Topic Defence, People
Date 11 Nov 2022
November 11 marks Remembrance Day, a day of reflection initially organised to commemorate the end of the First World War. It was originally called 'Armistice Day' to commemorate the armistice agreement that ended the First World War on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918.
The day has expanded to become a memorial to those who have given their lives for their country in all wars, including the Second World War, and more recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, among others.
For many Galliford Try employees, the day has a particular resonance, with the Group’s emphasis on recruiting ex-forces personnel to the business. Galliford Try has pledged its commitment to The Armed Forces Corporate Covenant since 2016 and works with the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) to assist servicemen and women transitioning into civilian careers.
With Galliford Try’s ex-military programme, support is given both professionally and personally by employees who have previously worked with the military. The buddy or mentor ensure that those new joiners receive the support and assistance they require to make the transition into a civilian role.
Senior Project Manager, Gerallt Williams who is currently based in our Annesley office, served within The Corps of Royal Engineers from 1993 to 2016. In his early career, Gerallt was a plant fitter, and also commanded Chieftain Armoured Engineer vehicles. Based within mainland UK and British Forces Germany for the majority of his career, Gerallt participated in operational tours within Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan.
For the second part of his career he became a Military Clerk of Works, where he was a Project Manager delivering Infrastructure Projects for tri-service organisations and worked on key projects in Afghanistan where he contributed to designing and manufacturing bespoke lifesaving equipment, and building and maintaining strategic water installations.
Commenting on his experiences, and reflecting on Remembrance Day, Gerallt said: “Following retirement from the forces the transition to civilian industry was challenging, due to the focus being on searching for business as usual solutions, and not solutions based on operational necessity. Galliford Try have an excellent ‘buddy’ system where support is offered to service leavers by ex-forces personnel that have been through the transition themselves.
“The 11 November is a day the country sets aside to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts. The reality is, for service personnel, veterans, and their families, we remember the sacrifices paid by our friends and family on a daily basis - Lest We Forget.”
Hannah May, Health Safety and Environmental Advisor based in our Chichester Office, served with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers from 2005 to 2011 as an electronics Technician working on AS90s, Light Gun, Warriors and wheel vehicles. She was based in the UK and conducted various deployments in the UK, Canada and Kenya.
At the end of 2011, Hannah transferred to the Royal Artillery and became an UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) pilot, including a deployment in Afghanistan in 2012/2013, before moving back to the UK as a trainer. After another stint as a UAV pilot with her operational unit, she stepped up as a Troop Sergeant Major for a year, before moving to Artillery Logistics.
Commenting on the importance of Remembrance Day and her experiences, Hannah said: “After 17 years I decided to call it a day, which was a huge and extremely hard decision for me to make. I've found it hard since leaving the service and ‘civvy street’ is all still very new to me.
“Seeing how Galliford Try operate, I believe they have an excellent ‘buddy’ system in place to offer support to service leavers as the company already have many veterans employed and are willing to listen and help where needed. A fellow comrade, a friend.
“It is extremely important that we never forget what happened, and it is the first-hand accounts that are key to making sure that the stories do not die. These stories must live on forever, not just to understand what was going on in Europe at that time, but also to know the lengths that people went to.”
This isn’t the only war or conflict that we need to remember, we need to remember all. Whether that be Falklands, Iraq, Afghanistan etc… all those that were sent for Queen/King and Country but also those that volunteered, the civilians and to remember those left back home in times of need.
“History has a habit of repeating itself and we all need to, not only remember the past but the current conflicts that are happening right now. We must all remember those that gave their everything - We WILL remember them.”
You can also learn more about our Ex-Military Programme here >>>