Foreword
HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, KG KT GCVO, ADC
Colonel in Chief, The Queen’s Royal Hussars
The QRH Support Fund has been created with the simple aim to make sure that we can look after all members of the Regiment and their families from the day they join The Queen’s Royal Hussars to the day they die. Life can be inherently unpredictable, particularly in military service, and we never know when we might need extra support and help. This Fund will ensure that our Regimental family will always be there for us in our time of need and will be able to respond quickly to help our loved ones.
Of course, it sort of goes without saying that unless we invest in it now, it won’t be there when we need it. It is also one of those Funds that we hope we’ll never need, at least not for ourselves, but I can almost guarantee that, one day, we will look to it to support our best friend and their family.
In anticipation, I thank you for your support of the QRH Support Fund and, in doing so, the wider Regimental family.
Mente et Manu
Foreword
Major General Nick Cowley OBE
Colonel of the Regiment and Chair of the Regimental Charity
QRH Commanding Officer 2017 – 2019
After the withdrawal of combat forces from Afghanistan we thought for a brief moment that the QRH may enjoy a period of relative peace. However, a resurgent Russia has ensured that the demands on the QRH, our soldiers and their families have increased; since 2018 the QRH has permanently had squadrons either at readiness or deployed on their tanks in Eastern Europe. When deployed forward, the QRH squadrons represent the hard shoulder of UK military power in Eastern Europe. They are our nation’s first line of defence and the first troops that Russia would encounter if they invaded Estonia.
The next phase of the war in Ukraine is hard to predict but I am certain that the British Army will continue to ask a huge amount of their tank soldiers. Therefore, I expect the QRH to be at the vanguard of NATO’s deterrence and at the sharpest end of the battlefield should tension escalate, which means the demands on our people and their families will be enormous.
The QRH’s Regimental Charity has done an outstanding job in looking after the institution of the Regiment for many years. However, the demands on our soldiers and their families are increasing as the nation’s ability to support them is increasingly challenged. Therefore, the QRH are founding the QRH Support Fund in response to the increasing demands on our people and the decreasing ability for other organisations to support them. Raising charitable funds will ensure outstanding support for our soldiers and their families from cradle to grave.
The reason I am launching the QRH Support Fund is that I have first hand experience of how important it is to support soldiers and their families in their time of need. In 2013 I was shot through the chest whilst serving in Afghanistan. The Regiment I was serving with at the time immediately activated their private funds in order to support my wife and three children whilst I was in intensive care. When a family receive news that a loved one has been killed or injured, they have so many things to worry about – who will help look after the children, how can I pay to travel to the hospital each day, where will we live, how can I afford to adapt our house? The immediate support offered to my wife meant that she could forget those worries and focus on looking after the family. Having seen first hand the difference that made to my wife and children, I am absolutely committed to ensuring that we can do the same for QRH soldiers.
To help us in our mission we are looking for friends of the Regiment who would be willing to support the QRH Support Fund and, in doing so, help serve our Regimental family.
Our Mission
The QRH Support Fund’s mission is to support Queen’s Royal Hussar soldiers and their families from cradle to grave
Support those wounded whilst in service
To assist in their recovery and rehabilitation; to aid them in finding new employment; to provide care and support to those who have been mentally affected by their experiences and to help them to become active family and community members.
Support the families and dependents of those killed whilst in service
To respond rapidly to immediate needs after bereavement and to provide long-term support to their families. Due to the close working conditions of tank crews, injuries and accidents often happen to multiple people simultaneously. Therefore, the QRH Support Fund will give the Regiment the funds to provide rapid support to multiple families in the immediate aftermath of a tragic event.
Child welfare
Support to families whilst their serving parent is deployed for long periods on operational tours with a specific focus on child welfare.
Can I apply to be a part of the team or work as a contractor?
To ensure our veterans are getting the support they need to live happy, productive lives, that they feel valued for their service in the QRH and that they remain connected to the Regimental family.
QRH Fund Initiatives
Casualty Liaison Officer
For some, long-term recovery from serious injury can be an isolating experience. Having a former Hussar established in the role of Casualty Liaison Officer will provide a trusted point of contact to the Regiment for those dealing with injury.
The Family Support Fund
QRH soldiers are currently spending an average of 8 months away each year either in Eastern Europe, training in Germany or on exercise in the UK. During that time, those left behind are single parent families. The Family Welfare Fund would give the families of deployed soldiers a childcare voucher that allows them to put their children into childcare or a club so that the child receives some benefit whilst one of their parents is away. This will also ensure that the stay-at-home partner gets a short period of relief from full time parenting.
The Hussar Breakfast
Thirty to fifty soldiers leave the QRH each year as part of the natural churn of Army life. Therefore, there are many hundreds of QRH veterans who are young and often not attracted to the traditional veterans’ events. To ensure that our younger veterans remain connected to the Regimental family, the QRH Support Fund will deliver an annual breakfast, at which QRH veterans of all ages can gather for a free breakfast and coffee. The Hussar Breakfast will be far more accessible to the younger veterans.
Veterans’ Phone Call
Due to the rise of mental health issues and the number of stories we hear about veterans becoming isolated, the QRH Support Fund would pay for each veteran to receive a phone call once a year. The call would be designed to proactively identify issues before they emerge and, when required, to help a veteran get the support they need before they hit crisis point.
Immediate Relief Fund
In the tragic event of a casualty or mass-casualties in the Regiment, the QRH Support Fund would offer the Commanding Officer immediately accessible finance that they could use to support the families of the injured or killed soldiers. The money would be used to help the family with childcare, family travel plans, family accommodation, relocation and adapting living quarters. For those killed in action the fund would also be used to support their children in the longer term.