Combat Stress Appeal

Ok, change of tone for this post and if this matter has been blogged about by others before I make no apologies for repeating it with my own comments.

The BBC webpage has a link detailing the men and women of the UK armed forces who have lost their lives in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. What they don't do, is give details of the many hundreds of service personnel who have suffered injury in these conflicts. Some will have suffered physical injuries but others will suffer from mental injury which is no less debilitating.

The Combat Stress Appeal in the UK is a privately organised charity which looks to provide support and care for those service personnel who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. They provide vital assistance to these brave men and women, and their families, in learning to cope with and hopefully overcome with time, the effects of the terrible psychological damage that their patients have endured. Veterans from the current conflicts and past, including Bosnia and First Iraq War can benefit from this care.

There are many ways in which you, Dear Reader, can help support this cause. One is by donating direct to the Charity on their webpage but another way you can donate by is by purchasing specially commissioned figures available from the Battlegames Combat Stress Appeal Shop.

Henry Hyde of Battlegames Magazine, as part of his fund raising efforts for Combat Stress, has arranged for 500 limited edition castings of each figure to be made by Gripping Beast. The figures have been sculpted by some of the most talented sculptors in the UK, so far Alan and Michael Perry and Soapy of Gripping Beast have been commissioned and others are to follow.

Currently 3 figures are available

Individually they are:-

Honour Guard WW1 "Tommy"

Falklands War Royal Navy Rating in Full Anti-Flash Gear

Korean War British Infantryman

More figures will be commissioned by Henry over the coming months. The first figure of each type has been painted by a professional figure painter and has been auctioned very successfully on Ebay. The other figures are available from the Battlegames Combat Stress Appeal Shop at a price of £5 each plus £0.50 postage and packaging. From this amount a minimum of £3.50 will be donated to the Combat Stress appeal

Can I encourage you, Dear Reader, to consider donating to this worthy cause. Every figure purchased will provide funds which in turn will hopefully lead to our service personnel who suffer from this Disorder, regaining some form of normality in their lives.