The Royal British Legion (RBL), sometimes referred to as simply The Legion, is the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

's leading charity

Charitable organization

A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...

 providing financial, social and emotional support to those who have served or who are currently serving in the British Armed Forces

British Armed Forces

The British Armed Forces are the armed forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Also known as Her Majesty's Armed Forces and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, the British Armed Forces encompasses three professional uniformed services, the Royal Navy, the...

, and their dependants.
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

Comrades of the Great War

The Comrades of The Great War were formed in 1917 as a non-political association to represent the rights of ex-service men and women who had served or had been discharged from service during World War I. Comrades of The Great War was one of the original four ex-service associations that amalgamated...

, the National Association of Discharged Sailors and Soldiers

National Association of Discharged Sailors and Soldiers

The National Association of Discharged Sailors and Soldiers was a British veterans' organisation.The group was founded in early 1917 at a conference in Blackburn, drawing together various local groups representing working men who had served in World War I but had since been discharged. It...

, the National Federation of Discharged and Demobilized Sailors and Soldiers

National Federation of Discharged and Demobilized Sailors and Soldiers

The National Federation of Discharged and Demobilized Sailors and Soldiers was a British veterans organisation.The organisation was founded in January 1917 by various London-based veterans groups opposed to the Review of Exceptions Act, which made it possible for people invalided out of the armed...

 and the Officers' Association.