Second World War veterans from the South West can get Lottery help (From Yeovil Express)

Second World War veterans from the South West can get Lottery help

12:10am Friday 6th November 2009

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AS the nation prepares to salute the sacrifice and heroism of a special generation this Remembrance Sunday, the Big Lottery Fund is calling on Second World War veterans in the South West to get in touch and secure their funding for commemorative trips back to the places they saw action.

The funding from the BIG Lottery Fund’s Heroes Return 2 programme has already enabled more than 850 veterans, widows, spouses and carers in the South West to go on emotional trips, home and abroad, to honour and remember those that did not return from the battlefields of 1939-1945.

A total of £555,125 has been given across the South West to date and the scheme is open until January 2011.

Grants up to £5,500 are available to pay travel and accommodation costs for the journeys.

Many veterans have used grants to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy in June and to attend September’s memorial events in Holland marking the anniversaries of Operation Market Garden, where almost 1,500 British airborne troops lost their lives.

Other veterans have returned to places including Italy, Greece, Malta, India, the Far East, and North Africa.

The Heroes Return 2 helpline 0845 00 00 121 has been set up to provide further information on the programme and details of how to apply. Information is also available on www.biglotteryfund.org.uk which can be accessed via the link in our "related articles" section on this page of our website.

One veteran to receive funding for a trip he recently made to Italy is Jim Lee of Dorset.

Jim travelled to Italy in a group of ten and visited cemeteries in the Florence region, one of the areas where he served during the war.

Jim served from 1939 with the Royal Artillery in the 567 (Independent) Battery. They were first posted in North Africa but weren’t immediately engaged because their equipment had been sunken en-route.

Jim recalls: “We were finally given German equipment which was far superior to what we had. It was at least 50 years ahead of what we had, but they just couldn’t produce enough of them.”

They were then sent to Italy where they served on the Second Front from 1944 to 1945, bridging when attacks were made, including the last M3 tank attack.

Jim said of this time: “We travelled right from the bottom to the top of Italy. The whole campaign in Italy was a struggle, with 50,000 lives lost. However, my battery was lucky and only lost a small number.”

He continued: “While we were in north Italy I stayed with a family and after many chats with them I managed to pick up the language and I am still fluent enough.

"It was quite handy for us all on the trip. I have thought about going back to see if any of the family are still there because they were good, polite people.”

During his time in Italy, Jim was sent to Trieste, which was on the border of Yugoslavia and being held in an attempt to annexe it at the time by the Yugoslav Partisans, led by Tito.

He said: “We needed passes to go into the area and some lives were lost. Our role was rebuilding bridges, because the area had been ravished and we were trying to get trains with food back in.”

In October 1945 when Jim was in Austria as part of the final push, he was given leave and reported back to Woolwich.

He remembers: “When I walked in a man stood up who had been hit by a shell and badly injured in Italy.

"It was wonderful to see a familiar face, especially because he was the loveliest chap and we had been great friends.”

Mark Cotton, Big Lottery Fund Head of Region for the South West, said: “Thanks to this funding World War 2 veterans across the South West, along with their spouses and carers, will be able to renew friendships, relive and share past glories and tragedies and pay respect to fallen comrades.

"A huge debt of gratitude and recognition is owed to these men and women and I am delighted that we are able to remember their bravery and heroism through the Heroes Return programme.”

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