The Book of the Poppy by Chris McNab Page B

for military servicemen proliferated. For example, in 1915 Sir Cyril Arthur Pearson, a newspaper and publishing magnate, established a hostel for blinded soldiers in Bayswater Hill, London. (Pearson had special sympathies with the blind, having lost his sight to glaucoma in the early 1900s.) The hostel focused upon the men’s rehabilitation into the workforce, building up their physical strength and emotional resilience. In 1923 this charity was known as the St Dunstan’s Home, and it survives to this day in the form of Blind Veterans UK.
    The issue of rehabilitating the huge numbers of paraplegics was further embraced by the charitable sector. ‘Curative workshops’ appeared, in which volunteers assisted wounded soldiers in regaining their physical fitness (using specially adapted gym equipment). Other groups took a different approach. The Chailey and Agnes Hunt’s Orthopedic Hospital, for example, specialized in the care of disabled children. During the war, however, it also began to look after crippled soldiers. One interesting element of its work was to pair the wounded soldier with a child, and make the soldier act as an inspiration and help to the young person.
    Also in 1915, the Star & Garter Committee was established under the auspices of the British Red Cross. The focus of the Committee was the support and rehabilitation of severely disabled veterans, and the purchase of the Star & Garter Hotel on Richmond Hill gave the organisation its first premises as well as inspiring its name. Some sixty-five wounded veterans were admitted in 1916 (the average age was 22), and the charity’s volunteers either helped them back into their previous lives or provided a meaningful existence within the home. As with the St Dunstan’s Home, these early efforts were just the start of a long history of support, and today the Royal Star & Garter Homes deliver nursing and medical care to ex-service personnel. Not all work with disabled veterans was performed by the voluntary sector. In 1919 the government put in place the King’s National Roll Scheme (KNRS), a voluntary scheme that encouraged companies with more than ten employees to employ at least 5 per cent of their workforce from disabled servicemen. The scheme was a success, employing 89,000 people in its first year and running until 1944 (when the Disabled Persons’ Employment Act was brought in).
    As we have seen, the motivation to help ex-servicemen and women flowered strongly in the First World War, and has continued to this day. The Royal British Legion is a case in point. The vast fundraising efforts of The Royal British Legion are focused on supporting millions of veterans and serving members of the armed forces, plus their families. The forms that this help can take are as varied as the lives of the military community. For families suffering bereavement, The Royal British Legion provides advice on dealing with the legal complexities of inquiries and inquests, or financial support if required. Its services for veterans include help with setting up a business (through the ‘Be the Boss’ schemes), grants and loans, advice about compensation claims, or assistance with suitable care-home facilities for older veterans.
    Some of the most important support work, however, continues to focus on the treatment and rehabilitation of wounded soldiers. For those soldiers suffering from serious wounds, the road to recovery is a long one, requiring a patient human network to help at every stage of progression. The British Ministry of Defence leads the Defence Recovery Capability, which works in partnership with The Royal British Legion, Help for Heroes and other charities and agencies to help wounded military personnel gain the support they need to regain independence and either return to service life or enter work in the civilian world. Many of the veterans go to one of several Personnel Recovery Centres (PRCs) dotted around the UK, where they acquire first-rate physical, mental