Rustington blind veteran to lay wreath to mark Remembrance Sunday

Jim Dunn, 81, will be one of many blind veterans supported by Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for vision-impaired ex-Servicemen and women, to lay wreaths around the country as part of the national Remembrance Sunday commemorations. Jim joined the British Army in 1955 at the age of 15 and served with the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. In 1980 he was commissioned and upon his retirement in 1993 he held the rank of major. During his time with the Army, Jim had postings in Germany, Malaya, Borneo, Hong Kong and the Gulf. In 2012 Jim began to realise he was losing his sight and during brain surgery in 2013, it was found that the cause was blood vessels putting pressure on his brain. In 2021 Jim was registered as severely sight impaired.

He said: “I have peripheral vision only in one eye and the vision in my other eye is like looking through a net curtain at all times. My biggest fear in life was losing my eyesight but when it happened, I was quite open-minded to what the future would hold and didn’t allow myself to go into a panic. There is not a great deal I can do about it so I had to learn to accept it. I was no longer able to drive but I manage to get around using buses, trains and taxis or I have friends who are willing to help.”

In 2015, Jim was talking to a former neighbour who was himself a blind veteran.

“He ordered me to get in touch with Blind Veterans UK. I did as I was told and have been receiving support from the charity ever since. They are a tremendous help. I went for a week-long induction course at the charity’s Centre of Wellbeing in Brighton and took part in many discussions and talks about living with sight-loss. My girlfriend was with me and she went along to talks specifically aimed at carers.

“The charity has loaned me a machine to help me read which I couldn’t live without, it allows me to control the colours and text size, and a couple of bright lamps. I get a magazine each month which keeps me up to date with what the charity is doing and I take part in group phone calls and lunches every six to eight weeks. It’s fantastic to catch up with like-minded people.

“If I have a problem, I message the charity and they always come back with a solution or a suggestion. Nothing is ever too much trouble.”

Jim will be laying a wreath at the Rustington War Memorial. He said: “It is very important for me to pay my respects as so many people through the ages have lost their lives in a bid to defend our freedom. I will be proudly laying the wreath on behalf of my fellow blind veterans. I wanted to take part this year as Blind Veterans UK’s Centre of Wellbeing will be moving from Ovingdean to within a mile of my front door. The charity has done so much for me and I want to show my support.”

The blind veteran population supported by the charity today is very different to that of the 1930s when the Ovingdean centre opened, and the average age of the veterans supported is now 87. Moving to this new building will mean Blind Veterans UK can offer different services, that far better suit the needs of these and future veterans.

The new centre is situated right on the beach and will be at the heart of the community in Rustington.

The wreath being laid by Jim has been sponsored by Thea Pharmaceuticals as part of Blind Veterans UK’s ‘Sponsor a wreath’ campaign and their ongoing fundraising support for the charity. To sponsor a wreath in 2023 or to take part in fundraising activity to support the charity’s move to Rustington, please email [email protected] or call 0300 111 22 33.

Blind Veterans UK supports thousands of blind veterans but knows there are many thousands more who still need its support to rebuild their lives after sight loss. The charity recently launched a campaign, proudly supported by Specsavers, to find and recruit these men and women.

If you, or someone you know, served in the Armed Forces, including National Service, and are now struggling with sight loss, then please get in touch. Call 0800 389 7979 or visit blindveterans.org.uk/support  

While Blind Veterans UK initially cared for veterans blinded in active Service, today they help veterans no matter what caused their sight loss.