A great many years ago, I served in Her Majesties’ Royal Navy. I was pleased and proud to do so as well because several previous generations of my family had done likewise. I wanted an engineering qualification and the Navy offered this but I knew that, in return for it, I might be asked to put myself at risk. To stand upon the wall as it were. Of course, the chances of that where my contemporaries and I were concerned was remote in the extreme but nevertheless possible. For myself, it was an easy choice to “take the shilling,” but a mere one or two years before I joined, a task force of this nation took to the sea bound for the South Atlantic.
Some of those who went there did not return.
Of those who did return, we began to understand a little more about the effects of putting such brave people in harms way. You will all have heard the terms- combat stress, PTSD, Shell Shock and numerous others. The outward effects can be discerned, but are not that obvious and the internal effects, which are very hard to see, can be devastating, not only for the sufferers but for those around them.
Soldiering is a dirty, difficult and dangerous game. For almost as long as there have been people around, they have formed themselves into groups to deal with threats to themselves and their friends. The first threats came perhaps from large animals, but as mankind developed, the threats began to come from other groups of people. Every now and again nations call upon their people to undertake duty in defence of many things- a nation, an idea, a belief perhaps. Sometimes the population are called upon to defend against a belief. Such is what we saw eighty years or so ago.
Soldiering is not normal. The men who do this job are changed by it. Those who survive these tribulations come back from whichever theatre in which they operated and are returned to the arms of their families and to the company of their friends where they attempt once again to live normal lives.
Although many will return with minimal hardship, this is not as easy as it sounds for some soldiers, sailors and airmen. These days, we are more far aware of the adverse effects of placing men into combat and are more able to treat the after effects of such strains. This leads me to the subject of today’s piece.
MOS6510 models, that very well known modeller, YouTuber and all around good egg invited Malcolm to from “Models for Heroes” to join him last Monday. I must confess that I was not completely familiar with this exceptionally worthy charity until then and hope you will forgive me for this, but came away with a strong impression that Malcolm, who drives the whole thing forward works very hard and does an excellent job of it. It is no surprise that he has made Models for Heroes so successful when one observes his easy manner and simple, direct communication style- people like him and trust him, of that I have no doubt.
Perhaps it may surprise you that a charitable organisation that started out not so many years ago in the back bedroom of Malcolm’s house has, to date, delivered 14,000 models to ex servicemen and emergency service workers who have been referred to them. That is a considerable achievement when you just consider the logistics of it. The charity and the work they do has grown and expanded as a result of the commitment of the volunteers and the directors and this is something that I would suggest is worth our time and our attention.
So, 14,000 kits delivered and counting, but it isn’t just kits. M4H helps its beneficiaries by providing glues, sanders, tweezers, decal solutions and magazines amongst other modelling ephemera. As all modellers know, these are important parts of the armoury and without them the build results might not be as good. M4H recognise also that sometimes modellers need help to build kits and to improve, so they undertake modelling shows, often on YouTube where they impart the skills and pointers required. This is in a strikingly similar manner to many content producers that you all look at, I suspect sometimes on a daily basis.
I believe that the online presence is a most important facet of the work that M4H do. Loneliness and isolation has long been recognised as a damaging feature in life. Humans are social creatures- they depend on contact and Malcolm and his team provide that contact and fellowship to the very people who, in turn, depended upon it during their professional lives and who might be without it since leaving the services. When subjected to danger on a daily basis, the small jokes and comments as well as the quiet fellowship of your friends are amongst the social interactions that get one through the difficulty. Reunions of old soldiers are vital because they can remember the bond they felt and when they meet again, perhaps they remember that their sacrifice was worth it.
Such soldiers, sailors, airmen, ambulance staff, fire crews and all manner of other workers who run towards danger rather than away from it are helped by friendship after adversity and I am sure it must go some way towards healing the wounds that cannot be seen. Video feeds where modellers can interact therefore must be a valuable asset and perhaps even a lifeline to those whose lives have taken an unexpected turn. Perhaps they can also be a stepping stone to some people as they find their way away from isolation.
There is a field of the medical profession known as Occupational Health which I understand covers the relationship between work, stress and home or other life. It is well understood that some aspects of ones work might have effects on ones health and perhaps also mental well being. I am sure that you can imagine that this would particularly be the case for those operating in a hostile environment like a theatre of war, although it might equally apply to adversity of a different and altogether more everyday, (if I might beg to call it that) sort. You will, I hope, understand that I am not seeking to reduce or make light of the challenges met by everyone on a daily basis.
It is the case that in your life you will all encounter difficulty and the ways that you chose to deal with that may differ depending upon your personality and a host of other things. You have, (many of you who read this) a super hobby of model making and this allows you to manage the strains of your life and the hardships that it may, from time to time, impose upon you. You use the hobby to disengage and to relax, (even though you may be annoyed by your project from time to time) and in so doing, your problems are placed into another place for a time. That is a healthy and useful means of dealing with stresses.
When you return to thinking of your everyday life with its challenges, perhaps you will find that your pressures have eased a tiny bit. That mountain you seek to climb may not be so tall. The world hasn’t become less of a scary place, but you have become braver.
As Frederich Nietschze said “that which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
The small assistance that M4H provide to so many people with the fellowship and the generosity they share to those perhaps most in need is helping those people to meet their challenges and prevail, perhaps making small steps to overcoming their difficulties. By meeting their challenges, our heroes overcome the personal hardships and M4H do their bit to help. I suspect far more than many realise.
The continued support of many, many people who selflessly give both their money and their time to this charity allows it to keeping helping and to keep growing.
By any measure, the people of this country show once again that they kind and helpful. We assist where we can, sometimes in a small way, sometimes in a large way, but the degree of that help is always great. The generosity and care shown by Models for Heroes for others, often those whom they have not met is something that has the power to continually surprise and please. It is when things are at their worst for many that others show themselves at their very best. As it was in battle, so it is now for those who survived thanks in part to Models for Heroes.
I take my hat off to them all.
Models for Heroes may be found here:
Right you are, Zin! Another thing to note is you can donate your Airfix Club 'Flying Hours' to MfH, and they'll provide kits to them for free.