ex-Servicemen in the North of England, and in 1929, branches were formed in Manchester, Leeds, Hull, Burnley, Accrington, Southport, Oldham, Bradford, Halifax and Wigan.

The English branches, however, became dissatisfied with Scottish control and asked for a proper constitution to provide for the democratic election of officers and an executive council. The English branches convened a round table meeting in Leeds in 1931 where it was decided to form the British Limbless Ex-Servicemen's Association, with the first Annual Conference being held in Manchester in 1932.

It was not until the commencement of World War II that branches formed in the South of England but by the end of the war there were 43 groups.

The number of branches reached their peak in the mid-1950s when there were a total of 124. As the number of surviving veterans from World War I declined, so did the number of branches. This trend continued with the passing of the World War II generation, and today 9 branches remain.

Membership

Eligibility. To be eligible for Membership, a person must have served in any arm of Her Majesty's Armed Forces, regular or reserve and have suffered a life-changing injury – either loss of limb or loss of use of limb, eyesight, hearing or speech. The injury could have been sustained during or after Service, and can be as a direct result of Service or not.

If a person has lost a limb in service or has lost the use of limbs, suffered permanent loss of speech, hearing, or sight whilst serving or as a result of service in any branch of Her Majesty's Forces or Auxiliary Forces they may be eligible for Membership.

For example:

Also eligible are those of civilian status who lose a limb, or the loss of use of a limb, or an eye as a result of War Service or enemy or terrorist action against HM Forces with which those of civilian status are employed, or volunteer, to provide direct support.

Those who think they may be eligible for Blesma Membership can find out more and apply online. [1]

Member Proposition

Blesma pressing for an increase to pensions for war limbless Blesma pressing an increase to to pensions for the war limbless.jpg
Blesma pressing for an increase to pensions for war limbless

Blesma offers a wide range of support to Members and their families, including:

Governance

Blesma is governed by a board of trustees consisting of industry experts and Members of the charity. The board of trustees is chaired by Ed Davis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Davis_(Royal_Marines_officer)

Support

Blesma supports its Members through nine Regional Blesma Support Officers (BSOs) based across the UK, who provide welfare support and advice on a range of issues from benefits to isolation by conducting home visits. The BSOs are supported by Outreach Officers who engage with local communities and Members to keep them connected and to raise the profile of the charity. There is also a Prosthetics Support Officer whose role is specifically to do with assisting Members with their prosthetics or other mobility requirements. The Prosthetics BSO can advocate on behalf of a Member at their limb centre or on the Veterans Prosthetics Panel, for example, and make sure they are getting a good level of support and representation at the required level.

The charity's main office is based in Chelmsford.

Milestones

1st BLESMAG 1st Blesmag.jpg
1st BLESMAG
Blesma Golden Jubilee. 50 years of Blesma Blesma Golden Jubilee. 50 years of Blesma.jpg
Blesma Golden Jubilee. 50 years of Blesma

Patrons

National presidents

National General Secretaries

Title changed to Chief Executive from 2013

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Returned and Services League of Australia</span> Australian veterans service organisation

The Returned and Services League of Australia, also known as RSL, RSL Australia and the RSLA, is an independent support organisation for people who have served or are serving in the Australian Defence Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Canadian Legion</span> Canadian veterans organization

The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadian veterans' organization founded in 1925. Members include people who served in the military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial or municipal police, Royal Canadian Air, Army and Sea Cadets and direct relatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal British Legion</span> Charity for members of the British Armed Forces

The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hong Kong Military Service Corps</span> Military unit

The Hong Kong Military Service Corps (HKMSC) was a British army unit and part of the British garrison in Hong Kong. Throughout the history of Hong Kong, it has been the only regular British army unit raised in the territory made up almost entirely of Locally Enlisted Personnel (LEP).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SSAFA</span> Charity of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, the Soldiers', Sailors', and Airmen's Families Association, is a UK charity that provides lifelong support to serving men and women and veterans from the British Armed Forces and their families or dependents. Anyone who is currently serving or has ever served in the Royal Navy, British Army or Royal Air Force and their families, both regulars and reserves, is eligible for their help.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blind Veterans UK</span>

Blind Veterans UK, formerly St Dunstan's, is a large British charity, providing free support and services to vision-impaired ex-servicemen and women and National Service personnel. Blind Veterans UK is a registered charity in England and Scotland and operates throughout the United Kingdom. It has its head office in London and centres in Llandudno and Rustington.

The Gurkha Welfare Trust is a British charity established in 1969. It is the principal UK charity for the provision of aid to Gurkha ex-servicemen and their dependants in their homeland of Nepal, and increasingly in the UK and elsewhere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Organisation of National Ex-Servicemen</span>

The Organisation of National Ex-Servicemen and Women is a support organisation for ex-service personnel of the Irish Defence Services.

The Limbless Association is a charitable organization in the United Kingdom set up to help those with limb loss, and assist their families and carers. It is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales and its charity registration number is 803533. The association provides information, advice, and support for people of all ages who are without one or more limbs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Help for Heroes</span> Organization

Help for Heroes is a British charity which supports members of the British Armed Forces community with their physical and mental health, as well as their financial, social and welfare needs. The charity was founded in 2007 by Bryn and Emma Parry after they visited soldiers at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham. The charity now supports all veterans, serving personnel, those who have served alongside the UK military, and their families.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Officers' Association</span>

The Officers' Association (OA) is a registered charity in the United Kingdom, supporting Former-officers and their families providing advice and financial assistance, it was founded in February 1920 and incorporated under Royal Charter on 30 June 1921.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military Order of the Purple Heart</span> US war veterans organization

The Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH) is a congressionally chartered (Title 36 USC Chapter 1405) United States war veterans organization. Headquartered just outside Washington, D.C., it has a membership of approximately 45,300 veterans. It is unique in that its members are exclusively men and women who have received the Purple Heart award while serving as a member of the U.S. Military.

The World Veterans Federation (WVF) is the world's largest international veteran organisation. The federation consists of 172 veterans organizations from 121 countries representing some 60 million veterans worldwide.

Department of Ex-servicemen Welfare is a department in the Ministry of Defence, India. It was set up in 2004. The head of Department of Ex-servicemen Welfare since its inception has been a bureaucrat from the IAS. Veteran have for long demanded that DEWS be headed by a serving officers or a retired officer, like in other countries, including the United States, in which the Department of Veterans, is invariably headed by veteran with active duty military experience, with a cabinet rank. For instance the current head of the department is graduate of West Point, and has served in the army.

The 1940 Dunkirk Veterans' Association was an association of British service veterans "who served at Dunkirk and other ports of evacuation between 10 May and June 1940" – that is in the Dunkirk evacuation of 1940, including those who were taken prisoner. Associate membership was available to those "otherwise not qualified, but who had assisted at the ports of evacuation".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erskine (charity)</span> Hospital in Erskine, Scotland

Erskine Veterans Charity is a veterans care and support non-profit organisation headquartered in Erskine, Renfrewshire, but operating across the Central Belt of Scotland. It provides a range of services to British Armed Forces, veterans of all ages and their families, who live in Scotland. It is most renowned for long-term nursing, respite, dementia and end-of-life medical care. It supports veterans through care homes and a Veterans Village, comprising 44 cottages, a community activity centre, five assisted living apartments and 24 "Transition Support" apartments for service-leavers and working-age veterans. The charity first established itself as Princess Louise Scottish Hospital for Limbless Sailors and Soldiers. It was created through Scotland's compassionate response to her sons returning physically and mentally shattered by the horrors of trench and naval warfare in the First World War. Its name was then shortened to Erskine Hospital and then simply "Erskine" in later years. The charity has gone on to offer help to British veterans of every subsequent war and become the biggest veterans facility in the country.

Captain Guy Fraser Disney is a British steeplechase jockey. He is the first amputee jockey to win a horse race at a professional race-course in Britain. He won the Royal Artillery Gold Cup, on his horse, Rathlin Rose, at Sandown Park Racecourse, in Esher in Surrey, on 17 February 2017. Disney's horse was trained by racehorse trainer David Pipe.

The 2019 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrations at the start of January and were officially announced in The London Gazette at 22:30 on 28 December 2018. Australia, an independent Realm, has a separate honours system and its first honours of the year, the 2019 Australia Day Honours, coincide with Australia Day on 26 January.

The 2022 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrations at the start of January and those for 2022 were announced on 31 December 2021.

The 2022 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of the Queen's Official Birthday celebrations during the month of June. They were announced on 1 June 2022, in anticipation of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. They were the last honours granted by the Queen before her death on 8 September 2022.

References

  1. "Apply for Membership".
  2. "Veterans criticise failings in the way the NHS fits prosthetic limbs for servicemen who lost legs at war". The Telegraph.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Blesma, The Limbless Veterans at Wikimedia Commons