Veterans Housing Scotland, Jean Guild Grant awardee 2025
Project aims and background
The Veterans Housing Scotland (VHS) project, entitled ‘Veterans Housing Scotland – Celebrating 110 Years’, will include the research and publication of more than 100 years of innovative housing provision and wellbeing support for disabled veterans of our armed forces who are at risk of homelessness.
Project lead
VHS is an organisation that provides supported housing for former members of the UK Armed Forces who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Currently, VHS provides homes for 1500 veterans and families in 636 homes across Scotland, (23%) of whom are in Edinburgh, concentrated in the Salvesen and Earl Haig Gardens communities. VHS has stored, recorded and indexed its annual reports, committee minutes, and images. These form the historical basis for the account of an Edinburgh-based organisation.
Project Activities
The project will begin with a review of existing materials (ledgers, accounts, title deeds, images, data on beneficiaries). This will engage with veterans, trustees, former and current team members and their considerable background, experience, anecdotes, etc. It will also assist with establishing the number of VHS homes, beneficiaries, exploring the average length of tenancy, and identifying related activities and issues.
Images will play a role. The Image Library extends from 1915 to the present day. Changing needs, provisions and facilities will be considered. There is a catalogue of images illustrating how the properties have evolved to meet changing needs.
In Edinburgh, VHS has benefitted from the support of the Salvesen family. The Salvesen family continues its support today via Lord Salven’s great-grandson, Leonard Harper Gow. Together with local authority and community contributions in Earl Haig Gardens. This support has enabled the development of two unique ‘communities’ where veterans live alongside one another. This ‘compare and contrast’ approach may well produce interesting insights for ongoing VHS management.
The ‘Communities within Communities’ ethos created in 1915 remains intact and relevant. It could be argued that without Edinburgh projects, VHS would not exist today.
Engagement with beneficiaries will be necessary, providing a sense of ownership of the project. Oral histories will be key in enthusing the process within and between beneficiaries and staff.
Salvesen Community Garden, the first Defence Garden Scheme garden in Scotland, is a Community Garden at the VHS Estate at Salvesen, due to be completed in 2026.
To boost support for beneficiaries, from 2022, Visiting Officers joined VHS to create links with like-minded organisations in Edinburgh, thereby maintaining broad local support.
Intended outputs and results
The project aims to research and publish a booklet recording the Centenary of Veterans Housing Scotland (1915-2015) with a postscript to 2025; to widen awareness of VHS; to engage Veterans/beneficiaries themselves in background research around VHS history; and to gift VHS Patron The Princess Royal with a copy during a visit to VHS.
Project links and updates
Project links
Project updates
Miss Jean Ritchie Guild
This project has been supported by a Jean Guild Grant, named after our benefactor, a long-standing member of the OEC. She joined the staff of the University of Edinburgh Library in 1948, later becoming Reference Librarian, much-respected for her skills and knowledge, especially in relation to the Faculty of Arts. Later she was responsible for publicity, Library publications, visitor programmes, and the Library’s relationship with the wider community.
