Who we are

Our history

Our History

Championing pension rights for Armed Forces veterans since 1946

The Society was formed in 1946 in the aftermath of the Second World War to campaign for better pension provision for Armed Forces veterans and their families.

It was pivotal in ensuring the Armed Forces were treated fairly alongside other public services pension schemes, with the unique nature of military service being understood, recognised and compensated for. This campaigning ethos remained central to the Society’s purpose and objectives over the decades that followed with some notable successes. These include, more recently, the outcome of the ‘Justice for Widows’ campaign in 2014.

The Society remains a positive influence, championing the cause of serving Armed Forces personnel and veterans, their families and the broader military community.

In many respects it’s the unofficial union for the Armed Forces. Through its publications, particularly the bi-annual magazine Pennant, the Society keeps its members up to date and well informed on a whole host of current affairs, pension news and other areas our members are interested in. While we maintain a campaigning ethos and are permanently on the lookout for any unfairness or mal-administration in the provision of Armed Forces pensions, the majority of our time is spent guiding Members on the technical aspects of their Armed Forces pension.

What our members say

“My sincere thanks”

“Having just joined the Trinity Travel Cover, I had to call upon them when a serious leg injury forced me to cancel much-anticipated Christmas cruise. I’d never made a travel insurance claim before, but they made it quite straightforward and were happy to discuss things over the phone in a friendly way. Some weeks after having made the claim, I was delighted to receive a full refund on my trip, minus only my excess. Would you be kind enough to pass on my thanks to all parties involved. Needless to say, I remain a customer, and am very grateful to you at FPS for providing such a good travel insurance deal in the first place. “

“I do enjoy the newsletters and the bi-annual magazines, the amount of work that goes into producing them is very evident.”

“I’ve been inundated with nothing but positive feed back “

“Many thanks for your outstanding brief, I’ve been inundated with nothing but positive feed back with people learning a lot and actioning things off the back of it. “

“I was presented with a thorough and comprehensive breakdown of my entitlement”

“I can’t stress how grateful I am for getting definitive and detailed answers to my pension queries. It has been a minefield in the years leading up to my discharge trying to decipher the various booklets, and which information in them relates to my situation. I also enjoy the fact that you get to speak to someone who has “been there and done that”, or has at least dealt with a similar situation in the past. I was presented with a thorough and comprehensive breakdown of my entitlement. Thank you Forces Pension Society.”

“Very many thanks for providing such a service.”

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the wealth of information that you have just provided through your webinar this afternoon. It was very much welcomed. I look forward to joining the Forces Pension Society in the very near future and have no doubt, after serving 33 year’s service thus far, that this will prove invaluable as I enter my final two years of service. Very many thanks for providing such a service.
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“Many thanks for allowing me to connect “

“Many thanks for allowing me to connect to the last Webinar. I found this a fascinating update on all the complex issues pertaining to service pensions and left me much better informed to engage with Veterans UK once my AFPS 12 returns.”

“Joining is by far one of the best moves I have made”

“I would like to pass on my sincere thanks to the FPS, but primarily to Alisa Lakeman-Ford. throughout the last year, she has been absolutely superb in providing me the most excellent feedback on my pension enquiries. I have to say, joining the FPS, and seeing such in-depth, detailed, pension forecasts produced by Alisa, is by far one of the best moves I have made in my 32 year career. The patience, professionalism, knowledge and willingness to help was nothing short of outstanding. Thank you all, and sincere thanks to Alisa. “

“We would be stuck without you!”

“I would like to offer my sincere thanks to teh team for all the help and assistance you have given me over the past few years. My circumstances were “not typical”, but you will be pleased to learn that all my fears were unfounded and everything has materialised as it should have. I am now in receipt of my lump sum and regular pension, including the extra I had put in from my years with another employer. Thank you to FPS as a whole for all the help and guidance you give to members of the Armed Forces. We would be stuck without you!
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“Mind blowing!”

“I became a member 9 months after my father’s death as I have been handling the widow’s pension on behalf of my mother. The journey was an absolute nightmare. 13 months on and we are still not out of the woods, however, your team, especially Colin Thomas have been pivotal in progressing our case. I cannot think of another organisation that charges a nominal yearly fee for the time, compassion, empathy and sheer determination in making things happen fairly, honestly and justly as The Forces Pension Society. The service and commitment given is mind blowing.
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“Wow!”

“Wow – thank you very much for the detailed e-mail. Having burnt my maths text books at the tender age of 16 this is exactly what I needed to make sense of what is a complicated system. Quite how anyone is supposed to be able to decipher that without your help is beyond me! I really appreciate the work you have put in and will recommend you to all my colleagues – a fantastic service.
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“Extremely beneficial webinar”

“On behalf of DHU, thank you very much for your extremely comprehensive Webinar this was extremely beneficial”

“Unclaimed pension”

“I have received overall £12743. Could not have done it without the support of the Society so I would like to thank you for pointing me in the right direction and particularly the help you gave me with the paperwork and answers to my questions. Really appreciate what you have done for me.”