Royal British Legion

Poetry was hugely influenced by the events of World War One and today we still read many of the poems to come out of this period. You can join us in celebrating the work of these amazing poets by purchasing our poignant print featuring 41 poems. It begins with 'In Flanders Fields' by John McCrae and is completed with, 'And There Was a Great Calm' by Thomas Hardy. Visit the Poppy Shop to buy yours now. ➡️ http://ow.ly/Got530l0zqp #ThankYou100

Did you know that Tolkien's observations of shell-shock in WW1 had an influence on The Lord of the Rings? Throughout his journey, Frodo experiences common symptoms - hallucinations, traumatic nightmares recollecting past events, anxiety, depression, temporary blindness and changes in personality. When returning to The Shire after his journey, Frodo lost interest in life and became withdrawn. This was very common in soldiers returning from the war.
Thank You Tolkien for telling us this story and showing the true horrors of war through your art.
Find out more about how WW1 influenced the arts ▶️ http://ow.ly/pjjo30l1PlV

A sneak peek behind the scenes of our #ThankYou100 Arts animation - it's the one and only Jay James!
As a BFBS radio presenter, not to mention incredible musician and an ex Royal Navy serviceman, we felt Jay was very well qualified for the important job of guiding you all through the arts and cultural influences bestowed on the modern world by World War One.
Thank you, Jay, for lending your dulcet Welsh tones to our video, and to BFBS for the kind provision of their studio.

A picture alone is rarely worth a thousand words anymore. These days we also need a filter - bunny ears when we’re feeling a bit silly, glittery eye shadow when we need a mood boost, hearts and arrows when we want to show how much we love something or someone. But photographers of the war had #nofilter. There were no retakes, or editing apps…. or dog ears. A picture really was worth a thousand words. Without photographers like Ernest Brooks, who risked their lives to cover the war, we wouldn’t have the understanding of conflict that we do today. Thank you. http://ow.ly/Pj1p30l1C2N #ThankYou100

Have you heard of Geoffrey Malins? Because of him, the world had the opportunity to see the realities of war on film for the first time. His film ‘The Battle of the Somme’ was the first feature-length film of combat to be filmed and produced. He worked in extremely dangerous conditions to gather the footage depicting trench warfare, British troops waiting to attack on 1 July, treatment of wounded British and German soldiers, and most controversially, British and German dead. Thank You Geoffrey for all that you did. Read more about him and the generation who shaped our world. http://ow.ly/JW0430kPmom #ThankYou100

Adele, Ed Sheeran and Stormzy... not usually names you would ever associate with WW1. But as Ivor Novello award winners, all three have inadvertently benefitted from the impact of the First World War on the arts. Ivor Novello was one of the most famous songwriters of the wartime period. His first big hit "Keep the Home Fires Burning" was enormously popular during the First World War and his 1917 show, Theodore & Co, was a wartime hit. The Ivor Novello Award, named in his honour continues to celebrate his legacy through the music we listen to today. Thank You Ivor. #ThankYou100

Anyone familiar with The Lord of the Rings will be familiar with the Nazgûl - commonly known as the 'Ringwraiths'. Their shrieking, hissing, and the sheer horror they evoke in characters and viewers alike are inspired by Tolkien's experiences in the First World War.
Their screams can be compared to artillery shells soaring through the air before they exploded, and their hisses may be based on when cavalry spoke wearing their gas masks.
Find out more about how WW1 influenced The Lord of the Rings and the arts in general ▶️ http://ow.ly/szi530kYnew

We've partnered with Greene King Brewery to launch a Flanders Fields ale which will be available from October to the end of the Poppy Appeal. 😱🍺 In addition, 20p from every pint will be donated to us! 👍
However - we need your help to choose a pump clip design using one of the Facebook reactions! Vote below, and find out more here: http://ow.ly/bElz30kYkTO
#ThankYou100

It’s easy these days to get a snapshot into other people’s lives. You only need to keep scrolling to find out who’s got a new job, had a baby, got married…
But go back 100 years, you’re at home waiting for news of your loved ones on the front line. You listen to the radio and receive the letters but you can’t even begin to visualise the landscape of the war on the western front. You pick up a paper when you can. There’s the odd photo but it’s not enough.
Now imagine you're ...one of the 14 professional war photographers tasked with capturing the photos that bring news and insight to the people of England. There’s gunfire all around you, planes overhead dropping bombs as you point and shoot your weapon of a different sort. Your camera is heavy, you drop it in mud, hope the film isn’t damaged - that you can get it to safety to be developed.
Thank you, Ernest Brooks for risking your life to cover the war. Your photography became a vital part of how we understand conflict even today. #ThankYou100 http://ow.ly/vq5w30kWplE
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Filming those funny family moments, creating vlogs for your YouTube channel, sharing updates on Instagram: capturing video footage has never been easier. But during the First World War, Geoffrey Malins had to work in extremely dangerous conditions to capture the realities of war on film. Read his story and join us in saying "Thank You" to him and his generation who shaped our world. http://ow.ly/JW0430kPmom #ThankYou100

Alongside keeping the country running back home, women revealed their artistic sides in the absence of their loved ones during the First World War. Vera Brittain, Virginia Woolf and Olive Edis are three heroic women of war who gave us poetry, publishing and photography. Thank You for opening printing presses and our minds. http://ow.ly/5E1430kWqTJ #ThankYou100

National Thank You week aims to encourage the nation to say Thank You to anyone who makes your life better so we think this is the perfect opportunity to show your appreciation to the First World War generation who helped shape our world today. Until September, we’re running a competition with Never Such Innocence to give young people the chance to submit art, poetry or song and say Thank You to this inspiring generation. We can’t wait to see the entries. rbl.org.uk/ThankYou-comp #ThankYou100

Frodo and Sam, from The Lord of the Rings, are an iconic duo - their friendship and partnership on their mission to return The Ring to Mordor has influenced and inspired the wider fantasy genre and left a significant impact on our arts and culture.
But did you know that the bond between Frodo and Sam was based on Tolkien's experiences in WW1? The character of Sam is inspired by the common soldiers he knew during the war, who appeared courageous with high spirits despite the h...orrors of war. Officers, on which Frodo may be based, were most often men from a higher class and were usually appointed a lower solider, known as a batman, who would cook and clean for them. It was not unusual for a close friendship to occur amongst them. This friendship can be seen between the characters of Sam and Frodo; Sam always calls Frodo ‘Master’ or ‘Mr Frodo’ and often carries Frodo’s bag on their journey, as well as cooking, cleaning and protecting him from danger.
Tolkien commented on this friendship: "My Sam Gamgee is indeed a reflection of the English soldier, of the privates and batmen I knew in the 1914 war, and recognised as so far superior to myself".
Find out more about how WW1 affected the Arts on our Thank You website ▶️ http://ow.ly/ikMz30kU677
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The Household Cavalry have a message for the England football team...
#WorldCup #ThreeLions #ItsComingHome #ENGCRO

Photography today is a huge part of everyday life - and with the rise of the smartphones, social media and selfies, it’s easy to snap and share anytime and anywhere. But during the First World War having a camera was a luxury reserved for the professionals. One of these was the first of Britain’s 14 official war photographers, Ernest Brooks. Brooks took over 4,400 images during the war, and was the only photographer to cover the battle of the Somme. He took more photographs than any other individual photographer covering the war, and his photos represented more than 10% of all the official photographs of the war. And to think, he did it all with #nofilter. Thank You Ernest Brooks. Read his full story here http://ow.ly/y54s30kTE3l

Today, thanks to our smartphones, we are all filmmakers. But did you know that it wasn’t until the First World War that the first feature-length film of combat was filmed and produced?
For this we can say Thank You to Geoffrey Malins, who worked under extremely dangerous conditions to capture the realities of WW1. Read more about Geoffrey and the generation who shaped our world. ➡️ http://ow.ly/JW0430kPmom #ThankYou100

Happy #RAF100! ✈️🇬🇧 Today national commemorations of the Royal Air Force will be taking place across the country. Stay up-to-date with our coverage of London celebrations on Instagram Stories: www.instagram.com/royalbritishlegion

In dark times, art is where we find the light. 100 years ago the guns fell silent on the world’s first truly global war. The impact was unprecedented. Arts and culture were impacted by the experiences of a generation of writers, artists and composers who experienced WW1. Today we still enjoy the works of Wilfred Owen, Robert Graves, J R R Tolkien, and many more. On the centenary of WW1 we're saying Thank You for their contribution to the arts and culture we all enjoy today. Watch the animation and join the movement #ThankYou100

In recognition of the 100th anniversary of the First World War say Thank You to those who contributed to the war effort, both through active Service and on the homefront. You can leave your message of remembrance on a special poppy to be planted at the National Memorial Arboretum.
Find out more: www.britishlegion.org.uk/thankyou100

they are a great help to everyone

and we would recomend them

and they are all ways there if you need someone to talk to

im an ex service man and they have helped me

and they can help everyone who needs it

give them a call

When we left the army we had no clue as to where to start. The RBL walked us through everything. We had ex military housing within a week, furniture and food. They helped us a few times in the beginning and we will always be forever grateful, that’s why we are happy supporting them. Thank you RBL

Today is the anniversary of the accession to the throne of Her Majesty the Queen, our Colonel in Chief.

Today I received two beautiful poppy wreaths in memory of my mother’s husband Michael Campbell of the 3rd battalion royal welsh who was shot in Afghanistan in 2012 and sadly died in 2015 after a operation due to his injuries when shoot ... my mother Christine Campbell struggled for 18 months to deal with the loss of Michael and sadly took her own life February this year . The two wreaths are a beautiful tribute to two beautiful people who I will sadly miss . I can’t thank the British Legion enough for the help and support myself sister and two brothers received after our mother’s death and the support they gave my mother after Michaels passing .... you are all amazing people and knowing we’re not alone in our struggles and grief is in a way a small comfort... thank you all so much . Gemma whelan

The RBL went 50/50 with the Fiffles to get me a wheel chair I need for the days crutches are of no use to me as I am not always able to walk,so to me and a hell of a lot of other ex military many thanks.

Thankyou to the gentleman that came to my guide unit gordan to give us a talk about the poppy and the new flag that shall be going to the queen on Friday for the service on Sunday.

Very enjoyable.

Trisha Stanley

Guide leader

2nd South benfleet guides

Im going back 43 yrs wen my dad died i was 15 , my mam ad 3 kids to look out for , i was the youngest . My died ad served in the army as a lad ,not wen the war was on , he died of cancer at 49 yrs of age ,. The brist legion were brilliant ,they gave her money to buy something f to wear for his funeral ,after all that they gave her money weekly to keep us afloat , i can never thank these guys enuff god bless thank u an keep up the good work ps i always donate as a little thanku an reminder that ur never alone in dark times cx

I love what the charity stands for but I'm a bit disappointed in the poppy stalls this year. I bought one of the poppy's for the front of cars but by little boy lost it. I went to a different stall to by another one but there's was more expensive so I didn't have enough money. I went past another stall today, thought I'll definitely get one now but there's was even more expensive than the other two stalls. Are there supposed to be set prices or do each stall make their own up?

Great services provided to current, ex serving and family. Keep up the good work.

As a partner of a Ex Serving Reme Solider who was killed in October 2017 you helped me Give Alex the send off he so truly deserved.

When I was let down by a Bugler I contacted you and you arranged for one to be there on his funeral to play the last post for him, On top of that you informed local Standard bearers who attended and local community of Ex Serving soldiers to pay there respects to Alex.



I will continue to fundraise for you so you can help others like myself and other families who from a "Civilian" Point of view make sure we do right by our Fallen heroes



Thank you from the bottom of my heart��

An Great organisation like the RBL deserves a big thumb � up from every person for remembering and helping all those who served in the Army

I am very saddened to see some of the reviews being left on here. I am a member of the RBL and have been for the last few years. My grandfather was the local organiser for 20+ years, but has sadly had to take a step back this year due to health reasons. I understand that any organisation will have issues, fortunately our local branch is run by a superb group of service and non-service men and women who are all dedicated to the RBL and Poppy Appeal. Keep up the good work!!

I support the Legion and am a member but seriously I have never meet someone so rude as the woman who apparently runs the British Legion in Burley she was so rude to myself and my friend and her children today very upsetting

Served 5.5 years infantry , was medically discharged, I volunteer at a County RBL office. Im trying to rebuild my life after loosing everything. Im starting a degree in October and needed financial help to get a few books for studying a psychology degree to become a case worker to help veterans, and was told no. Why. Explain this to me. Because I'm not asking for alot, I give my time and I am working hard for this organisation, and frankly disgusted by this.

Iam thoroughly disgusted that the RBL are worth millions to say the least , they have purchased land and have plush offices , yet this is money given to them by the public who believe it is money spent on past and present servicepersonel .It seems no one dare speak out about the RBL because it has a special place with the people of this Country, yet i cant count the amount of times i have heard and witnessed the amount of veterans struggling and have been turned away by the RBL. To my knowledge it is way past time that the RBL actually made it publicly known that they are supposed to help all veterans ect for the rest of their lives and that includes helping them with help with housing costs, living costs including clothing their children and the list is endless also paying for veterans funerals if they so rightly choose , my blood boils at all those struggling while RBL swells their bank balance in the name of helping past and present servicepersonel .

Very disappointed I was ask loads of questions filled out loads of paperwork now they know everyone about my life some of my message asking for help have been ignored actually never resieved any help at all �

Totally useless ex serviceman living with parents looking for assistance with accommodation wouldn't help me with deposit or rent advance but would with white goods or brown goods upto the tune of 1000 said what's the point of that assistance if I can't get in the door to begin with all I wanted help with was the deposit which would of been 600-700 and they would of eventually got that back absolute madness no wonder so many service personnel are homeless after the amount of hoops they made me jump through just to say no complete waste of time!!.

They are totally incapable of understanding that my father a former serviceman has died of bowel cancer at the age of 92. Despite emails and phone calls they are still writing to him asking for money. Are they so commercially oriented that they can't understand that his 87yo spouse doesn't want to see letters to her deceased husband on a weekly basis. Instead of harassing her for money it would be better if they assisted her in getting my father's war pension that stopped the day he died!!!

The RBL are an out of date organisation. They have not moved with the times and are sat on trusts all over the country that noone can touch. I was secretary of an RBL social club for 4 years and I learned a lot...a lot of what I learned not many people get to know about. The land our club was built on was donated to the community and the building was built by volunteers. It belonged to the community. The RBL convinced these social clubs in the 80s to sign the buildings over to them for a peppercorn rent and have now started not giving any support and revoking the club licences due to them not being financially viable to sell the property and cash in on the land they've aquired for free!! Tell me how a non profit club is financially viable?? As long as bills are paid and it's not in debt how is it not financially viable. It is against the law to make a profit from a non profit charitable company!! Our trustees had control of a bank account that originally was there for ex servicemen in need of a cooker or bed or in fact anything and they could give them what they needed. However now...noone is allowed to withdraw any money for anyone. The money gained by selling property and land is held in property trust accounts which again noone can have access to.....appalling!! Branch committees are out of touch old men who believe the RBL are right no matter what they do and don't understand all the new legislations etc that have built up over the years.



I'd be interested to know how much money the RBL are actually sitting on. Help for heroes all the way for me....they give back!! RBL no longer do it.....have a look at the salaries being paid to those in charge of the RBL