The Veterans Badge

HM Armed Forces Veterans Badge

Who is a Veteran?

The term ‘veteran’ is used to mean all those who have served in the HM Armed Forces (whether Regular or Reserve). This group has been commonly known as ex-Service personnel. The term veteran also includes their widows/widowers, and their dependants as part of the veterans’ community. As well as all members of the Armed Forces the term veteran also, exceptionally, includes those members of the Merchant Navy who played a vital role in legally defined military operations. The veteran’s community is therefore a wide, and disparate population, estimated to be over 10 million people in the UK alone.

Since it was introduced in May 2004, the free HM Armed Forces Veteran’s Badge has proved highly popular with over 500,000 badges issued to date. Eligibility was initially restricted for practical reasons to veterans of WWI and WWII. Since then eligibility has been gradually extended, most recently on 8^th November 2006, to all veterans who saw service at any time prior to the end of 1989, and a further programme of extensions has been approved to ensure that all veterans are entitled to a badge within the shortest practical timescale. A separate badge, based on the HM Armed Forces Veteran’s Badge, was introduced in June 2006, for merchant seamen, and fishermen who facilitated military operations. It is called the UK Merchant Seafarers Veteran’s Badge.

The HM Armed Forces Veteran’s Badge is restricted to those mentioned above who survived their service to the country or, where appropriate, those war widow/widowers who are in receipt of war widow/ers pension, because their spouse met the eligibility criteria, and died as a result of illness, or injury attributable to their service. The badge is not awarded posthumously.

The Arctic Emblem

The Arctic Emblem has been specially commissioned to commemorate the service of Merchant Seamen, and members of the Armed Forces who served north of the Arctic Circle, and west of the Urals between 3^rd September 1939, and 8^th May 1945.

For full details of the HM Armed Forces veteran’s Badge, and how to apply for it please visit the Veterans Agency website:

http://www.Veteransagency.mod.uk/vets-badge/vets-badge.htm

Veterans Agency – Helpline

Did you know-------

The Veterans Agency Helpline can be contacted on 00441253866043, it is open from 0915 to 1815 Mon-Thu, and 0915 to 1730 Fridays, it offers general help, and advice not only to veterans, but to their relations, friends, and professional advisers.

The Helpline deals with a wide variety of veteran’s issues, including War Pensions, the Armed Forces Pension Scheme, service pensions, The HM Armed Forces Veterans Badge, and UK Merchant Seafarers Veterans Badge,etc. Personnel have access to a large list of contacts, and ex-service organisations that callers can be referred to for further help, and advice.

The UK based Helpline takes approximately 1500 calls per day, and we aim to answer the majority of calls within an average of 20 seconds.