The Royal British Legion (RBL), sometimes referred to as the The British Legion or The Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants.

Membership

Service in the military is no longer a requirement of Legion membership. The Legion has an official membership magazine, Legion, which is free to all Legion members as part of their annual subscription.

History

The British Legion was founded in 1921 as a voice for the ex-service community as a merger of four organisations: the Comrades of the Great War, the National Association of Discharged Sailors and Soldiers, the National Federation of Discharged and Demobilized Sailors and Soldiers and the Officers' Association. It was granted a Royal Charter on 29 May 1971 to mark its fiftieth anniversary which gives the Legion the privilege of the prefix 'Royal'.

Earl Haig, British commander at the Battle of the Somme and Passchendaele was one of the founders of the Legion and the President until his death.