The Royal British Legion The Royal British Legion ( RBL ) , sometimes referred to as simply The Legion , is the United Kingdom ' s leading charity providing financial , social and emotional support to millions who have served or who are currently serving in the British Armed Forces , and their dependents . 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 , commander of the Battle of the Somme and Passchendaele was one of the founders of the Legion , and was President until his death . Functions . Perhaps known best for the annual Poppy Appeal and Remembrance services , including the Festival of Remembrance , the Legion was born as a campaigning organisation and has been active behind the scenes in promoting the welfare and interests of the Services and ex - Service community for 86 years . The Legion fight nearly 36 , 000 ongoing War Disablement Pension cases for war veterans and make around 300 , 000 welfare and friendship visits every year . Ongoing Legion campaigns include calls for more research into : Gulf Illness and compensation for its victims ; upgrading of War Pensions ; the extension of endowment mortgage compensation for personnel serving overseas ; and better support for Service personnel resettling into civilian life . In 2007 , the Legion launched the Honour the Covenant campaign urging the Government to honour the Military Covenant . The head office is based next to Guy ' s Hospital and Borough tube station . Poppy Appeal . The Legion organises a fund - raising drive each year in the weeks before Remembrance Sunday , during which artificial poppies , meant to be worn on clothing , are offered to the public in return for a charitable donation . Over the course of the preceding year a team of around 50 people , the majority of them disabled and ex - Service connected – work all year round producing millions of poppies at the factory in Richmond . However , pin badge poppies are increasingly being worn , and prove to be extremely popular , with locations often selling out of the pin badges very quickly . The idea of poppies dates back to the poem " In Flanders Fields " about the First World War , after which the Legion was founded . Poppies are worn until Remembrance Day to remember the fallen of the First World War , and implicitly of all wars . Profile . The Poppy Appeal has a higher profile than any other charity appeal in the UK , with the poppies ubiquitous from late October until mid - November every year and worn by the general public , politicians , the Royal Family , and others in public life . It has also become increasingly common to see poppies on cars , lorries and other forms of public transport , such as aeroplanes , buses and trams . Many Magazines and newspapers also display the poppy on their publications ( usually on the cover page ) , and some Twitter users are adding poppies to their avatar s as a Twibbon . However , some have criticised the level of compulsion associated with the custom . Since 1933 , there has been a White Poppy run by the Peace Pledge Union , which is seen as an alternative by anti - war activists . Scotland . In Scotland , a separate charity , the Earl Haig Fund Scotland ( using the name " Poppyscotland " ) , has run the poppy appeal since 1921 in association with the Royal British Legion Scotland . Until a few years ago the wording on the black button in the centre of the poppy , even outside of Scotland , was " HAIG FUND " . Poppies in England and Scotland now bear the words " POPPY APPEAL " on their central buttons . Festival of Remembrance . The Legion organises the Festival of Remembrance on the Saturday preceding Remembrance Sunday . The Festival , held in the Royal Albert Hall , London , has acquired a status approaching that of a state event such as Trooping the Colour . Originally featuring composer John Foulds ' s " World Requiem " it includes military displays by current members of the armed forces , choral performances , and prayers . It culminates with the parading of Legion branch banners down the aisles and onto the floor of the hall , and the release of poppy petals from the roof . The event is run twice ; the first , afternoon event is open to any member of the public . The evening event is the more prestigious ; tickets are only available to members of the Legion and their families , and senior members of the Royal Family ( the Queen , Prince Philip , the Prince of Wales , the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex as well as other , less well - known , members of the royal family such as the Duke of Kent ) are in attendance . In 2007 , the second half of the evening event was aired live on BBC Radio 2 . BBC One showed the event an hour later . Most parts of the Festival are of a formal , thought - provoking , and solemn nature . In recent years , lighter sketches have been included , for example depicting civilian life during wartime , in an attempt to attract viewers from generations born after the Second World War . Honour the Covenant Campaign . " Honour the Covenant " is a campaign launched by The Royal British Legion in September 2007 , which calls on the UK Government to honour the Military Covenant . The campaign aims to seek public support for the issues identified by the Legion and to encourage their Members of Parliament to act to ensure that Government policy is changed . The campaign accuses the Government of failing to meet its commitments under the Covenant . The Legion highlighted the case of a 23 - year - old paratrooper , injured in battle , who was awarded £152 , 150 despite injuries requiring care for the rest of his life . It also criticised the practice of treating soldiers in wards alongside civilian patients . In his conference speech that October , Conservative Party leader David Cameron referred to the Covenant and said " Mr . Brown , I believe your government has broken it . " Medical care . Responding to the Royal British Legion ' s campaign , the Secretary of State for Health Alan Johnson announced in November 2007 that armed forces veterans would get priority treatment on the National Health Service , and those injured would be treated immediately in hospital rather than go through waiting lists . Prescription charges would also be waived . A tight budget settlement for the Ministry of Defence in 2007 saw five former Chiefs of the Defence Staff launch personal criticism of Prime Minister Gordon Brown in a simultaneous House of Lords debate . Gurkhas . In upholding the claim of six Gurkha soldiers for the right to settle in Britain at the end of their service , Mr Justice Blake ' s judgement in September 2008 recited the Military Covenant before observing that granting them residence in Britain " would , in my judgement , be a vindication and an enhancement of this covenant " . Support . The Legion sponsors a website - civvystreet - which assists Service leavers and members of the ex - Service community and their dependents with information , advice and guidance ( IAG ) on resettlement , learning and work . Specialist services are provided by partner organisations . Opportunities for funding may also be available to those who qualify for assistance . The website have been designed to give a single gateway to the services and support that partners provide for resettlement , learning and work . Criticism . The Royal British Legion received criticism following a controversy involving the acceptance of a donation from the far - right British National Party after BNP member Rachel Firth raised money , giving half to the BNP and half to the Legion . Bands . There are over 50 Legion bands around the world , each run and funded independently . They include full concert show bands , brass ensembles , pipe and drum bands , marching carnival bands and youth bands . The Central Band of the Royal British Legion is the Legion ' s flagship band . In existence since 1944 , the band was recognised as the Legion ' s premier band in 1983 and gained its title of " The Central Band of the Royal British Legion " three years later . Clubs . The Royal British Legion has an extensive network of Social Clubs called Legion Halls throughout the United Kingdom ; sometimes these are known as United Services or Ex - Servicemens Clubs . The Royal British Legion also has branches in the Republic of Ireland , and spread around the world , mostly in mainland Europe , but also in America , and Azerbaijan amongst other world nations . < br > The Royal British Legion Riders Branch ( RBLR ) is a specialist UK - wide branch of The Royal British Legion for motorcyclists . Its members hold events such as Weston Bike Night in Weston - super - Mare ; and rallies such as the RBLR 1000 , a 1 , 000 mile in 24 hours sponsored ride ; all to raise money for the Poppy Appeal . Many RBLR members attend the repatriation ceremonies in Wootton Bassett . Ex - services members of the RBLR often wear medals and head dress with their leathers and motorcycle kit . Membership . The Royal British Legion has an official membership magazine " Legion " , which is free to all Legion members as part of their annual subscription . Anyone can join the Legion , it is no longer required to have served in the military .