In Blesma’s 90th year, we caught up with one of the Association’s longest standing Members from World War Two to find out what Blesma’s support has meant to them.

Lawrence Morgan

Lifelong West Ham Fan Larry, who turns 100 in July, is one of Blesma’s most long-standing Members.

During The Blitz in 1941, Larry and his family were bombed out of their home in Plaistow, London’s East End. He was re-homed and worked as a builder but was soon called up and trained as a signaller attached to the 8th Battalion Suffolk Regiment. Larry was involved in a jungle warfare offensive against Japanese forces that had conquered Burma. The fight was relentless. The Japanese launched a bayonet attack and each side “threw grenades like cricket balls.”

One grenade fell between Larry and his comrade and exploded. Larry suffered a load of shrapnel in his left knee and thigh. He was treated at a bamboo hospital before being airlifted to a hospital in Calcutta, where he caught Malaria, and then onto Hyderabad, where his leg developed gangrene. Larry then made the difficult decision to have his leg amputated above the knee. Six years later in 1950, Larry joined Blesma, and along with his wife Jean, who he married in 1954, became active in fundraising for the Association and supporting their local Branch.

Larry said: “Blesma have been fantastic. Jean and I were members of the Chelmsford friends of Blesma and for many years, each year we raised £5,000 for the Association. I never needed Blesma much back then and was able to live comfortably as I had my own business, but as I’ve got older, I’ve relied on them more for support.

“They’ve helped me with welfare since the beginning when at least twice a year, someone would call on us. Recently, these visits have resulted in Blesma fitting me up with a three-wheeler trolley to get about and on one occasion they fixed me up with an electric bike.

"I’m 100 this year, so it’s much easier to use the trolley at home, especially as our home has a few steps, and the bike is so large. I would be a fulltime wheelchair user if it wasn’t for the three-wheeler, so Blesma have been great!

“We’ve had a wonderful life and worked in the photography business until 1986. I still think of the lads from Burma. I’m the only one left and always remember them on VJ Day.”

Blesma has been Supporting Veterans, like Lawrence, for 90 years in 2022.