Saint Lucia-born soldier named Veteran of the Year at UK awards

A soldier who left Saint Lucia for a British Army career in 2002 has been named Veteran of the Year in the UK, capping 24 years of service in which he collected ten medals and rose to the army's most senior soldier rank. Lester Francois, a retired warrant officer class one, received the honour at the Leavers to Leaders Awards, held during the LTL Summit in Tidworth, Wiltshire. As reported by St. Lucia Times, the ceremony brought together nominees from nine Commonwealth nations, among them Saint Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Fiji, Ghana, Guyana and Mauritius.

The award recognises outstanding service leavers, veterans and members of the wider military community from the UK and the Commonwealth. Francois admitted the nomination caught him off guard, and that winning was an even bigger shock. He described the recognition as a proud moment for anyone born on the island, pointing out that he had begun at the lowest rank and worked his way up, in a field where only about a quarter of his contemporaries reached the top.

Francois was born in La Fargue, Choiseul, and grew up in La Ressource, Vieux Fort, before being recruited into the British Army in 2002. He began in the Royal Logistic Corps as a supplier and, through what the award citation praises as professionalism, leadership and commitment, progressed to warrant officer class one. His service took him across the UK and to postings in Germany, Cyprus, Nigeria, Canada, Iraq, Afghanistan, The Gambia and Belgium, including a tour as a United Nations peacekeeper in Cyprus.

Speaking about his years in uniform, he said the army had shaped him, giving him motivation, discipline and a far wider view of the world than he might otherwise have had. Retirement, he suggested, has not slowed him down; mentoring remains central to his week. He takes particular pleasure in encouraging younger officers to grow in confidence, work he began while serving and continues now that he has hung up his uniform.

That instinct to support others has grown into something larger. Known to many as Various Boss, he founded Various Boss Entertainment, an outfit that puts on activities for fellow veterans with a strong community focus. The events began modestly with dominoes evenings and barbecues, then expanded into brunches and family fun days after his wife suggested he find ways to bring veterans' families together rather than only the adults. Today, he says, serving personnel, retired soldiers and their children all mix at the gatherings, learning from one another while enjoying themselves.

Friends describe him as a respected role model whose discipline, resilience and habit of giving back have influenced younger generations, both in uniform and out of it. It was that quiet, steady contribution, more than any single posting or medal, that the LTL judges singled out when choosing him as Veteran of the Year for 2026.

For Saint Lucians in the UK, the honour lands in a year when the diaspora has been especially visible. The High Commission in London has been marking Creole heritage month each October, coinciding with Black History Month in Britain, and has announced a gathering for October 2026 at the National Windrush Museum celebrating the culture and traditions of Saint Lucia. Independence celebrations each February and events such as the Prime Minister's town hall have similarly kept the community connected, and stories like Francois's feed naturally into that calendar.

His journey also reflects a pattern familiar back home, where young Saint Lucians have long built careers abroad while remaining closely tied to the island. The economy of Saint Lucia has leaned for generations on the ambition of people like him, who send back skills, ties and eventually themselves. Many return for good, drawn by family land in communities such as Vieux Fort and Choiseul, and by a pace of life the UK cannot match.

Visitors who follow in Francois's footsteps on a return trip will find plenty to fill a week. Flights to St Lucia run direct from London during the winter season, making it one of the easier Caribbean islands to reach from British airports. Once there, the range of things to do in St Lucia spans the rainforest trails of the interior, the twin peaks of the Pitons on the Soufrière coast, and the calm swimming bays of the northwest.

Accommodation covers every style and budget, from large all-inclusive resorts in St Lucia's Rodney Bay and Cap Estate to small villa retreats tucked into the hillside. Those researching hotels in St Lucia will find everything from modest guesthouses to luxury hotels in St Lucia's north, while families comparing family holidays in St Lucia often settle on the calmer west coast beaches in St Lucia, where the water stays gentle year-round. The best time to visit St Lucia generally runs from December to April, outside the wetter hurricane months.

Francois, for his part, is taking advantage of the freedom retirement brings. He travelled to Saint Vincent and to Saint Lucia Carnival this year, and also visited Mexico, and says he now books trips without a moment's thought about deployment orders. A father of three, he plans to return to the island soon, and says that whatever the awards and the medals, Saint Lucia will always be home. Given how his story began in Vieux Fort and ended on a stage in Wiltshire, few who know him would argue with that.