The Knot Unites
Staffordshire Royal British Legion
Registered Charity No: 219279
December 2015
Ladies & Gentlemen,
Now that all branch AGM’s have taken place please send the completed MS1 to the Birmingham Area Office as soon as possible, remembering that the final date for them to arrive is 31 December 2015.
The Royal British Legion
Victoria Square House
81 New Street
Birmingham
B2 4BA
And may I finish by wishing you and all your members a Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year,
Yours sincerely,
Alan Preece
Membership Support Officer
Stafford Branch Reception for Presentation of the Légion d'Honneur to D-Day Veteran’s
The Stafford Branch Royal British Legion were privileged to host an afternoon tea on Tuesday 10 November 2015 that facilitated a service of commemoration during which the French Honorary Consul, Monsieur Robert Melle and the people of Stafford represented by Her Majesties Deputy Lieutenant , Brigadier Smith and the Mayor of Stafford, Councillor Peter Jones, in the presence of families, friends and members of the Royal British Legion congratulated two men receiving the award and the widow of one representing her husband on this prestigious award for their contribution during the D Day Landings in 1945.
Back row: Her Majesties Deputy Lieutenant of Staffordshire Brigadier Smith; The Honorary Consul of the French Consulate in Birmingham, Monsieur Robert Melle; The Worshipful, the Mayor of Stafford Borough Council, Councillor Peter Jones
Front row: Major (Retd) Matt Guymer; Mrs Irelene Poole on behalf of Mr George Poole (deceased); Mr John Steele
Battle of the Somme Centenary
2016 marks the centenary of the Battle of the Somme. The commemoration is being lead by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, on behalf of the UK Government and the French Government in partnership with Commonwealth War Graves Commission and the Royal British Legion, to build a programme of events which reflect the significance of the First World War Somme campaign.
The Battle of the Somme
Also known as the Somme Offensive, it was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British and French empires against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 November 1916 on both sides of the River Somme in France. It was one of the largest battles of World War I, in which more than 1,000,000 men were wounded or killed, making it one of the bloodiest battles in human history. A Franco-British commitment to an offensive on the Somme had been made during Allied discussions at Chantilly, Oise, in December 1915. The Allies agreed upon a strategy of combined offensives against the Central Powers in 1916, by the French, Russian, British, and Italian armies, with the Somme offensive as the Franco-British contribution. The main part of the offensive was to be made by the French Army, supported on the northern flank by the Fourth Army of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF).
When the German Army began the Battle of Verdun on the Meuse on 21 February 1916, many French divisions intended for the Somme were diverted and the supporting attack by the British became the principal effort. The first day on the Somme (1 July) was a serious defeat for the German Second Army, which was forced out of its first line of defence by the French Sixth Army, from Foucaucourt-en-Santerre south of the Somme to Maricourt on the north bank and by the British Fourth Army from Maricourt to the vicinity of the Albert–Bapaume road. The first day on the Somme was also the worst day in the history of the British Army, which had c. 57,470 casualties, mainly on the front between the Albert–Bapaume road and Gommecourt, where the attack was defeated and few British troops reached the German front line. The British Army on the Somme was a mixture of the remains of the pre-war regular army, the Territorial Force and the Kitchener Army, which was composed of Pals battalions, recruited from the same places and occupations.
The battle is notable for the importance of air power and the first use of the tank. At the end of the battle, British and French forces had penetrated 6 miles (9.7 km) into German-occupied territory, taking more ground than any offensive since the Battle of the Marne in 1914. The Anglo-French armies failed to capture Péronne and were still 3 miles (4.8 km) from Bapaume, where the German armies maintained their positions over the winter. British attacks in the Ancre valley resumed in January 1917 and forced the Germans into local withdrawals to reserve lines in February, before the scheduled retirement to the Siegfriedstellung (Hindenburg Line) began in March. The battle remains controversial over its necessity, significance and effect.
Membership on the
Legion Website
The Membership Handbook is available on the Legion’s Website.
The Membership Documents Area can be accessed using the following details:
Username:*******
Password:*******
The Royal Charter can be accessed by simply going to and looking at ‘Downloadable Files’.
Diary of Events
Annual General Meeting
County Conference
Sunday 7 February 2016
Tillington Hall Hotel
Eccleshall Road
Stafford
ST16 1JJ
Contact Details:
Alan Preece
Membership Support Officer
The Royal British Legion
3rd Floor Britannia House
6-7 Eastgate Street
Stafford
ST16 2NQ
0333 011 4202;07900 058 650
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