I left the army and went back to Manchester with a shake of the hand in 1950s- I finally have a veterans badge

This is thanks to the efforts of his Trafford Council social worker. One-time army cook Richard Dodd will be paying his respects on Remembrance Sunday at the age of 93, wearing his official veteran’s badge for the first time.

He received the lapel badge from the Ministry of Defence just in time for the big day thanks to Trafford Council social work apprentice Laura Titterington, who wrote to the Government on his behalf.

Laura has been working with Richard for a few weeks, to help him to continue to live well at home in Sale, organising a daily carer and other support for him. The badge is one that by rights Richard should have received upon being discharged from the army in the 1950s. 

Richard said: “I liked the army, it was something different. I didn’t expect to get anything when I was discharged. We shook hands and I went off home. But I’ve since found out I was entitled to an award in recognition of my service.”

On working with Laura, he said: “She has a lovely personality, she is always smiling. She organises things for me and makes my day better. I will never forget her.”

Richard, who was brought up in Hulme, trained to be a commis chef at Manchester’s Midland Hotel as a teenager. He completed National Service at Aldershot before stints in

Salisbury Plain and Nottingham as a Private with the Royal Army Pay Corps and the Royal Artillery. He became popular as an army cook, serving hundreds of troops at a time – using his chef training to teach fellow kitchen staff superior skills such as how to fillet fish properly.

Richard, whose wife Joyce passed away in 1998, worked at High Voltage Switch Gear Ltd at Trafford Park for 35 years after he was a full-time soldier – though he also served five years in the Territorial Army part-time during the early part of his employment.

His nieces Samantha and Alison have also tried over the years to get Richard his medal. They will be accompanying Richard to the Remembrance Sunday service at St Peter’s Square in Manchester city centre, where he will wear his badge with pride. Trafford Council is a holder of a gold-standard Armed Forces Covenant, which recognises strong support for the Armed Forces community in the borough.

Cllr Jane Slater, Trafford Council’s Executive Member for Healthy and Independent Lives, said: “I’m delighted that Laura and the Council have been able to help Richard in this way. We work with hundreds of residents who need us, including our veterans, to improve lives every day.”