MARK ROYAL BRITISH LEGION

CHAIRMAN:                         Nick van der Bijl (Army)

STANDARD BEARER:         Jerry Lock

SECRETARY:                         Bill Murphy  (Royal Navy)                                01278  641714

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

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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.                                              

http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/

ROYAL BRITISH LEGION CENTENERY COMMEMORATION

 9am, Saturday, 15th May 2021

Mark RBL

On Saturday 15 May 1921, three years after the end of the First World War in 1918, on a rainy day in London, representatives from four rival military and naval welfare societies marched to the Cenotaph in London and as ‘Big Ben’ struck at 9am, a representative from each association laid a single red poppy wreath at its base. From this emerged the British Legion which is UK’s largest Armed Forces charity with the Poppy Appeal providing welfare and support. Today, 100 years later, there are still 2,500 branches, some with histories reaching back to 1921, including Mark. Attached is a photograph dated 1921 of the first Remembrance Sunday at the War Memorial Cross in Mark Churchyard. 

The Royal British Legion will mark the 1921 formation of the British Legion:

at 9am on Saturday 15th May 2021

A century on, the Royal British Legion (RBL) will be laying a wreath at the Cenotaph and have invited other associations to lay wreaths at local memorials.

Mark Royal British Legion will lay a wreath at our War Memorial in Mark Churchyard

at the same time (9am) on the same date (15th May) this year.

Fly Past. Subject to weather conditions and aircraft serviceability, at 9.15am, three aircraft of a replica SE-5a First World War fighter leading and a Wittmin Tailwing monoplane and an Aeronca Model also with a high wing configuration flown by three former RAF pilots from Middlezoy Aerodrome Flying Club will fly along the Causeway from Watchfield and pass over the Church.

The Pilots

• Squadron Leadrer Dave Linney AFC. RAF Retd. Flew Harrier jump jets for most of his RAF career, including as a display pilot.  After leaving the RAF, he flew Hawker Hunter jet fighters in support of the Royal Navy. 
• Flt Lt Rick Lea RAF Retd. Flew Lightning supersonic fighter and Jaguar ground attack aircraft with RAF, Hawker Hunters in support of the Royal Navy and Mirage fighters for the Royal Australian Air Force.  Twice a member of the Martin Baker Club after a) ejecting from a Hunter when the controls failed and (b) from a Jaguar when a practice bomb exploded prematurely, destroying the aircraft and causing him serious burns.  Rick also became a commercial balloon pilot and was test pilot for the Mk26 Spitfire   
• Flt Lt Mike Laundy RAF Retd. Mike flew Handley Page Victor 2s in nuclear bombing and strategic reconnaissance roles and also flew covert intelligence photographic operations in West Germany during the Cold War.  He was also an instructor of Jet Provost and Jetstream.  After finishing RAF service, he was seconded to the Royal Navy as a flying Instructor.  He was then an airline captain flying commercial Boeing 767 and 757 aircraft and a Falcon 2000 private jet in the Middle East.