Information about Royal British Legion

The Royal British Legion is the United Kingdom's leading charity providing financial, social and emotional support to millions who have served or who are currently serving in the British Armed Forces, and their dependants.

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 the "Royal" prefix on 29 May 1971 to mark its fiftieth anniversary.^[1]

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.

The Royal British Legion's Helpline Legion Line Can be contacted on 08457 725 725 (all calls charged at local rates).

The Legion Careers Advice Service, assists the service leaver and ex-Service community with information, advice and guidance. Advice and assistance is given by qualified staff on all aspects of learning and work. Funding may be available for unemployed ex-Service people, either through government sources or from a service or ex-Service charity.

Additionally funding may be available for those in low-paid employment who wish to train for better job qualifications.

Business Advice Free advice and guidance for both Service and ex-Service people and their dependants.

Business Loans Small Business Loans are available to enable Service leavers and ex-Service people, who are unemployed through no fault of their own, under notice of redundancy or at the end of a short term contract, to set themselves up in their own business.

The scheme allows applicants who have a financial shortfall in funding to apply for a loan to capitalise their business.

Interest-free loans of up to £5000 are available at the discretion of the Legion. Repayments are monthly by Direct Debit over three years. Loans are interest free but an administration charge of 10% of the value of the loan (up to a maximum of £250) is added onto the loan and repaid over the period of the loan. An up front security fee of 5% of the value of the loan is held for the duration of the loan and repaid at the end of the loan period if the terms and conditions have been met.

The Legion will consider application forms accompanied by a good quality business plan, cash flow forecast and a CV.

Unfortunately, a loan will not be given to assist the expansion of an existing business.

Poppy Appeal

The charity organises a fund-raising drive each year during which artificial poppies are sold to the public who wear them on their clothing. Over the course of the preceding year disabled people are employed making the poppies. The idea of poppies dates back to the poem In Flanders' Fields about the First World War, after which the Legion was founded. The idea is that the poppies are worn from November to Remembrance Day to remember the fallen of the First World War and implicitly the dead of other wars.

The Poppy Appeal has without doubt a higher profile than any other charity appeal in the UK, with the poppies ubiquitous from late October until mid-November every year and worn by the general public, most politicians and other public figures and almost all BBC television presenters.

However, some have criticised or otherwise oppose the custom. [1] [2]

In Scotland, poppyscotland run the poppy appeal in association with The Royal British Legion Scotland.

Festival of Remembrance

The Legion organises the Festival of Remembrance on the Saturday preceding 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 (to be revived in 2007), it includes military displays by current members of the armed forces, choral performances, and prayers. It culminates with the parading of Legion branch banners 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 are in attendance. It is televised live on BBC One.

Most parts of the Festival are of a formal 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.

Bands

There are over 50 Legion bands around the country, 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.

Clubs

The Royal British Legion also has an extensive network of Social Clubs throughout the country; sometimes these are known as United Services or Ex-Servicemens Clubs.

Footnotes

See also

• Remembrance Day
• British Army
• Royal Air Force
• Royal Navy
• Royal Canadian Legion
• Returned & Services League of Australia
• Royal New Zealand Returned and Services' Association
• Veterans of Foreign Wars

External links

• Official website for The Royal British Legion
• Official website for The Royal British Legion Scotland
• Poppy Appeal - official website
• The Earl Haig Fund Scotland - Poppy Scotland
• Remembrance blog for The Royal British Legion
• The Royal British Legion Fundraising Webshop
• The British War Memorial Project - official Website
• Commonwealth War Graves Commission - official Website
• The Central Band Of The Royal British Legion - official Website
• The Royal British Legion in North Staffordshire
• The Scottish National Institution for the War Blinded