Bolton Guild of Help wants to find veterans who did National Service

L to  R  Nick Holden - Royal Navy Veteran  Erica Cleavely - Guild Armed Forces Champion  Christine Holden - Darren Deady Foundation  Derek Johnson - Army Veteran  Richard Davies - Royal Air Force Veteran and Guild Trustee. <i>(Image: Richard Davies)</i>
L to R Nick Holden - Royal Navy Veteran Erica Cleavely - Guild Armed Forces Champion Christine Holden - Darren Deady Foundation Derek Johnson - Army Veteran Richard Davies - Royal Air Force Veteran and Guild Trustee. (Image: Richard Davies)
This article is brought to you by our exclusive subscriber partnership with our sister title USA Today, and has been written by our American colleagues. It does not necessarily reflect the view of The Herald.

A Bolton organisation is looking to get in touch with people in the borough who took part in National Service.

The practice, which ended in 1963, involved men between the ages of 18 and 30 serving in the armed forces.

Those who served in it may have served in the Korean War, the Suez Crisis as well as the emergencies in Cyprus, Kenya and Malaya.

And now Bolton Guild of Help wants to find people who were involved in this and has described them as “forgotten veterans.”

The body is being supported by the Armed Forces Covenant Trust.

It is believed there are 20,000 households in the borough with a military connection.

Richard Davies, a Royal Air Force veteran Trustee at the Bolton Guild of Help, explained how they can help and who they were looking to find.

He said: “National Service finished in 1963 so people we are trying to find must be in their 70s, 80s or 90s.

“There are things we can do for them if they are struggling particularly at this most difficult time, we can provide them with support, it can be anything from help with fuel costs or food, as long as it is a genuine need.”

He added: “A lot of the veterans may have appeared in the early nuclear testing programmes.

“The government has indicated it would like to issue a medal to anybody who was involved in the programme in the 1950s and 1960s.”

The body has worked in Bolton since 1905.

It is based on Silverwell Street and also hosts a walk-in centre for veterans at the Bridge Café on Bradford Street.

Veterans or their relatives who fit the category that the Bolton Guild of Help are looking for can get in touch by calling 01204 524858 between Monday and Wednesday.

Get involved
with the news

Send your news & photos