Little Troopers is a registered charity supporting all children with one or both parents serving in the British Armed Forces, whether regular or reserve.
These children face unique challenges every day due to their parents’ career choice, including repeated periods of separation during exercises and operations, and frequent moves between homes and schools because of service life.
As a charity, we make sure every little trooper has access to essential resources that help ease the challenges of military life and support them through times of separation. We’re committed to ensuring that support can be accessed independently, wherever military children are based and that there are meaningful ways to help them stay connected with their serving parent, even when miles apart. We also strive to build a community that celebrates just how special our little troopers truly are.
Founded in 2011, Little Troopers has grown into a much-loved charity and vital support hub for military children.
A small charity with a big heart doing the very best for all the children of our British Armed Forces
Louise, our founder, is a British Army veteran who saw active service in Kosovo. Her husband was also a serving soldier for 24 years, and undertook seven operational tours of duty. Together they have a daughter, Madison, who spent her whole childhood as a military children and is the inspiration behind the charity, Little Troopers.
As a charity our main objective is to support children with parents serving in the British Armed Forces, regular or reserve.
Our charity’s vision is that all children who have a parent serving in the British Armed Forces feel recognised, included and celebrated, both at home and in school.
Our charity’s values support this vision. They are:
Being a military child is a unique experience that brings its own challenges and opportunities. It is important that all military children feel as though these unique experiences are valued, acknowledged and understood by those around them, both at home and in school
Military children deserve to have a voice and should be encouraged to share and talk about their lived experience. Fostering a sense of belonging and inclusion can positively impact the wellbeing of military children. No child should feel excluded or be disadvantaged due to their parent’s chosen career in the forces.
Military children are part of a special community of Little Troopers – united by their similar circumstances and shared experiences. By celebrating military children, we can help them to feel proud of themselves and encourage them to become more confident, adaptable and resilient adults.
“Sunny days, exploring and having fun on a married quarter patch is how I would describe my childhood, although my Mum would agree, she would also say I was at times an anxious child who would worry. You see my father spent 27 years in the Royal Marines and was deployed to many conflicts, often places he couldn’t tell us. We even had letters and pictures returned as the mail could not reach him. My Mum said I worried from the age of seven when my Dad went away and would have panic attacks and sleepless nights that would result in numerous visits to the Doctors and chats with the school.
As an adult now, I don’t remember any of it. I remember Dad being away, but that was more the homecoming and the excitement of it. Nothing beats making banners and waking up to Dad being downstairs waiting for us to join him for breakfast.
As a Mother now to a “Little Trooper”, I have never been more grateful to my Mum for the consistency, love and nurture I received from her. Our daughter Kiki, is now 11, and she suffers with some anxiety and tearful nights when her Dad is away, something I feel incredibly guilty about. As a mother it is my job to heal her, help her and comfort her, but she ultimately wants us back as a family. My Mum always comes up trumps when I call her. She always brings me back to Earth.
I don’t remember the tears, tantrums, and refusal to go to school, I only remember the good. The friendships, – military children have such strong connections, the sunny days climbing trees, my Dad coming home, the time together as a family after a deployment…. and that is what Kiki will remember.
For any parent of a child who is having a tricky day due a deployment or a move, please don’t beat yourself up, be kind to yourself. These experiences will shape them, but in the best way, and ultimately they won’t remember it, just the good times. Little Troopers are spectacular children, there are no others like them. They are kind, resilient, caring and unique children.
I’m Kirsty and I’m married to Ian who has been in the army for four years. We have two boys aged 4 and 1. In the picture I’m 9 months old and in my second house in Chatham. We were about to move to Brunei.
My Dad left the army when I was 16; in that time I did 9 moves, 1 abroad posting and 2 school moves.
The best part of being a military child was the friendships. The patch was like one big family. We’d spend all day in and out of each other’s houses playing. When Dad was home life was very normal and in many ways it was an idyllic childhood. The hardest bits were definitely separation – either from a serving parent, family or friends. I spoke to my Dad just once during his 6 month tour in Bosnia. Even as a young child you are aware of the danger. But your friends knew how you felt and how to help.
The constant changes were unsettling. It’s hard to see the burden of managing this fall on one parent too. I think my sister and I grew up quickly when we realised Mum had to manage everything alone.
I look back at my childhood fondly. But my sister and I had parents who recognised the challenges we faced.
What I would say to any military child is ask for help. Your feelings are a normal response to your circumstances. Don’t struggle with any big feelings alone.
To parents I’d say that children are very resilient. But listen to their worries and always validate their feelings. Prioritise contact and connection with serving parents and friends.
Being a service child is hard, but no child is immune from difficulties. Often they become adaptable, independent and creative people directly because of their experiences.
“In 2012, my mum was on tour in Afghanistan, for the second time. This time it was six months, and I was eight years old. I was not worried, I was not scared, it was a normality for me. My parents managed to show me the excitement of her going away, such as going on a last day trip with my mum to Chessington theme park, her coming back for my birthday, my grandma coming to live with us and of course, in my experience, receiving the blueys.
One of my cherished memories of when one of my parents was on tour was when it was my first year of being at a boarding school, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I had new friends, a new lifestyle and I felt at home. However, my favourite part of that school year was when I was playing in the school garden with my friends, the house mistress would call for me to say that I have post, and I knew that it was a bluey. So, I would sprint across the garden with joy. Then it took me five long minutes to open the letter, though the excitement and happiness never faded.
This photo is from that tour when my mum surprised me with coming home.”
My father was in the Army, he retired when I was 17. We moved around more when I was younger; I think I had 4 different primary schools before I was 7 years old. I remember living in Germany and Northern Ireland then, when I was 10, my parents moved to The Netherlands; and that is when I started boarding school.
Living abroad and going to boarding school gave me, I feel, the best of both worlds. I had stable friendships that have continued to this day and I also experienced other cultural perspectives. The nice hot Summer holidays abroad were a bonus.
When my husband was offered a posting to Italy, and our daughters were 6 and 3, we leapt at the opportunity. Experience of life abroad has hopefully given them similar confidence to take advantage of their own overseas opportunities.
I noticed that when our daughters were younger, it was simpler for them to make and form new friendships, and that it is noticeably harder as they get older. Remembering how hard it was to stay in contact with friends, I have encouraged them to take advantage of technology and social media platforms. These make it so much easier to continue their friendships. We always tried to catch up with close friends whenever we came back to the UK for visits; for both the girls’, and my own, benefit.
Over years we have been very lucky that the work of Little Troopers and Louise Fetigan, our founder, has been recognised with various awards. These awards are so humbling and mean so much and best of all it raises awareness of Little Troopers and the challenges faced daily by the children of our British Armed Forces.
