In creating this page for Help for Heroes I have chosen to remember one person out of sadly, the many. I first met 'HJ' at Sutton Coldfield where we had gone as civilians to pass the first part of the Army selection process. Out of the many there, we were the only two aiming to serve in the Royal Military Police. Over a beer in the camps NAAFI HJ told me to sign on for 9 years, rather than the 3 I had planned - "Honest", he said "You'll get promoted quicker". Right, cheers mate, not sure that one worked out for me! 

We next met up at the RMP training centre in Chichester, where HJ started in the same squad as me. I remember he had a stack of cetificates from all the courses he had done whilst serving in the TA (21 SAS) and just as many pictures of him serving alongside the Parachute regt in Northern Ireland - blimey, we had a real soldier in our midst !

Fellows like Sgt Hamilton-Jewell make it an honour to have served.