Blesma News
Latest news from Blesma, The Limbless Veterans
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Prepare to be Blown Away as Blesma collaborates with amputee's clothing brand
14 June 2016
A clothing brand created by a limbless veteran is donating sales from each sold item to a military charity. Simon Harmer’s clothing brand Blown Away is generously donating 15% from each sold item to Blesma, The Limbless Veterans because of the support they have provided Simon and hundreds of other amputee soldiers. “I wanted to give back to a military charity who had helped me when I needed it,” said Simon. “Blesma were really interested in how I was going to help and I just think the work they do to highlight amputee issues is amazing. I feel the help and support they provide
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Why Support Blesma Week? Arthur's story
3 June 2016
Arthur English MBE joined the territorial army in London at 19 years old, just two years before WW2 was declared. He was part of the Rangers 9th battalion Kings Royal rifle call. Now 97 years old Arthur recalls the four years he spent abroad before a terrific incident led to the amputation of both his legs and his return home. “We left for Egypt in 1940 and from there travelled to Greece. We went up to the Yugoslavia border but were pushed back by the German Panzers. We were evacuated by a naval destroyer and went to Crete. We lost two thirds of the battalion in Crete eit
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My Blesma Week: Jonathan Bell
31 May 2016
Serving his country was always something that Jonathan Bell aspired to do. Brought up in a military family, Jonathan was no stranger to war stories or the job that faced him. So in 1986 Jonathan joined the 1st Battalion, The Green Howards, completing several tours in Northern Ireland. But it was on a military training exercise for operations in Bosnia in1993 that Jonathan and 15 other soldiers were seriously injured. As a result of the accident, Jonathan was left paralysed from the upper chest, with severe head and leg injuries, and a foot amputation.
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Why support Blesma Week? June and Betty's story
30 May 2016
It’s a well-known trait that sisters share a lot in common, same eyes, same style in clothes, same hair style but for sisters June Thompson and Betty Cole their similarities are even shared through their marriages, for the sisters both married limbless veterans. June, 86, the elder of the sisters, was the first to meet her husband, Stanley Wilson Thompson. They met whilst June was working in Leeds at the Blind School in 1949, just after Stanley had returned from WW2. “He never spoke much about the War even to me. Certain moments would spark a bit of memory, like he once spoke
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