Royal British Legion celebrates 100 years of helping veterans

The Royal British Legion has organised a special day of events to celebrate its 100th birthday today.

To mark the occasion His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales has recorded a special birthday message that will be played to the charity’s members during their annual conference.

The Prince of Wales’s video message will lead a day of celebrations which will also see service personnel and members of the Armed Forces community sharing their own tributes to the charity.

The Royal British Legion was formed in the aftermath of the First World War to fight for the rights of those who had given so much and come back to so little.

The charity continues to provide life-changing help and support to the Armed Forces community and challenge injustices on their behalf. HRH The Prince of Wales said: “There are few organisations which hold a place at the heart of society in the way the Royal British Legion does. For one hundred years the Royal British Legion has been a constant, through the annual Poppy Appeal, leading the nation in remembrance, and providing a life-long commitment to every veteran and their families.”

To mark the RBL’s official centenary moment, at 9am today representatives of the Royal Navy, the British Army, the Royal Air Force and the Merchant Navy will lay wreaths at the Cenotaph in London - to replicate the same actions of 100 years ago and the formation of the legion.

One of the final events marking the centenary will see the use of a limited edition 50 pence poppy coin, created by the Westminster Collection, during the coin toss between Chelsea and Leicester City during this year’s Emirates FA Cup Final at Wembley tonight.

MORE NEWS:

NI Protocol: Consensus from Brussels, Dublin and London that changes are needed on Irish Sea BorderDoug Beattie: I have alienated loyalists but I don’t accept that loyalism equals paramilitarism - row with LCC goes onIsraeli and Palestinian in NI speak of fears for family during ‘unprecedented’ violence among neighboursA message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Alistair Bushe

Editor