Head of servicemen’s league on visit

Press, 3 February 1979, Page 4

Head of servicemen’s league on visit

Not long ago a New Zealand former serviceman was found “in most desperate straits” in Scotland — he was fed, clothed, and housed with money from the British Commonwealth Ex-Services League. As part of a world tour of Commonwealth returned servicemen’s organisations, the secretary-general . of the League, Colonel Guy Stocker, is visiting Christchurch.

“There are 70 million former servicemen throughout the world and quite a number of those are in dire straits, as I found when travelling across India,” Colonel Stocker said.

The league acts as a kind of co-ordinating body for all the former servicemen’s organisations in the Commonwealth. Nd matter what part of the world a Commonwealth former serviceman is in, he can apply for help through the league.

Colonel Stocker received a letter from a Pakistani serviceman in West Germany. “He must have thought the streets of Hamburg were paved with gold,” he said. The man had gone to West Germany in search of work, but had had no luck, because he could not speak German. The man took les-

sons in German and the last Colonel Stocker heard, he was working and considering bringing his wife and children from Pakistan.

The “backbone” of the league, and all its member associations of former servicemen, was and always had been welfare, Colonel Stocker said.

Founded by nine countries of the British Empire (as it was then) in Cape Town, in 1921, file league resolved that “no former serviceman or woman, their widows, or dependants should ever be Without help if in need.” The original concern was With veterans of World War I. This was later extended to cover former servicemen of other wars. But with diminishing numbers serving in the Armed Forces, was not the character of the returned servicemen’s associations changing?

“It is inevitable that there will be a reduction of ‘traditional’ members of former servicemen’s associations,” Colonel Stocker said.

“I have just visited 18 different former servicemen’s associations,- from the United Kingdom to Hong Kong and New Zeaalnd. There is no serious drop in numbers, although every or-

ganisation is aware that there may be a problem. But they are most conscious that there is still a tremendous job for the organisations to do.”

In Britain the associations are opening their membership to the wives and children of former servicemen. Service to one’s country, not necessarily overseas, is now the qualification, as it is in New Zealand.

“There will always be a steady trickle of members all the time, just as there will always be the Armed Forces,” Colonel Stocker said.

Money given by the 48 member countries of the league is used for a variety of purposes. Money from the wealthier countries, such as New Zealand, Australia, and Canada, was used to help former servicemen in the poorer countries, Colonel Stocker said. Over the years the league had become self-supporting. Money from the league bought a nail-making machine used by former servicemen in Dacca, Bangladesh. At present they are turning out about a ton of nails a month. “The nails are in great demand because as former servicemen the men are never on strike,” Colonel