| The Royal British Legion | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | RBL |
| Motto | Service not Self |
| Formation | 10 June 1921 |
| Legal status | Non-profit organisation |
| Purpose/focus | Support for current and former members of the British Armed Forces, and their families |
| Location | 199 Borough High Street, The Borough, London, SE1 1AA |
| Region served | United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and the Commonwealth |
| Membership | Open to everyone |
| Director General | Chris Simpkins |
| Main organ | Board of Trustees |
| Website | www.britishlegion.org.uk |
The Royal British Legion (RBL), sometimes referred to as simply The Legion, is the United Kingdom's leading charity providing financial, social and emotional support to those who have served or who are currently serving in the British Armed Forces, and their dependants.
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The British Legion was founded in 1921 as a voice for the ex-Service community as a merger of four organisations: the Comrades of the Great War, the National Association of Discharged Sailors and Soldiers, the National Federation of Discharged and Demobilized Sailors and Soldiers and the Officers' Association. It was granted a Royal Charter on 29 May 1971 to mark its fiftieth anniversary which gives the Legion the privilege of the prefix 'Royal'.[1]
Earl Haig, commander of the Battle of the Somme and Passchendaele was one of the founders of the Legion, and was President until his death.
Perhaps best known for the yearly Poppy Appeal and Remembrance services, the Legion is a campaigning organisation that promotes the welfare and interests of current and former members of the British Armed Forces.
The Legion fight nearly 36,000 ongoing War Disablement Pension cases for war veterans and make around 300,000 welfare and friendship visits every year.
Ongoing Legion campaigns include calls for more research into: Gulf War syndrome and compensation for its victims; upgrading of War Pensions; the extension of endowment mortgage compensation for British military personnel serving overseas; and better support for British military personnel resettling into civilian life. In 2007, the Legion launched the Honour the Covenant campaign urging the Government to honour the Military Covenant.
The head office is based next to Borough tube station.
The Legion organises a fund-raising drive each year in the weeks before Remembrance Sunday, during which artificial red poppies, meant to be worn on clothing, are offered to the public in return for a charitable donation. The poppies are manufactured at the Poppy Factory in Richmond.
The Legion organises the Festival of Remembrance on the Saturday before Remembrance Sunday. The Festival, held in the Royal Albert Hall, London, has acquired a status approaching that of a state event such as Trooping the Colour. Originally featuring composer John Foulds's World Requiem it includes military displays by current members of the armed forces, choral performances, and prayers. It culminates with the parading of Servicemen and Women down the aisles and onto the floor of the hall, and the release of poppy petals from the roof.
The event is run twice; the first, afternoon event is open to any member of the public. The evening event is the more prestigious; tickets are only available to members of the Legion and their families, and senior members of the Royal Family (the Queen, Prince Philip, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex). In 2007, the second half of the evening event was aired live on BBC Radio 2.[2] BBC One showed the event an hour later.
Most parts of the Festival are of a formal, thought-provoking, and solemn nature. In recent years, lighter sketches have been included, for example depicting civilian life during wartime, in an attempt to attract viewers from generations born after the Second World War.
Honour the Covenant is a campaign launched by The Royal British Legion in September 2007, which calls on the UK Government to honour the Military Covenant. The campaign aims to seek public support for the issues identified by the Legion and to encourage their Members of Parliament to act to ensure that Government policy is changed.
The campaign accuses the Government of failing to meet its commitments under the Covenant. The Legion highlighted the case of a 23-year-old paratrooper, injured in battle, who was awarded £152,150 despite injuries requiring care for the rest of his life. It also criticised the practice of treating soldiers in wards alongside civilian patients.[3] In his conference speech that October, Conservative Party leader David Cameron referred to the Covenant and said "Mr. Brown, I believe your government has broken it."[4]
Responding to the Royal British Legion's campaign, the former Secretary of State for Health Alan Johnson announced in November 2007 that armed forces veterans would get priority treatment on the National Health Service, and those injured would be treated immediately in hospital rather than go through waiting lists. Prescription charges would also be waived.[5] A tight budget settlement for the Ministry of Defence in 2007 saw five former Chiefs of the Defence Staff launch personal criticism of Prime Minister Gordon Brown in a simultaneous House of Lords debate.[6]
In upholding the claim of six Gurkha soldiers for the right to settle in Britain at the end of their service, Mr Justice Blake's judgement in September 2008 recited the Military Covenant before observing that granting them residence in Britain "would, in my judgment, be a vindication and an enhancement of this covenant".[7]
The Legion sponsors a website - civvystreet - which assists Service leavers and members of the ex-Service community and their dependents with information, advice and guidance (IAG) on resettlement, learning and work. Specialist services are provided by partner organisations. Opportunities for funding may also be available to those who qualify for assistance. The website have been designed to give a single gateway to the services and support that partners provide for resettlement, learning and work.[8]
In September 2009 the Legion accepted a donation from Rachel Firth, a British National Party member. She raised money by spending 24 hours in a cardboard box, giving half to the BNP and half to the Legion. The donation was initially rejected but was accepted after Firth assured the donation would not be exploited politically.[9]
In August 2010 Tony Blair pledged the proceeds of his memoirs, A Journey, to the Legion. This included a 4.6 million pound advance. Blair said the donation was offered "as a way of marking the enormous sacrifice [the armed forces] make for the security of our people and the world". The Legion announced they would use the donation to help fund their planned Battle Back challenge centre, a project that will provide state-of-the-art rehabilitation services for seriously injured troops returning from the frontline. The Director General of the charity, Chris Simpkins said he was delighted with what he called "this very generous" offer. The donation was the largest in the charity's history. There was some mixed responses to the news with some anti war campaigners and some families of the soldiers killed in the Iraq war and the Afghanistan war claiming the donation was “blood money” and a public relations stunt.[10][11][12]
There are over 50 Legion bands around the world, each run and funded independently. They include full concert show bands, brass ensembles, pipe and drum bands, marching carnival bands and youth bands.
The Central Band of the Royal British Legion is the Legion's flagship band. In existence since 1944, the band was recognised as the Legion's premier band in 1983 and gained its title of "The Central Band of the Royal British Legion" three years later.[13]
The Royal British Legion has an extensive network of Social Clubs called Legion Clubs throughout the United Kingdom. The Royal British Legion also has branches in the Republic of Ireland, and spread around the world, mostly in mainland Europe, but also in America, and Azerbaijan amongst other world nations.
The Royal British Legion Riders Branch (RBLR) is a specialist UK-wide branch of The Royal British Legion for motorcyclists. Its members hold events such as Weston Bike Night in Weston-super-Mare; and rallies such as the RBLR 1000,[14] a 1,000 mile in 24 hours sponsored ride; all to raise money for the Poppy Appeal. Many RBLR members attend the repatriation ceremonies in Wootton Bassett.[15][16][17] Ex-services members of the RBLR often wear medals and head dress with their leathers and motorcycle kit.
The Royal British Legion has an official membership magazine Legion, which is free to all Legion members as part of their annual subscription.[18]
Anyone can join the Legion, it is no longer required to have served in the military.[19]