DHU Healthcare will shortly be presented with the Armed Forces Covenant Silver Award and we thought we’d mark it by talking to one of our own who has served with the RAF.
Stuart Holman is DHU’s Business Continuity and Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response Lead and in a previous life, spent 17 years serving as an RAF policeman. We thought we’d catch up with Stuart to find out more…
“I knew from a very early age that I wanted to be a Policeman. Some of my family members and friends were serving officers and I lived on an estate surrounded by many ‘Police’ families, so it was very much in my blood and my neighbourhood. As soon as I left school at the age of 17, I applied to take (what was in those days) the National Police Exam at the Thames Valley Police HQ in Kidlington. Fortunately, I achieved a pass mark that allowed me to apply to any force in the country but was later precluded from applying to The City of London Police, because try as I might, I couldn’t meet their minimum six foot one inch height requirement!
Life Experience
“I eventually settled on Sussex Constabulary and was invited to their Lewes HQ for a three-day extended interview. Unfortunately, however, my youth and inexperience was stacked against me during the interview process and I was politely asked to ‘go away and get some more ‘life-experience’ before re-applying. Devastated, I returned home with my tail between my legs - my world had suddenly come crashing down around my ears and I had no backup plan.
“It was my Dad who told me to stop feeling sorry for myself and sent me off to investigate careers with HM Forces, and weeks later I’d signed-up with the Royal Air Force. I undertook my basic training at RAF Swinderby in late November 1985, which was followed by basic police training at RAF Newton and driver basic training at RAF St Athan…and then I was let loose on the RAF with notebook, whistle and handcuffs!
“I had an interesting and varied police career with the RAF and served in many parts of the world including the UK, northern Europe, Cyprus, the Falkland Islands and the Gulf. As a Policeman in the military, I had to deal with a wide range of military infringements including fighting, assaults, domestic violence, theft, fraud and drink driving, and my work-life was very akin to that of the local Bobby in those days.
“My enduring memory of life in the services is the sense of community and camaraderie I experienced. To give you an example, I remember when my daughter Rachel was born. She is the youngest of my four children and was just seven weeks old when I was detached to the Falklands for the first time. I was there for nearly six months in the end, and Rachel was eight months old by the time I got back and yelled any time I went anywhere near her. During my absence however, my wife at the time was supported by everyone from the Squadron Leader at the base to the WRAF, the Women’s Royal Air Force, who regularly popped by to see how she was and whether there was anything she needed.
Needed additional support
“Leaving service is very jarring. I was lucky in the sense that I had the support of a close family, but going from a life where everything is planned out for you - from when you get up, to how you dress, what you eat and when, where you live, your finances to then one day receiving a handshake, a small cheque and a ‘thanks for your service’; it can be extremely unsettling. Suddenly, you realise that you are left to your own devices with very little support or knowledge of how to live a civilian lifestyle.
“You don’t know how to write a CV, how to conduct yourself in an interview, buy a house, apply for benefits, it’s all new. As you can imagine that can all lead to feelings of helplessness and I know some who suffered with their mental health, especially those who had seen horrific things in combat, became homeless and didn’t know where to turn. ‘Am I good enough’ is a common thought among service leavers.
“As I said, I had a family but even for me it was a hard adjustment. I’d never been unemployed before and suddenly I was at the DSS claiming benefits and being asked what I’d done to try and find work. You can see how those feelings of worthlessness can creep in. I was lucky and found employment as a Security Analyst on the London Congestion Charge Scheme (click here to read our ‘What Do You Do at DHU’ article on Stuart’s role) where my skills were utilised and I had a chance at a second career.
Relevant help and support
“I don’t know much about the Armed Forces Covenant but from what I understand, it’s there to support ex-servicemen and current Reservists. Organisations signing up to it and achieving the awards; it’s a badge of honour for those servicemen and women that the organisation won’t discriminate, in fact they will actively support you in making those adjustments. I hear that there is help and support for things like writing CV’s, applying for jobs, housing and making those difficult adjustments that I mentioned earlier. From my experience, that has to be a good thing and I’m proud that I’m working for such a forward thinking and inclusive organisation that has committed to that and has already gone above and beyond.
“I’m immensely proud of my time in the RAF, of my comrades who served before, alongside and after me and it gives me great pleasure to see people honouring events such as Remembrance Day and Armed Forces Day. That show of respect for what we’ve been through and the service we have given is awe-inspiring and never fails to move me.”