Veterans who served during the Aden Emergency between 1963 and 1967 are being invited to take part in a major new North West project capturing their stories on film before this overlooked chapter of British history is lost forever. As part of the initiative, digitised materials and recorded testimonies will be shared with Greater Manchester’s Imperial War Museum North, ensuring these voices become part of the region’s public heritage. Legasee Educational Trust, funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, is launching the two-year project to record up to 40 high-quality video testimonies, create a new podcast series, and bring these experiences to schools and communities across the North West.
Legasee Educational Trust is a UK charity dedicated to filming and preserving the life stories of British military veterans and making them freely accessible to the public, with an archive now holding more than 700 interviews.
The Aden Emergency was one of Britain’s final and most complex conflicts of decolonisation, fought in what is now Yemen as Britain withdrew from empire amid rising local resistance and Cold War tension. Despite thousands of British servicemen and women being deployed, it remains one of the country’s least understood post-war conflicts. Many of those who served are now in their late seventies and eighties, making this likely the final opportunity to record their experiences on camera. With the Aden Veterans Association’s Northern Branch preparing to formally close in 2027, the need to preserve their memories has become urgent.
Filmed interviews will form the centrepiece of the project. Veterans will be invited to speak openly on camera about their experiences, friendships, challenges and the long-term impact Aden had on their lives. These recordings will be added to Legasee’s free public archive, ensuring families, researchers, students and the wider public can hear these voices long into the future. A companion podcast series will share selected testimonies nationally, helping younger audiences connect with a conflict they may never have encountered in the classroom.
Lancashire, home to the veterans’ reunions for many years, will play a pivotal role. Interview days will take place in Blackpool, supported by students, volunteers and community groups. The project will also safeguard decades of photographs, newsletters and memorabilia held by the Aden Veterans Association, fragile materials that risk being lost once the branch closes. Digitised copies will be shared with Salford’s Imperial War Museum North, and Blackpool Central Library, creating a lasting public resource.
A wider programme of creative and educational activity will run alongside the filming. Blackpool and the Fylde College’s School of Arts will develop a verbatim theatre production using veterans’ spoken words, giving local students a rare opportunity to work directly from primary testimony. Schools across the North West will be invited to explore the Aden Emergency through workshops, performances and curriculum-linked resources. A public exhibition at Blackpool Central Library and community events throughout the region will further bring the history to life.
Volunteers from Greater Manchester and Lancashire are encouraged to take part. Roles include transcription, research, event support and digitisation, with no prior experience needed. Free training will be provided, tailored to each role, which may include oral history interviewing, filmmaking, or helping prepare content for the archive and online platforms. Schools and community groups, along with families connected to Aden, are also encouraged to come forward.
Martin Bisiker, Founder of Legasee Educational Trust, said, “The Aden Emergency shaped the lives of thousands of British servicemen and women, yet most people have never heard of it. The veterans who served there are now in their eighties, and this is our last real chance to record their stories on film, in their own voices, before they’re lost. Now we have a real chance to make sure their history is finally brought into the national spotlight. Thanks to the support of The National Lottery Heritage Fund we’re finally able to preserve these stories properly and share them with the country. We’re calling on veterans, families, schools, volunteers and community groups from the North West to get involved and help us make sure their experiences are not forgotten.”
Helen Featherstone, Director of England, North at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said, “We’re delighted to support this project thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, which will ensure the voices of Aden veterans are preserved for generations to come. These stories are an important part of our heritage and have remained largely unheard. This project will not only safeguard these memories on film, it will also bring people of all ages together to learn from them, reflect on them and keep them alive within their communities.”
To register as a veteran or family member, take part as a school or community group, or volunteer with the project, please visit www.Legasee.org.uk or email info@legasee.org.uk