LegionLive

In 2011, The Royal British Legion will be celebrating its 90th anniversary – a milestone to be incredibly proud of.

With this in mind, I thought I would tell you about the history of the Legion and how it came to be the UK’s leading charity for those who have or who are currently serving in the British Armed Forces.

The Royal British Legion was formed on 15 May 1921 bringing together four National Organisations of ex-Service men that had established themselves after the Great War of 1914-1918.

The main purpose of the Legion was straightforward: to care for those who had suffered as a result of service in the Armed Forces in the Great War, whether through their own service or through that of a husband, father or son.

As a result of the war, Britain’s economy plummeted and in 1921 there were 2 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. To this figure then had to be added those 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, on whom they were often financially dependent.

The situation moved Lance Bombadier Tom Lister, a Lancastrian, so much that he decided that if the Government was either unable or unwilling to do anything to improve the lives of ex-Service men, he would do something about it himself. This led to the formation of The Royal British Legion.

When the Legion’s leaders looked around them in 1921, not only did they see a gigantic task in front of them looking after those who had suffered in the recent war, they also sought to prevent further sacrifice by reminding the nation of the human cost of war and to work actively for peace.

The first ever Poppy Appeal was held in 1921 with the first Poppy Day on 11 November.

They were granted “Royal” status in 1971 and extended membership to serving members of Her Majesty’s Forces, as well as ex-Service personnel, in 1981.

Now, anyone can become a member of The Royal British Legion. They welcome men and women of all ages, whether they have served in the Armed Forces or not.

Did you know?

There has only been one year (1968) since the Second World War when a British Service person hasn’t been killed on active service.

More than 30 million Remembrance poppies, 500,000 poppies of other types, 5 million remembrance petals, 100,000 wreaths and sprays, 750,000 Remembrance Crosses and other Remembrance items are made at the Poppy Factory in Richmond, Surrey, each year