Welcome to the Veterans' Help and Guides
Opportunities
Engaging in meaningful and enjoyable activities can help you cope with boredom, loneliness, isolation, or depression. Here are some ideas for activities that you can do alone or with others:
- Join a local club or group that shares your interests or hobbies, such as sports, arts, crafts, music or gardening. You can fins a list of local clubs and groups on The Veterans Network.
- Volunteer for a cause that you care about, such as helping other veterans, supporting a charity, or protecting the environment. You can find a list of volunteering opportunities on the Volunteering Opportunities.
- Learn something new or improve your skills by taking a course of workshop online or in person. You can find a list of courses and workshops on the Education and Training.
- Visit a museum or gallery that showcases your history or culture, such as The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Museum. You can find the volunteer page here, or you can email museumassistant@argylls.co.uk.
Housing
Veterans who are facing a housing crisis or need support to find a suitable place to live can access various resources and services. Here are some helpful links that provide information on the available options and assistance for veterans in need of accommodation:
Guidance for Applicants – Veterans Housing Scotland (vhscot.org.uk)
Requesting a Service Record
1794-1918 – Soldiers’ documents from this period are held at the National Archives at Kew and can be found online through paid subscription services such as Find My Past, Ancestry and Forces War Records. Ancestry can be accessed for free through selected local libraries. Please note that a large proportion of records were destroyed in the Blitz during the Second World War.
1918-1963 – These MOD have now moved some of these records to The National Archive. First you need to enquire with The National Archives for the records you are looking for. If they confirm they do not have this record, you can then try the MOD. Some records are still held by the MOD’s Army Personnel Centre. Applications can be made here. Please note that these are confidential records and may not be made available to general enquirers.
1963-Present Day – These records are still held by the MOD’s Army Personnel Centre. Applications can be made here. Please note that these are confidential records and may not be made available to general enquirers. Whilst a death certificate isn’t essential, it may allow you to access more information. The MOD has now put a cap of 5 applications per year per person for this service. You can request these here.
More Help and Guides
- The Veterans’ Guide to Later Life in Scotland – allows you to explore the benefits, support, and advice that is in our communities supporting veterans, such as housing, health, and finance.
- Veterans First Point – provides free advice and support to veterans on education, training and employment, housing, money and debt services, substance misuse services , legal advice, therapeutic service, and guidance.
- The Not Forgotten – aims to restore dignity, confidence and independence to veterans by providing a varied programme of social activities, outings, respite, and challenge breaks for veterans and wounded service personnel.
- Fighting With Pride: The LGBT+ Community – Provides support to LGBT+ veterans, serving personnel and their families, particularly those who were affected by the ‘gay ban’ that was lifted on 12th January 2000. If you need support, or want to learn more. Please visit their website.
- The DBS Armed Forces Portal – Allows you to explore what support services are out there for the UK’s Armed Forces and Veterans. The portal also provides information on Armed Forces pensions, including a pensions calculator that allows users to estimate their pension and apply online or by post. Additionally, the portal provides information on how to apply for medals or veterans’ badges, as well as information related to the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS). The DBS Armed Forces and Veterans Portal is part of Veterans UK, which is a free support service provided by the UK Ministry of Defence for veterans and their families.
