SSAFA Sedgefield Division were delighted to play host to the family of Mr Desmond Smith at their Divisional Meeting in Woodham Community Centre on Monday 12th March.  There, under the proud gaze of his wife, Mavis, his sister Olivia, son David and other family members, Desmond was presented with his General Service Medal and clasp Northern Ireland after a wait of almost 45 years!
During a home visit by Newton Aycliffe based caseworker, Brian Wilson in August 2017, Brian observed that Mr Smith had served in Northern Ireland during his service but had no medals recorded.  It transpired that Mr Smith had left the Army (Royal Artillery) in 1974 with more than 12 years Army Service without having receiving the medal even though he had completed several tours of Northern Ireland at the start of the troubles.
Desmond followed the advice he was given by Brian and finally received his medal via the Army Medals Office in January. SSAFA then arranged for the medal to be mounted by the military tailor and invited Mr Smith and his family to receive them at a small reception held in his honor last week.
The medal was presented by Flight Lieutenant Rick Fiskel, who is also a SSAFA volunteer within the Division. Rick delivered an informative potted history of the Northern Ireland campaign acknowledging the high cost paid by servicemen and women throughout the 30 year troubles which added relevance to the presentation.
Desmond’s son, David told us. “This is a wonderful moment for dad. He has been looking forward to receiving the medal and can’t wait to wear it at the Remembrance Service this year. We are grateful to SSAFA for their help in finally having dad’s service recognised.”
We are pleased to be able to share Desmond’s story and a few photographs from the occasion.
SSAFA – The Armed Forces Charity provides practical help to servicemen and women, veterans and their immediate families in time of need.  SSAFA Sedgefield Division supports around 50 families from Newton Aycliffe and surrounds every year.  They can be contacted through the SSAFA website: www.ssafa.org.uk or by telephone: 01388 827346.