Compare Blairs Billions to a widows lot

Mean spiritedness is alive and well as we approach the season of giving and good cheer and good will - or so it would appear. Let's hope there's a change of heart and the 'policy' can be put in place that when any member of H.M. Forces dies for their country then any monies paid out to widows etc should be in the rank of the deceased no matter how long it had been held or whether it was an acting rank or not. This SNCO would have been given his rank for time served, assessed as fit to hold the rank and so that his pending deployment would have a respected and responsible SNCO in situ for the tasks that lay ahead. To argue that he hadn't spent long enough in the rank to qualify for rank related widow's pension rights seems unjust and mean. He paid the supreme sacrifice - I wonder what sacrifice the pen-pushers in MOD have made to serve their country so well?

Sergeant Matthew Telford of the Grenadier Guards was  promoted to the rank in June 2009. In November of that same year, Sergeant Telford was one of 5  British soldiers killed when a rogue Afghan policeman opened  fire on them. His wife and family will only receive a Corporal's pension since  he only held his rank of Sergeant for less than a year.  However,  he was killed on operations by the enemy whilst wearing three  stripes of a Sergeant on active service. Please sign the petition below to support a change in the rules  that deny a hero's widow the pension she deserves.  http://soldiers-pensions.co.uk/?q=petition