Postbag: In praise of Army welfare

IN THE 20 years I’ve been with my soldier, we’ve been lucky to have never really needed Army welfare – until this year when my husband fell ill following a working trip overseas. He soldiered on for a long tim...

Postbag: Tricky identification situation

CAN the MOD look at issuing a permanent dependant’s ID card like our version of a MOD F90? Getting a dependant pass for camp for where we are currently based (Larkhill) is like a mystery nobody knows how to s...

Postbag: Speed up the system

MY HUSBAND has just left the military after more than 30 years’ service. The Army has known that he is leaving and the specific date for nearly a year and therefore his rank, seniority, length of service and de...

Penalised by rank

THE letter and reply in spring’s Army&You about Longer Separation Allowance (LSA) being taxed did not raise the question of why it is done at the rate of income tax. My husband’s salary is taxed at 40 per ...

Why should we accept poor standards?

WE MOVED into our quarter in December 2014 and noted a number of problems, including mould in the kitchen and rubbish dumped in the communal areas. The housing officer also told us about a blown double glazing...

Allowance cut unfair

A RECENT Defence Information Notice details a reduction in married Service personnel’s entitlement to check their Privately Maintained Property (PMP) from 24 to four journeys per year.  It was deemed not nec...

Bonus blues

I HEARD bonuses are being paid out to soldiers after 16 years of service. This came as a surprise because during my husband’s 22 years with the Army he has never received a bonus. When he joined, he was prom...

Pay rise to purchase

I WELCOME the recent announcement to make home purchase easier for Army families but wonder if this will be matched by a significant rise in pay.  If the rates for Service housing are taken into account when...

Will private homeowners be left out in the cold?

WHAT is the British Army’s plan if something goes wrong when a family is living in their own home?  At present, if my husband is deployed and something catastrophic happens to my service house I will have he...

Disunited state

NOT having an allowance to cover the cost of flights at half-terms for our sons to visit us in the States is one of the biggest heartbreaks of our current posting.  We rely on friends and family to look afte...