Trust launched to preserve veterans' homes legacy

Veterans living in homes dedicated to a soldier who died fighting in the Falklands have set up a trust to "preserve their legacy".

Built in 1988, the 14 bungalows, in Hoyland, were named after Sgt Ian John McKay, and originally intended for disabled military veterans.

However, in 2024, the properties were sold by the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) to Mountview Estates, meaning they can be bought by non-veterans.

Now residents say they have created the McKay VC Memorial Homes Trust to preserve Sgt McKay's memory and with a view to restoring the properties to their original use.

Speaking at a service to mark the 44th anniversary of the end of the Falklands War, Sue Speight said: "Our focus now is not looking back at what's happened, but on preserving the legacy of this living memorial community.

"There are a number of communities like this throughout the UK, that have been sold by the governing charities, and although they say it's for the good of the charity, there's not been a lot of attention paid to the veterans living there."

Sgt McKay, from Wortley, died aged 29 during the Battle of Mount Longdon in 1982, while trying to save his fellow soldiers from enemy fire.

He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, the UK's top military honour.

Despite the sale of the bungalows, veterans have been told they can stay for the rest of their lives.

However, Terry O'Leary, 71, who served for 12 years in the Royal Horse Artillery, said the past year had been "very hard".

"It's very frustrating and disappointing knowing these were built in memory of Sgt McKay and the McKay family as well, who put their heart and soul into it," he said.

Speight, 66, who served with the Women's Royal Naval Service, agreed that seeing the cottages being sold to non veterans had been "very difficult".

"We are trying to live as best we can," she said.

"It's difficult for us and it's difficult for them, and we appreciate that.

"We've had a couple of small conversations with them, but it's hard because we are now finding that our little veterans community is being steadily broken up.

"But, the ones of us that are here are adamant that we want our homes back."

As well as launching the trust, Speight said they had not given up hope of reclaiming the cottages.

"We've now launched the GoFundMe page to raise funds to develop the trust going forward and, ultimately, the hope is to attract enough attention from donors or supporters, in whatever way we can, to protect these homes and to bring them back and restore them to the purpose for which they were built

A letter signed by the McKay family was also read out at the service, saying: "The McKay VC Memorial Cottages were created as a living memorial to Ian's sacrifice and we fully support all that Terry, Sue and the residents are endeavouring to do to preserve that legacy for future generations of vulnerable disabled veterans.

"As many of the McKay family are now either no longer with us or in their nineties, it is more important than ever that Ian's sacrifice Is not forgotten and that the purpose for which these homes were created is remembered and restored."

A spokesperson for SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity said: "We understand the feelings of the McKay VC Memorial Cottages residents, and would like to make repeat that the lifetime protected tenancies they signed in 2024 are just that: protected and for life.

"Further, the sale of the Pine Close properties is leaving a legacy of help and support to many in the military family past, present, and future.

"Those who will benefit will be people in the military community and will number some with disabilities and some without, and of course the offer of support extends to all in the military community including the residents of those properties."

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