Description
TLC ZOOM
Wednesday 28th October 18:00 GMT
The Debt we owe
Vice Admiral Paul Bennett CB OBE
My admiration for ‘those who have kept us safe” – the Armed Forces is without peer. Born in 1948 I am now too old for ‘Dad’s Army’ but was too young for National Service before it was abolished. Therefore my gratitude is considerable and why I am always delighted to have amongst our membership many senior officers from the military.
Vice Admiral Paul Bennett exemplifies this and he was one of the founding members of TLC in London. More importantly he is National President of the Royal British Legion and hence, at this time of the year, I invited him to address us.
Paul says as follows:
Standing in the middle of the Royal Albert Hall to recite the Exhortation in front of the Royal Family, members of Government and the Armed Forces and some 5 million at home is nerve-wracking, but an enormous privilege.
The privilege is in representing an organisation and national institution that has shaped the relationship between the Nation and its Armed Forces.
In our short time together, I will describe why it was created, how it developed, explore some of the challenges of the future and provide a personal glimpse inside the RBL ‘tent’.
Biography
Paul Bennett joined the Royal Navy in September 1985 and enjoyed an extensive sea-going career. He commanded at every rank from the smallest to some of the largest ships in the RN. Ashore, he worked in the MOD, Permanent Joint HQ, Navy Command HQ, Shrivenham and in Baghdad. He was the Chief of Staff to one of TLC’s grandees, Sir Richard Barrons, in Joint Forces Command (now CSOC) and finished his career as the Chief of Staff in NATO’s Allied Command Transformation in Norfolk, Virginia from 2018-2021. He retired from regular service in 2022 and took up a role as a NATO Senior Mentor.
Vice Admiral Bennett is the National President of the Royal British Legion, President of a number of Royal Navy veterans’ organisations, a Younger Brother of Trinity House, a Liveryman of the Carpenters’ Company and a grandfather.
