Falklands 40th Anniversary: Charity leaders encourage veterans to talk about mental health
Memorial events will be happening across the UK over the coming months to commemorate the conflict
On the 40th Anniversary of the beginning of the Falklands conflict, charity leaders are encouraging Falklands veterans and other former servicemen and women facing mental health concerns to speak up.
Many servicemen from Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire fought in the ten week conflict.
Lieutenant Barry James Anthony, from St Albans, was just one of the men who died in the Battle of Goose Green.
Head of Clinical and Medical Services at Help for Heroes, Carol Betteridge, says that as a former service women herself she knows that times of commemoration can be difficult.
“Certainly for me, having been deployed myself in Afghanistan, you understand that armed forces personnel are working in a difficult environment and they’re putting themselves at risk.
But you’re also very proud to be serving your country, so it’s a bittersweet piece.”
CEO of veteran mental health charity Combat Stress, Jeff Harrison, says it often takes a significant amount of time before people come forward about the difficulties they have faced.
“We still have people coming to see us for the first time that were in the Falklands, it does take a long time.
On average it’s 14 years from somebody leaving the military service until they come to see us to ask for help. And I think that’s a really upsetting statistic.”
He encourages any veterans who are struggling with their mental health at this time to have a look at the resources online and get in touch.
“We try to make sure that we put our messages out on social media and on our website, just so at special times like this people are aware that help is around for them and that they know how to get to that help.”