Contribution of the Royal British Legion

The Royal British Legion (RBL) describes itself as “being at the heart of a national network looking after our Armed Forces community,” and is the UK’s largest armed forces charity, with 180,000 members, 110,000 volunteers and a network of partners and charities. It provides recovery and rehabilitation services and expert advice and guidance to service personnel and their families, as well as “campaigning to improve the lives of everyone in the Armed Forces community and make sure their voice is heard.”

The British Legion was founded on 15 May 1921 after the First World War by Field Marshal Earl Haig and Tom Lister of The Federation of Discharged and Demobilized Sailors and Soldiers, with the aim to help disabled service men and their families and dependents, and brought together four Armed Forces organisations:

• The National Association of Discharged Sailors and Soldiers
• The British National Federation of Discharged and Demobilized Sailors and Soldiers
• The Comrades of The Great War
• The Officers' Association

In May 1971, the British Legion marked its golden anniversary by receiving the Royal title at a rededication service at Westminster Abbey in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II and became the Royal British Legion. Today, King Charles III is patron of the organisation and Princess Anne is President of the Women's Section.

The most recognisable activity the RBL carries out today is the annual Poppy Appeal that raises funds and shows support for the service and sacrifice of the armed forces, veterans and their families. The RBL describe the poppy as “a symbol of both Remembrance and hope for a peaceful future.”

The RBL is responsible for organising the annual Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall, a commemorative event with personal testimonies, storytelling and music, dedicated to all those that have served and sacrificed from Britain and the Commonwealth.

The RBL also plays a leading role in the National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph on Whitehall in London, on Remembrance Sunday. This event is coordinated by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) alongside other government departments and armed forces and veterans’ organisations.

As well as its Remembrance activities and work to help and assist veterans, service personnel and their families, the RBL is also involved in campaigning to improve the lives of everyone in the Armed Forces community. It is involved in a number of campaigns at present, which include campaigns to end the treatment of military compensation as income by welfare benefit means tests (“Credit their Service”) and to end Visa fees for military personnel from Commonwealth countries, as well as producing a manifesto for the 2024 General Election.

The RBL also campaigned for the introduction of the Military Covenant, which was published in May 2011 with its core principles enshrined in law, for the first time, in the Armed Forces Act 2011. The government produces an annual report on the covenant and the RBL’s observations on the implementation of the armed forces covenant are included.

More recently, Mark Atkinson the Director General of the RBL, gave evidence (PDF) to the Defence Committee for its inquiry on the Armed Forces Covenant.

The House of Commons Library veterans’ collection provides briefings on the support and services available to veterans, how to access service records and medallic recognition.

Information on how many armed forces veterans live in constituencies in Great Britain can be found in the House of Commons Library: Constituency data: UK armed forces veterans.

The Royal British Legion

The Story of the Royal British Legion, The Historic England Blog