The British Legion was formed on 15 May 1921, bringing together four national organisations of ex-Servicemen that had established themselves after the First World War.
The main purpose of the Legion was straightforward: to care for those who had suffered as a result of service in the Armed Forces during the war, whether through their own service or through that of a husband, father or son. The suffering took many forms: the effect of a war wound on a man’s ability to earn a living and support his family, or a war widow’s struggle to give her children an education.
Even those who had come through the war relatively unscathed struggled with employment. Because of the war, Britain’s economy plummeted and in 1921 there were two million unemployed. Over six million men had served in the war – 725,000 never returned. Of those who came back, 1.75 million had suffered some kind of disability and half of these were permanently disabled. Added to this figure were the families who depended on those who had gone to war – the wives and children, widows and orphans as well as the parents who had lost sons in the war, who often contributed to the household income.
The situation so moved Lancastrian Lance Bombardier Tom Lister, that he decided that if the government was either unable or unwilling to do anything to improve the lives of ex-Servicemen, he would do something about it himself. This eventually led to the formation of The British Legion.
By the time of the Legion’s formation in 1921, the tradition of an annual Two Minute Silence in memory of the dead had been established. The first ever Poppy Appeal was held that year, with the first Poppy Day on 11 November 1921.
The British Legion was granted “Royal” status in 1971 and extended its membership to serving members of Her Majesty’s Armed Forces, as well as ex-Service personnel, in 1981. Now, anyone can become a member of The Royal British Legion.
What does the Royal British Legion do for its members?
It provides information, advice and guidance to help the Armed Forces community find and access the support they need. They help members of the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force, Reservists, veterans and their families all year round. This includes:
Financial Advice including Debt advice
Jobs and Career advice
Recovery through the Arts
Personnel Recovery Centres
Inquest Advice
Adventure breaks and holidays for families
Care Homes
Dementia Care
Admiral Nurses
Veterans medical funds
Household adaptation
Care phones
Even a man-with-a-van to help with small repairs and adaptations about the home
This is a small selection from their website – it would take a whole magazine to tell you all about their work so why not have a look for yourself? Britishlegion.org.uk
The British Legion