We Are the Legion
We Are the Legion

Author: Julie SUMMERS

Publisher:

Published: 2021-05-06

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 9781788165792

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Formed in 1921 to provide welfare to soldiers returning from the First World War, the Royal British Legion is today the UK's leading military charity. In May 2021 the Legion celebrates its centenary. We Are the Legion is the first book to look at the whole hundred years, telling the extraordinary story of support to servicemen and women in the UK and around the world - from finding jobs and housing to healing the injuries and trauma of conflict. In recent years the Legion has quietly transformed itself from an organisation of old soldiers to a modern media-savvy charity leading the country in remembrance but also lobbying government on pensions and researching state-of-the-art rehabilitation while working alongside other leading charities on welfare provision. We Are the Legion covers every aspect of the Legion's work: the history of the poppy, the Legion's international links, its role in fostering peace between countries and its latest work on rehabilitation and support. But the book also pulls together lesser known aspects of the Legion's history, whether of the villages set aside for rehabilitation or the misguided trip to Germany in the 1930s as an attempt to foster friendship between nations. Richly illustrated with over 350 images, including an extraordinary collection of early poppy designs, Legion posters and unseen archive shots, the book also includes original photography specially commissioned for the project.

A Historical Guide to NGOs in Britain
A Historical Guide to NGOs in Britain

Author: M. Hilton

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2012-07-20

Total Pages: 337

ISBN-13: 1137029021

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Aiming to furnish the reader with the historical data to engage with the debates surrounding the Cameron government's 'Big Society' and civil society, this book gives the reader a greater and more informed historical consciousness of how the NGO sector has grown and influenced.

The Book of the Poppy
The Book of the Poppy

Author: Chris McNab

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2018-08-01

Total Pages: 124

ISBN-13: 0750989556

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The Remembrance Poppy is a haunting reminder of the ultimate cost of war. Worn by millions around the world every year, the Poppy compels us to remember war's dead, wounded and bereaved, regardless of nationality or conflict. As we reflect on the centenary of the First World War, this book charts the history of the Remembrance Poppy, from its origins in the battle-tortured landscape of Flanders in 1915 to its enduring relevance in the present day. It sets the Poppy in its context of tragedy and sacrifice, always acknowledging that our war dead are gone, but not forgotten.

Roman Britain's Missing Legion
Roman Britain's Missing Legion

Author: Simon Elliott

Publisher: Pen and Sword Military

Published: 2021-03-15

Total Pages: 260

ISBN-13: 152676573X

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“Examines all the possible fates of the famous IX legion . . . takes you on a fascinating detective journey through all the corners of the Roman Empire.” —History . . . The Interesting Bits! Legio IX Hispana had a long and active history, later founding York from where it guarded the northern frontiers in Britain. But the last evidence for its existence in Britain comes from AD 108. The mystery of their disappearance has inspired debate and imagination for decades. The most popular theory, immortalized in Rosemary Sutcliffe’s novel The Eagle of the Ninth, is that the legion was sent to fight the Caledonians in Scotland and wiped out there. But more recent archaeology (including evidence that London was burnt to the ground and dozens of decapitated heads) suggests a crisis, not on the border but in the heart of the province, previously thought to have been peaceful at this time. What if IX Hispana took part in a rebellion, leading to their punishment, disbandment and damnatio memoriae (official erasure from the records)? This proposed ‘Hadrianic War’ would then be the real context for Hadrian’s ‘visit’ in 122 with a whole legion, VI Victrix, which replaced the ‘vanished’ IX as the garrison at York. Other theories are that it was lost on the Rhine or Danube, or in the East. Simon Elliott considers the evidence for these four theories, and other possibilities. “A great and fascinating read . . . a page turner . . . The book offers some interesting and intriguing ideas around the fate of the Ninth.” —Irregular Magazine “An historical detective story pursued with academic rigour.” —Clash of Steel “A seminal and landmark study.” —Midwest Book Review

Keeping Faith
Keeping Faith

Author: Brian Harding

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 1990-12-31

Total Pages: 491

ISBN-13: 0850528267

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For the millions who had fought in the Great War, and for their families, the 'land fit for heroes' turned out to be an illusion; instead there was suffering and deprivation. Out of this, on 1 July 1921 was born the British Legion. In the years that followed the Legion fought for justice for the ex-service community, meanwhile seeking to protect them. It introduced the Poppy Appeal and insisted on an annual act of national Remembrance for the fallen. It went to extraordinary lengths to try to prevent another war, ultimately finding itself in controversial discussions with Hitler. Even after the Second World War the Legion's work was far from over; the war-disabled and the war widows seemed to have been forgotten in the new welfare state. Remembrance itself appeared to be under threat as the memory of war receded. There were more battles to be fought, while conflicts such as the Gulf War brought fresh problems. Perhaps most inspiring is the human aspect. Those who have done the Legion's work represent every class of society, from admirals and former private soldiers to poppy collectors. But they have one thing in common: compassion for all who have suffered in the service of the country. This is their story too.

The Politics of Veteran Benefits in the Twentieth Century
The Politics of Veteran Benefits in the Twentieth Century

Author: Martin Crotty

Publisher: Cornell University Press

Published: 2020-10-15

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 1501751654

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What happened to veterans of the nations involved in the world wars? How did they fare when they returned home and needed benefits? How were they recognized—or not—by their governments and fellow citizens? Where and under what circumstances did they obtain an elevated postwar status? In this sophisticated comparative history of government policies regarding veterans, Martin Crotty, Neil J. Diamant, and Mark Edele examine veterans' struggles for entitlements and benefits in the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Taiwan, the Soviet Union, China, Germany, and Australia after both global conflicts. They illuminate how veterans' success or failure in winning benefits were affected by a range of factors that shaped their ability to exert political influence. Some veterans' groups fought politicians for improvements to their postwar lives; this lobbying, the authors show, could set the foundation for beneficial veteran treatment regimes or weaken the political forces proposing unfavorable policies. The authors highlight cases of veterans who secured (and in some cases failed to secure) benefits and status after wars both won and lost; within both democratic and authoritarian polities; under liberal, conservative, and even Leninist governments; after wars fought by volunteers or conscripts, at home or abroad, and for legitimate or subsequently discredited causes. Veterans who succeeded did so, for the most part, by forcing their agendas through lobbying, protesting, and mobilizing public support. The Politics of Veteran Benefits in the Twentieth Century provides a large-scale map for a research field with a future: comparative veteran studies.

Haig
Haig

Author: Brian Bond

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2009-04-20

Total Pages: 355

ISBN-13: 1783409207

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Field Marshal Earl Haig's reputation continues to arouse as much interest and controversy as ever. This volume represents the collaboration of two leading historical societies, The British Commission for Military History and The Douglas Haig Fellowship. Leading historians have produced a comprehensive and fascinating study of the most significant and frequently debated aspects of Haig's momentous career.

The Legacies of Two World Wars
The Legacies of Two World Wars

Author: Lothar Kettenacker

Publisher: Berghahn Books

Published: 2011-08-01

Total Pages: 331

ISBN-13: 0857452231

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The US invasion of Iraq in 2003 was done mainly, if one is to believe US policy at the time, to liberate the people of Iraq from an oppressive dictator. However, the many protests in London, New York, and other cities imply that the policy of “making the world safe for democracy” was not shared by millions of people in many Western countries. Thinking about this controversy inspired the present volume, which takes a closer look at how society responded to the outbreaks and conclusions of the First and Second World Wars. In order to examine this relationship between the conduct of wars and public opinion, leading scholars trace the moods and attitudes of the people of four Western countries (Great Britain, France, Germany and Italy) before, during and after the crucial moments of the two major conflicts of the twentieth century. Focusing less on politics and more on how people experienced the wars, this volume shows how the distinction between enthusiasm for war and concern about its consequences is rarely clear-cut.