Style for Soldiers' work at Headley Court

‘Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Headley Court (DMRC Headley Court, more commonly known as Headley Court) is an 85-acre UK Ministry of Defence facility in Surrey, England.

It was used as a rehabilitation centre for injured members of the British Armed Forces between 1985 and 2018.

In June 2010, I was asked by the Financial Times newspaper in London to visit Headley Court to meet up with bespoke shirtmaker Emma Willis MBE.

Since 2008, Emma has been visiting patients at Headley Court every 2 months, measuring them for a bespoke shirt as a gift of thanks for their bravery and sacrifice and to help them prepare for life after their discharge.

Emma realised their need for smart, well-fitting clothing to wear for interviews and formal occasions to help with confidence and morale, as dressing properly was such a fundamental part of military life.

Style for Soldiers was born. 

Style for Soldiers now receives support from Their Royal Highnesses, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, Lock & Co Hatters, The Crown Estate, Huntsman Saville Row, Barclays Bank, as well as a Morale Award from the British Forces Foundation.

I sometimes talk about this particular assignment to friends and family; it had something very special about it at the time and has done ever since.

Once through Headley Court security checks, I met the Financial Times Journalist Simon Brookes and shirtmaker Emma Willis upstairs in a large recreation area.

With lots of people and activities going on in the room, Emma had a table laid out with material, such as books and completed shirts, talking to the soldiers and measuring them for their fitting.

I was completely unaware of what to expect in terms of how these guys would react to being photographed. This was a military facility, and its sole purpose was to protect, help and rehabilitate injured military personnel and certainly not to provide a haven for press photographers.

I knew my time was limited, but a slow and tentative start was required.
As I started to take pictures, I remember feeling very aware and somewhat intrusive.

Within a few minutes, I realised they were all exceptionally relaxed, upbeat with lots of banter and jokes. This was made all the more astonishing as most had utterly brutal life-changing injuries.

I can't explain how this made me feel at the time, but suffice it to say it put a lot of things into perspective and left me feeling that way ever since.

What Emma provides to these guys was and is something very special, and they were extremely appreciative, which was clearly mutual.

I subsequently gave all my photos from this assignment to Emma and Style For Soldiers. It is not a great contribution to the scheme of things, but every little bit helps.

I must have photographed almost every world leader over the years, including celebrities, actors, politicians, musicians, artists, and protesters. But the silent, cheerful shadow of these people and their enormous courage has had the most lasting and positive impression.

And in case you're wondering, Emma helps fix my wardrobe 'problems'. I'll never feel sartorially under-endowed again.’ - Written by Photographer Shaun Curry.