Korean War veterans not forgotten by SSAFA

You can be forgiven for not knowing that July 27, 2023 is the 70th anniversary of the signing of the ceasefire halting the Korean War.

It – along with Suez, Aden, the Malayan Emergency, Yemen, Cyprus, Kenya, the Gulf War, the wars in the Balkans, and others – is one of the “forgotten conflicts” that British Forces fought and died in.

More than 60.000 British military personnel took part, second only to the United States of America in terms of total numbers committed by the allied nations to play their role against the combined belligerence of North Korea, China, and the-then Soviet Union.

Of those 60,000, around 1,100 died. Put into context, this is more than the combined deaths (997) of British service personnel in Afghanistan, the Falklands, Iraq, the Balkans, and the Gulf.

Perhaps forgotten by media, and seemingly unknown by many, those who fought during the three years of the Korean War have not forgotten the hardships and battles endured, the friends lost, and the scars physical and mental received – and still lived with.

The youngest of those British military personnel still alive will now be around 88, but others will be older. And though the number of veterans is dwindling, there will be spouses and widows who may need support.

Since 1885, SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity has provided welfare and wellbeing assistance tailored to Armed Forces community. We know about the unique demands of service life, whether in the UK or overseas, and we continue to meet the demand for support to enable the entire Armed Forces family to thrive.

If you are a veteran of the Korean War, or the spouse or widow of someone who did, you are not forgotten: SSAFA may be able to help.

To find out more, visit ssafa.org.uk/contact-us or call SSAFA’s Forcesline on 0800 260 6767.