Military families are famously uncomplaining. This is why, explains army wife and pre-school manager Anita Birtles, they observe an unwritten rule never to ask each other how they are. And why army chaplain Tony Roache cheerfully says that the biggest moan is about husbands coming home after six months in Afghanistan who dump their stuff and grab the TV remote control.
But bigger issues like childcare, education, housing and allowances have forced these families out of their traditional reticence. One wife, quoted in the Army Families Federation's latest annual report, says, 'The battle starts as soon as the men have their new job. You have to fight for everything - the quarter, school place, NHS places.'
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