Mike and I met in France and married in 2010. Mike, originally from North Wales, was in the Parachute Regiment for six years, followed by 11 years in the Royal Irish Regiment. I am a freelance researcher.
We made friends in France, but not everyone had the same interests so we started wondering if there were any clubs in France for ex-service personnel.
I found a couple of Armed Forces and Veterans Breakfast Clubs (AFVBC) further north – we are near Angoulême, Charente – but they were too far away to be practical.
So we set up a local club ourselves, although we did not know if there would be enough people in the area. We just posted on Facebook and it grew from there.
We expected to have around 20 members and now we have 350, just for the Aquitaine AFVBC. The French network as a whole has more than 900 members.
We are now helping people set up other clubs all over France.
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Eight or nine other clubs have been opened so far, and we know that there are more veterans out there who don't use social media, so it is a question of reaching them.
The whole point is the banter: it is a monthly social club. People make friends, network and make connections with other associations.
The meetings are generally in the morning, but it is not always breakfast – sometimes it is a picnic or a Battle of Britain Ball, or anything. Sometimes we do Sunday lunch.
The focus is togetherness and camaraderie; it fends off isolation and loneliness.
We tend to work with older veterans, who are often delighted to be around other ex-service people. We also include blue light services – nurses, firefighters and police.
Nationwide network
There are no membership fees. You just reserve, turn up and pay for your meal.
Claire and Michael La RocheClaire La Roche
Usually the breakfasts are catered by restaurants, campsites, or a Chinese buffet, but sometimes we do our own thing, like a barbecue.
We hold additional activities such as a Christmas party in December, and we commemorate D-Day.
We get incredibly busy. Our club mainly comprises armed forces veterans – mostly army and some RAF, and a very few from the Royal Navy.
We cover all military commemorative events where possible, particularly Remembrance Day, when we join French parades.
Other associations such as Cancer Support France (CSF) sometimes ask us to come along and support them. We are always happy to turn up. The clubs are very community based.
We now have hundreds of members and a nationwide network. We even met King Charles III and Queen Camilla in Bordeaux last year!
*There are Armed Forces and Veterans Breakfast Clubs throughout France. To find one near you, email AFVBCFrance@gmail.com.
King Charles at a veterans' get-togetherAFVBC
Claire’s tips for setting up your own Armed Forces and Veterans Breakfast Club
Contact AFVBCFrance@gmail.com for information and support.
The clubs do not handle any money (there are no membership fees), so there is no obligation to start a 1901 not-for-profit association.
Post on social media to attract new members. Flyers in British shops and bookshops often work well too.
The clubs are not just for British veterans. There are members from the US, Australia and elsewhere. Contacting cultural exchange associations and local British or US organisations has been a good way forward for us.
Choose a name for the club.
The club can be as big or as small as it needs to be. The club in Aveyron, for example, is very small; they meet in each other's houses for a cup of tea and a piece of cake. However, word soon gets out and clubs do tend to grow organically.
