MARK ROYAL BRITISH LEGION
CHAIRMAN: Nick van der Bijl (Army)
STANDARD BEARER: Jerry Lock
SECRETARY: Bill Murphy (Royal Navy)
TREASURER: Penny van der Bijl (Army)
POPPY APPEAL: Peter Higman
The British Legion was formed in 1921 to support the Armed Forces community. This includes families. In general terms, membership criteria include:.
- Serving and former Regular, Reserve and Auxilliary all ranks. This includes serving and former Brigade of Gurkhas and also Commonwealth Forces in UK.
- Merchant Navy afloat in hostile waters.
- Current or former previous full-time members of Allied Civil Police Forces
- Those entitled to campaign medals issued to the Armed Forces in direct support or under command
- Full-time Voluntary Aid Societies in direct support of the UK Armed Forces
- Briish subjects who served at least seven days in the Forces of an Allied nation
- British subjects who served in a resistance organisation of an Allied nation during hostilities in which the UK Armed Forces were engaged
- Any person who served in the Home Guard for at least six months, and/or Bomb and Mine Disposal for at least three months
Mark has had a British Legion for several decades. Within the last two years, it was close to closing down, however, it was revived and has a small committee which meets quarterly. We tend to focus on commemorating Remembrance Sunday, which includes collecting contributions to the charity and taking part in the parade at Hugh Sexeys School, Blackford. During the 2018 commemorations to mark the end of the First World War, Mark British Legion:
- Purchased 13 "silent" silhouettes" to commemorate those listed on Mark War Memorial
- Organised an exhibition in Mark Church that described the lives of those casualties and also exhibited First World War memorabilia.
Whilst this year is the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War, it is worth bearing in mind our Armed Forces have been on continual active service since 1945, except for 1968, which, ironically, was the closest war was declared when the Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia.
Mark Royal British Legion welcomes anyone who largely meets the criteria listed above.
PLEASE REMEMBER, SHOULD MARK BRITISH LEGION BE UNABLE TO PASS OUR COLOURS TO THE NEXT GENERATION TO KEEP THE BRANCH ALIVE, THEN THE COLOURS ARE MOST LIKELY TO BE LAID UP IN THE CHURCH AND CANNOT BE FLOWN AGAIN.
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