Its Origin and Purpose

The Quorn Branch was formed in 1936 and is one of 42 branches in Leicestershire and Rutland. It has a current membership of around 175 composed of ordinary members (those who have served in the Forces) and associate members. Membership is open to both men and women.

Its activities are organised by its officers and committee who are elected annually at a meeting held at the end of November or the beginning of December.

After the First World War various National Organizations of ex-servicemen came into being and these were amalgamated as one unified body when the British Legion was formed in 1921.

The constitution and objects of the Legion are set out in 1925 and these may be summarised as follows:

It is a democratic, non-party-political and non-sectarian organization.

It exists to promote the welfare of those who are serving or who have served in the Armed Forces of the Crown and their dependants - that is spouse, children and perhaps other dependants.

It is important to note that Legion' benevolence extends to all members of the serving and exservice community, not just those who belong to the Legion.

Money is needed to carry out these objectives and fund-raising is therefore a primary function of the Legion.

The Legion works very closely with the other service charities at every level. It is a member of the Council of British Service and Ex-service Organizations (COBSEO). But the Legion differs from the others in that it is a national membership organization representing all three services. Herein lies its particular strength.

In no way does the Legion set itself up as a rival to the other ex-service membership organizations. Indeed it strongly believes that each Ordinary (ie ex-service) member should also belong to the association which represents the particular interests of those with whom he or she served.

The Legion is also a member of The British Commonwealth Ex-service League (BCEL) which supports the work of the Commonwealth ex-service organization.

Shortly after its inception the British Legion 'adopted' the seventh verse of Laurence Binyon's poem, 'For the Fallen':

They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

This is now known as 'Me Exhortation' and is said at the beginning of each Branch meeting, the Armistice Day Service and at funerals of members.

In 1925 the British Legion took control of Preston Hall, near Maidstone, Kent, as the British Legion Village for ex-servicemen suffering from tuberculosis. Then in 1927 the Legion accepted the gift from Mr Arthur Beckwith of Crickhowell, Brecon, of a fully-equipped hand-loom factory for the weaving of Welsh tweeds. The following year the British Legion Disabled Men's Industries (Sales) Ltd was established to co-operate the marketing of goods made by accredited industries employing disabled men.

The adoption of the poppy as an emblem and the beginnings of the Poppy Appeal came about from a series of happenings.

During the second battle of Ypres in 1915 Colonel John McCrae, a Canadian Medical Officer, who was in charge of a first-aid post, wrote a poem during a lull in the fighting:

In Flanders' Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place, and in the sky
The larks still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders' fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe,
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high,
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders' fields.

Colonel McCrae did not survive the war, but his verses were published in Punch magazine and were read by an American lady, Miss Moina Michael. The wearing of a poppy appeared to her to be the way to keep faith and she wrote the reply:

The Victory Emblem

Oh! You who sleep in Flanders' fields
Sleep sweet - to rise anew;
We caught the torch you threw,
And holding high we kept
The faith with those who died.
We cherish too, the Poppy red

That grows on fields where valour led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders' fields.

And now the torch and Poppy red
Wear in honour of our dead
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We've learned the lesson that ye taught
In Flanders' fields.

On 9th November 1918 Miss Michael was given a small gift of money by some of the overseas War Secretaries of the YMCA for whom she worked. She decided to buy 25 red poppies with the money. She wore one herself and each secretary there bought one from her. This is claimed to be the first group-selling of poppies.

Later, the French Secretary, Madame Guerin, visited various parts of the world to suggest that artificial poppies should be made and sold to help ex-servicemen and their dependants in need. As a result, the first Poppy Day was held in Britain on 11th November 1921. £106,000 was raised.

The Legion's Poppy Factory started its activities in 1922 with five disabled ex-servicemen working in a small room over a shop in Bermondsey in South London. The same work is carried on today in modem premises in Richmond, Surrey, where 115, mainly ex-service men and women, widows or their disabled dependants and relatives, are employed. In 1994 the factory produced approximately 34,000,000 Remembrance poppies, 300,000 other types of poppy, 6,000,000 Remembrance petals, 100,000 stock wreaths and 300 special wreaths such as those for use by the Royal Family and dignitaries. In addition, it made 400,000 Remembrance crosses as well as over 3,000 special crosses for the Field of Remembrance at Westminster.

In 1995 the total amount raised nationally for the Poppy Appeal was £16,369,751.33 which represented a 7.19% increase over 1994. The overall result from Quorn Branch (including concerts and social events) was £5,146.06, a staggering 83.93% increase over 1994, which was £2,823.96. Here it must be mentioned that the Poppy Appeal Organizer for 1995 was Geoffrey jarvis whose hard work and meticulous arrangements contributed to this excellent result.
The Legion has provided residential nursing care for more than 40 years and, at the present time, maintains places in seven homes for around 450 residents.

The Royal British Legion is fully aware that it is dependent on the generosity of the general public, as well as the continued fund-raising activities of individual branches, for its work to continue.

The above text is from the book "The Royal British Legion in Quorn", written by the late Pauline Shacklock. Details of how to purchase this book can be found in our Shop area.