News

Normandy Memorial to mark the 75th anniversary of the D Day landings

The Royal British Legion is supporting the Normandy Memorial which will be inaugurated next year to mark the 75th anniversary of the D Day landings. The Normandy Memorial Trust has spent the last 12 months researching the names of those who lost their lives under British command between 5 June and 31 August 1944. This is a unique collection of names which have never before been recorded and will appear on the British Normandy Memorial soon to be built in Ver-sur-Mer, Normandy.

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The Legion adds its voice to calls to recognise first black Officer

The Royal British Legion is supporting a campaign to posthumously award a Military Cross to Walter Tull, Britain’s first black Army Officer who was killed during the First World War.

To coincide with the 100th anniversary of Tull’s death yesterday, over 120 MPs signed a letter to the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Defence asking for the medal be awarded to mark the centenary.

This year, the Legion is leading a national movement to thank all who served and sacrificed during the war, from those who lost their lives to those who played their part on the home front.

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The Royal British Legion have expanded their South Wales Admiral Nurse service into Gwent

The service, which offers specialist support, information and advice to the carers of people with dementia was developed in partnership with Dementia UK. Since launching its first Admiral Nurse service in West Midlands in 2012 the Legion has become the biggest employer of Admiral Nurses in the UK.

Having launched in south Wales in September 2018 with two nurses covering the area Neath to Cardiff, the team has already doubled in size to 4, which has allowed the service to be expanded to cover Gwent.

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Army V Navy Match Ball Will Go To Gallipoli Ahead of the Big Game

A team of UK Armed Forces Personnel are walking 30km as part of a commemorative tour around the battlefield sites of Gallipoli accompanied by the match ball that will be used in this year’s Army Navy Rugby Match.

Led by the Royal Navy’s Lt Cdr Doc Cox, the team includes British Army colleagues WO2 Adam Finch, Capt Hugo Engelbrecht and Sgt Sid Ney and they will be supported on the day by Capt Roly Jackson. The team will set off at sunrise on Sunday 22nd April from V Beach taking in poignant sites across the region where 58,000 allied soldiers – including 29,000 British and Irish soldiers and 11,000 Australians and New Zealanders – lost their lives.

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RBL Branch growing a new legacy for Jersey

The Jersey branch of The Royal British Legion and local plant supplier, Jersey Plants Direct, invited local schoolchildren and dignitaries – including Jersey’s Lieutenant Governor Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton and his wife Lady Dalton – to plant their very own poppies and express their thanks for the World War One generation by remembering the fallen in this centenary year.

At an event that took place at the Cenotaph (St Helier Memorial) on Tuesday 13th March, pupils from Helvetia House School were able to plant Flanders poppies donated by Jersey Plants Direct, a local grower, and kick off a year of planned events by the Legion on the island.

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Buckinghamshire Scouts join forces with the Legion

Buckinghamshire-based Lane End Scout Group have joined together to raise money for The Royal British Legion in a partnership that is recognised as the first affiliation between the two organisations in the region.

The Lane End Scout Group, based in the village within the Wycombe district, have chosen to partner with the local branch to raise funds for The Royal British Legion due to the group’s close links with the Armed Forces community. All team members have either served, have family members who have served and, in one case, are currently a serving member of the armed forces.

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Moneyforce Turns Five

MoneyForce, a service that provides money advice to UK Service personnel, their partners, families and dependants, is celebrating its fifth birthday and has introduced a new tool, GoalSaver: Holiday Planner.

MoneyForce is funded and delivered by The Royal British Legion in partnership with the Ministry of Defence. It is designed to better equip the serving community to manage their money and financial affairs.

The GoalSaver: Holiday Planner tool helps users plan for a holiday by working out how much it will cost in total based on their requirements, how much they will need to save, and by when.

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How the Legion’s handy van service helps people maintain independence

The Legion’s handy van service helps ex-Service people and their families with small household repairs and minor adaptations.

The Legion has handy vans in 21 counties across the country, and partnerships with other organisations that offer the same service in areas where we don’t operate. Staff begin to assess properties as soon as they arrive, checking the state of doors, windows, security lights and fences.

Like many in the team, Chris comes from a military background and served for just under 14 years in the Royal Engineers: “I love it. I get to meet some fantastic people and hear all their stories”

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Legion support for ex-Submariner left brain damaged in road collision

The Royal British Legion has teamed up with the Navy to help improve the life of a former Submariner who was left badly brain damaged following a horrific road collision five years ago.

Paul Reynolds, 41, from Wavertree, Liverpool, was cycling to his naval base in Cumbria in February 2013 when he was struck by a milkman on his early morning round and left with catastrophic head injuries so severe that surgeons had to remove parts of his skull to save his life.

The accident has left Paul unable to walk or talk and he needs specialist round-the-clock care which he receives as an in-patient at St Cyril’s Rehabilitation Unit in Chester.

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PM awards veteran fundraiser who took Social Media by storm

The Prime Minister has recognised Jeffrey Long MBE, an 86-year-old former paratrooper from West Yorkshire, who raised over £120,000 for The Royal British Legion in 2017 when his sponsored walk went viral.

Jeffrey was propelled to fame during last year’s Poppy Appeal when his 86-mile fundraising walk began trending on social media after being shared by comedian Jason Manford. The attention resulted in his JustGiving page total going from £300 to £75,000 within 24 hours, eventually reaching over £120,000.

He is the latest recipient of the Points of Light award, which recognises outstanding volunteers who are making a change in their community and inspiring others.

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Afghanistan support

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