“What is a Chelsea Pensioner?” Students at HSDC were asked this question recently by Chelsea Pensioner Peter Turner during his visit to the Havant campus.
A student’s response – “the person on Britain’s Got Talent”. Peter agreed and also explained that Chelsea Pensioners “get involved in all sorts of things, representing the veteran community and representing the Royal Hospital Chelsea”. They help by raising money through activities such as bungee jumping and skydiving and they travel the world, “representing England, representing the Queen and representing the British Army”.
The students avidly listened whilst Peter explained that roughly 300 pensioners live at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, and in order to live there, the residents must have been in the British Army, have no dependent family and be receiving an Army pension. They give up the pension when they enter the ‘old folks home’, as Peter called it.
The visit linked in with the opening of the Wall of Remembrance, which gives students the opportunity to think about those people affected by war and conflict who are no longer alive. This part of the visit ended with the reading of a poem by A Level English student Kyle.
After opening the Wall of Remembrance and speaking with some of the students, Peter then travelled to Fort Purbrook to meet some of the celebrated HSDC Combined Cadet Force (CCF) cadets.