Monday evening, 7th July 2025, the Victory Services Club proudly hosted the official launch of A Palace for Veterans—a compelling new book that traces the Club’s founding and extraordinary journey from 1907 to 1957. Authored by Simon Spence OBE — a former RAF Group Captain and previously part of the VSC Senior Management Team — this meticulously researched book chronicles the defining moments of the Club’s first 50 years.

The evening event was a great success bringing together members and special guests to celebrate the Club’s rich heritage, and enjoy the Club’s excellent cuisine, with a fabulous curry buffet. The Club extends its thanks to all who attended and contributed to this memorable occasion, marking another significant milestone in the Club’s ongoing story.

Gallery of attendees, meeting the author, Simon Spence OBE, are displayed below.

Copies of ‘A Palace for Veterans’ are available to be collected directly from the Membership Team at the VSC, priced £12.50.

Due to the considerably high processing and mailing costs, we are still considering how best to enable Members who are not able to visit the Club, access to the book. Please bear with us, while we investigate how best to manage this.

To provide a foretaste of the content, here are a couple of short excerpts…

Drawing from personal letters, archival reports and firsthand accounts, A Palace for Veterans paints a vivid picture of how the Club emerged during a time of national hardship to become a home-from-home for servicemen and women. The book captures this transformation in the following words:

   “When British soldiers returned in 1902 from the Second Boer War,
those with no employment or place to live were on their own. They
had served and risked their lives for their country but were now
‘surplus to requirements’.

  “This injustice was recognised by a group of eminent individuals,
led by Major Arthur Haggard and his associate James Aratoon
Malcolm. These two men served the cause of demobilised service-
men from this point onwards until only their deaths, in 1925 and 1952
respectively, prevented them from continuing. Through two world wars
and the Great Depression they – and the many others who shared their
passion – created the Victory Services Club, offering invaluable
employment, welfare support and a place to meet old friends.

   “A Palace for Veterans is the inspiring story of how, through the most
difficult times imaginable, a Club was created from nothing and
ultimately thrived such that it now stands proudly in Marble Arch,
with over 60,000 members and a reputation second to none.”

From its humble beginnings through two World Wars and the Great Depression, the VSC is a story of compassion, resilience, and community. Reserve your copy to collect on your next visit to the VSC!