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THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION
HISTORY OF THE KILMINGTON BRANCH
1925 to 2008
On 23rd January 1925 a group of ex-
These men decided
to form a committee so Lt.Col. T.M. Bridges was elected President and Chairman, with
the vicar Rev. C.R. Bull as Vice-
On 6th March 1925 a further meeting of ex-
The Branch was inaugurated on 25th March 1925.
On 30th March the Kilmington Branch of the British Legion (now known as The Royal British Legion since 1971) held their first official meeting in the Lace Room which they designated as Headquarters as far as the Legion was concerned. The Lace Room was owned by the New Inn and was hired for meetings.
An Open Meeting was held on 9th April 1925, addressed by a member of the Legion’s
County Staff, on the aims and objects of the British Legion. As a result, several
more ex-
Subsequent meetings revealed plans to have races for Legion members at The Harvest Festival Sports, which would be handled by the Legion Sports Committee.
A winter entertainment programme was drawn up. Mr W. Beer offered to transport tables and chairs with his ‘horse and cart’.
The same year saw the first Branch Remembrance Day Parade at the War Memorial. Mr Woodman, who had lost two sons in the Great War, laid the Poppy wreath and did so for several years thereafter.
In June 1926 the Branch ran a fundraising Sports and Fete in Mr Adams’ Field. About
this time, several ex-
In October 1927 it was agreed to purchase a British Legion Standard for the sum of £3 8s 6d (£3.43 in today’s money).
Early in 1928 a grant of £5.00 was made to a member who was blind to buy a suit of clothes as he was entering an Institution to learn a trade. (The Admiralty was unable to help!).
Over the years there were various changes to Officers of the Committee e.g. 1930
Mr A. Tucker (chairman), 1931 Major O’Donnell-
On 9th August 1936 the Branch Standard was dedicated by the vicar, Rev. Dukesell in St.Giles' Church.
During World War Two cigarettes were sent to local men serving in the Armed Forces and a Red Cross Parcel to a Prisoner of War, Hines.
After the war a recruiting campaign was held in 1946, which encouraged several men who had returned from active service to join the British Legion. Arrangements were made for the names of three members of the village who had not returned and gone to higher service to be added to the War Memorial (A.Trott, E.N. Lockwood and R.J. Wilkinson).
At the 1947 Remembrance Day Service the War Memorial was re-
In April 1949 the women of the village formed their own Branch of the British Legion and in October their recently purchased Standard was dedicated.
The new Vicar Rev. Rodgers arrived in 1965 and was welcomed by the British Legion. Support was still being given to members in nee, finance being obtained from Legion HQ and SW Area
A record sum of £70.00 was collected in 1970 for the Poppy Appeal. At this time the Branch numbered some 47 members.
In 1967 it was noted that Mr S. Selway had been caring for the War Memorial for 33 years, sincere thanks were expressed to him.
Regrettably in 1971 the Womens Section was disbanded. The whereabouts of their Standard or any documentary history is unknown.
From the foundation of the Branch until 1971, the main fund raising activity was a regular Whist Drive and there were also periodic concerts. In the 1960s Jumble Sales became quite popular. The main social event was the Branch Annual Dinner, in later years in conjunction with the Women’s Section.
A Branch Meeting held in 1975 discussed the possibility of closing down or amalgamating
with another Branch as it was felt that there was little support from the village
-
Membership of the Branch remained at around thirty members from 1977 to 1986 when numbers increased to seventy members.
In 1989 it was noted that Mrs Joan Colyer had been the Poppy Appeal Organiser for 25 years. She was heartily thanked and in 1991 she was presented with a Merit Brooch by the Devon County Secretary for her years of service.
The Revd Lincoln Jones was appointed Branch Chaplain in 1989 and remains so to this day.
The first of what are now our Annual Lectures was held in 1991 and given by Major Wynne on his experiences in the first Gulf War. Subsequent Annual Lectures have been given by Commodore Peter Hurford, Mrs Antonia Hunt, Commander Stafford Seward, Revd Nigel Freathy, Lt.Col Guy Lavender, among others.
In 2000 the Branch’s Millenium project was to purchase and site a wooden Bench in the Memorial Garden of the Churchyard. The Memorial Garden together with the Bench was Blessed by the Bishop of Exeter. On the same occasion an ecclesiastical stole, which had been given to the Branch Chairman and presented to Revd Lincoln Jones, was Blessed by the Bishop.
In 2004 we were all saddened by an extensive fire at the New Inn, which meant we had to find a new venue for our meetings. The New Inn having hosted our meetings over a great many years. Thankfully all is now restored and we again hold our Meetings there.
Mr Frank Pape, our Branch President, was honoured in 2005 with a presentation of a framed certificate by the Devon County President for over 34 years' meritorius service to the Royal British Legion, most of that time taken up as welfare secretary, within this Branch.
May 2006 saw our Chairman Mr P. Bird retire from office due to ill health. The Vice-
In recent times the Branch has raised funds for the Poppy Appeal by holding twice yearly Coffee Mornings and our famous ‘Admiral’s Jug’ frequently appears at functions for donations. The Admiral’s Jug is a copper Jug, possibly an old Royal Navy Rum Jug presented to the Branch by our late Chairman Admiral Roberts.
Annual outings are held to places of interest, usually with a military and/or historical connection. These outings are well supported. We also hold an Annual Barbecue at the New Inn, this being purely a social event.
Our Membership now totals 117 members, an all time record for this Branch. New members are always welcome, no previous military background is necessary.
Michael O’Flaherty
November 2008
(Hon. Member)
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The Lace Room outside the New Inn