Britons come together to honour sacrifice of serving and former personnel in Armed Forces Week​

Britons come together to honour sacrifice of serving and former personnel in Armed Forces Week​

Britons are acknowledging the sacrifices made by serving and former military personnel as part of Armed Forces Week. Running from 22-27 June, and culminating in Armed Forces Day, it is a time for the nation to thank our Armed Forces community and to remind those who serve that support is available. The Royal British Legion (RBL) support the yearly event and is there for the Armed Forces community from day one of service. The charity supported RAF veteran Alan Bell by coming to the aid of his wife, Tracey Ann, who has arthritic spondylitis, a chronic spinal condition that makes it difficult for her to walk and get up and down the stairs. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say In 1982, Alan Bell, now 62, joined the RAF at the age of 17 as a painter and finisher looking after aircraft, including Nimrods, Chinooks and Tornadoes and served for 23 years. Alan was deployed to a number of conflicts, including the Falklands, Northern Ireland, the Gulf War and Iraq. He had a lucky escape during the troubles in Northern Ireland when a bullet lodged in the door frame of his Fiat as he drove back to base at Aldergrove Flying Station near Antrim, and his memories of the Gulf War are particularly difficult. "The actual Gulf War was out in Riyadh and it was during the Scud missile crisis," Alan told GB News. "I found it quite worrying because it was so random. If somebody points a rifle at you and intends to kill you, that's one thing, but these missiles were just fired into nowhere. "We lost quite a few lads in that conflict - I remember a Scud missile hit a US mess tent, killing lots of people, so the RAF gunners went running in to help and they were hit as well. "When our lads were getting killed, it felt very personal. It was unpleasant to see the after effects, but I’m very proud of my service, I really enjoyed being in the RAF, and I always tried to do the right thing, so I can look back with my head held high. "I really can't overstate how crucial the Armed Forc

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