Veterans’ Voices booklet honours Seychellois British Armed Forces veterans |07 July 2022

Souvenir photo of Seychellois veterans who attended the ceremony

To recognise and celebrate the invaluable contributions made by Seychellois veterans who served in the British Armed Forces, the British high commission has launched the ‘Veterans’ Voices’ booklet.

The booklet, recounting the experiences of Seychellois veterans of the British military, was launched at a reception attended by many of the veterans at the high commissioner’s residence. 

The booklet marks the first significant milestone under the Veterans’ Voices project, a culmination of months of interviews conducted by the British high commission’s community engagement officer, Jacqueline Bulmer. 

The date of the reception was selected to coincide with the UK’s Armed Forces Week, and the British high commission hopes to turn the reception into an annual event where the veterans can come together and reminisce on their years in service. 

In his opening remarks, the British high commissioner, Patrick Lynch, stated;

“We are proud to launch what we hope will be an annual reception for British Army veterans in Seychelles. This event marks another milestone – the launch and distribution of the fantastic Veterans’ Voices booklet, which for the first time sets out the unique stories and memories across generations of British Service personnel from Seychelles. 

“This annual reception and the booklet are small gestures that do not come close to repaying the debt of gratitude that the United Kingdom has for those who served in our armed forces. However, they are also important demonstrations of the respect we have for their service.

“The UK will always see Seychelles as a priority partner due to our shared history and shared values, and we will seek to put our British Army veterans at the heart of this relationship.”

The reception was attended by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Errol Fonseka, who also served as a soldier in the British Army. In his speech, Minister Fonseka thanked the British high commission for their efforts in producing the booklet and their continuous support of law and order in Seychelles.

The Veterans’ Voices booklet, which was designed by Velma Cafrine and edited by Craig Francourt, was distributed to each attending veteran.

Press release from the British high commission