Remembrance is an incredibly important time of year as we pay tribute to all of those who have served for our country over the years and have helped protect our freedom and way of life, even if that meant sacrificing themselves. Within the care sector we have many service users who have fought and protected us without even realising it, and now it is our turn to give back to them and to pay our respects for their service.
Betty
With this we would like to introduce to you Betty, who is a resident at one of our extra care facilities in Redcar, The Dunes.
Betty served in the army for 6 years, encompassing the entirety of World War II. Eager to contribute to her country’s efforts, she enlisted at the age of 16, adjusting her age to meet the requirements. During her service, she was a member of the Royal Artillery.
Betty met her husband before the war started, however with them both fighting for their country they were separated. Her husband was based in Japan during most of this time and when he returned, the two got married in 1947. Together the two had one daughter who blessed the couple with six grandchildren.
Born in 1927, Betty is now 97 years old. She was born and raised in Yorkshire, she has also spent time living in London. After her service she mainly worked in catering. Betty has been one of our residents at The Dunes since March of this year. She says that her favourite part about living at The Dunes is the coffee mornings and having lunch with the friends she has made there.
Tony
Next is Tony, who is also one of our residents living at The Dunes. Already wearing his poppy in preparation for Remembrance and to show his support to others who have served.
Born in 1930, Tony is now 94 years old. At the age of 18 Tony signed up to join the army, where he remained for 26 years (1948-1974). Tony started off working as a tradesman within the Army and progressed through the ranks, eventually training soldiers.
Whilst serving Tony travelled to many different parts of the world from Carlisle to Germany, Gibraltar and more. He said that his favourite part about his service was training the soldiers, as he knows he would make sure that the new soldiers were knowledgeable and equipped with the correct skills to perform their job to the highest standard.
Originally from London, Tony moved to Redcar when he was 66 years old. He has been married twice and has two children and three grandchildren. After finishing his service with the army he managed a pub.
Tony said that he enjoyed photography when he was younger but one of his favourite hobbies was playing hockey which he did while in the army. Tony moved to The Dunes in 2017 and has called it home ever since.
The Dunes Remembrance Display
The Dunes staff had also set up a wonderful display in the entrance for all to see. Each poppy on the display had been hand made.
It was a pleasure getting to know these lovely service users and finding out about their lives. These are just two of the many who have fought to protect our freedom. Remembrance is important as we remember not just the wars and what happened, but the people that sacrificed it all to protect us.
Enjoyed hearing about our service users? Click the following link to find out about Stan, Kath, Sylvia and Barbara: https://www.dalecare.co.uk/news/meet-our-service-users-the-dunes/
