Picture this: Hostilities have come to an end; thousands of troops are returning home to many parts of the world. This marks the end of a World War and the start of peace. Millions dead and many more permanently injured. The troops expect to be coming home to a hero’s welcome. But the world has changed – even the countries who were on the winning side are now poor, having had to pay for a war. Jobs are scarce and ex-ervicemen are reduced to meagre tasks just to try and support their families.

Three years after the end of the war and still servicemen were fighting a daily struggle to survive. Then one man, Lance Bombardier Tom Lister, a Lancastrian, has an idea of creating a charity to look after ex-servicemen and their families. It is endorsed by Field Marshal Earl Haig and calls itself the British Legion. Branches spring up all over the country. While having royal patronage from its founding in 1921, the Legion received its “Royal” appellation on 29th May 1971, becoming known as the Royal British Legion.

Unfortunately, the “War to end all Wars” isn’t, and many more wars and conflicts follow. Right up to the present day, serving, ex-serving personnel and their families still need the help they so richly deserve. More and more ex-servicemen have resorted to living on the streets.

The role of the Branches is just as important today as it has always been. Radstock ex-servicemen created the Radstock Branch on 3rd April 1922. At some point during the 1990s Radstock merged with Midsomer Norton to form the current Branch, however, the spirit of Radstock still lives on.

It is for this reason that the Branch will be celebrating the centenary of the Radstock side of the Branch at a special event on Wednesday, 6th April. It will commence at 11:00hrs with a Church service at the Church of St. Nicholas, Radstock, where the Radstock standard will take centre stage.

This will be followed at approximately 12:00hrs by a tree planting ceremony. A Rowan tree will be planted by the West of England Mayor, Dan Norris, in the Miner’s Memorial Garden adjacent to the War Memorial in Radstock.

Invited guests will then take refreshments in the Radstock Museum. The Branch would love to see members of the public at the Church and the Tree Planting ceremony and would welcome any pictures which people may have showing past historical events of the Branch.