FESTIVAL OF REMEMBRANCE

In 2024, the Festival of Remembrance will honour the service of, and the sacrifices made by, British Armed Forces personnel: those who served in the past and those currently serving. The Festival will further pay our respects to the families, friends, colleagues and associations of personnel, and the organisations from across the network supporting the British Armed Forces community. Through authentic testimony, emotive storytelling and creative production, the Festival will showcase why it is important to actively remember the vital contribution of British Armed Forces personnel and the wider community to the UK’s past, present and future.

The key elements in this year’s Festival are: 

1. Second World War: 80th anniversaries
   This year marks the 80th anniversary of key turning points in the Second World War, which marked the beginning of the liberation of Western Europe. While D-Day was fundamental to the allied victory, the Second World War was not won on any single day – or battle – and we will recognise and pay tribute to all who served from the British Armed Forces, Commonwealth and allied nations, such as those who served in the Battles of Monte Cassino, Imphal and Kohima, Operation Market Garden and the Scheldt.
2. Beyond the Second World War: Kosovo and Afghanistan
   We will recognise those who served and currently serve in Kosovo 25 years after the deployment of NATO peacekeeping force: KFOR, and those who served in Afghanistan as this year marks 10 years since the end of Operation Herrick.
3. The RBL’s role in society today
   We will showcase the RBL’s Remembrance for All philosophy and promote our role as champion of Remembrance, to ensure the service and sacrifices of Armed Forces personnel from Britain and the Commonwealth are always remembered.

Membership Ticketing

The Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance will be held in the Royal Albert Hall, London on Saturday 9 November 2024 with performances at 2pm and 7pm.

Once again, members will be able to buy tickets on a first-come first-served basis, in an exclusive member sale, buying tickets directly from the ticket agent, See Tickets. Please note that tickets will only be available to buy online.

Ticketing Process

All members wishing to buy a ticket should use the online portal:
https://festivalofremembrance.seetickets.com

Help to buy tickets is available through the See Tickets Support Centre here:

https://festivalofremembrance.seetickets.com/content/support-centre

If there are any issues on the day, these will be communicated via the e-newsletter mailing list. If you are not already on the mailing list, please sign up here:

https://selfservice.britishlegion.org.uk/security/login

As in previous years, the Metropolitan Police have asked for the following information for all guests that will be attending the Festival of Remembrance, both afternoon and evening performances.
Please be aware that unlike last year, this year you will be required to enter your guest details upon purchase.

• Membership number (lead booker only)
• Full name (this must be exactly as it appears on your photo ID)
• Address (please include post code)
• Date of birth (please use the format DD/MM/YYYY)
• City of birth
• Country of birth
• Email address
• Contact number

This information will be allocated to seat numbers so all tickets must be individually named. You will be required to submit this information for all guests at the point of purchase. This year you will have 30 minutes to complete the required information and make payment.

The ticket agent has agreed to gather all the data on behalf of the Legion and will be GDPR compliant. The ticket seller will share the data with RBL and Met Police only. All data will be deleted within one month after the event.

Timeline

Tickets, including accessible seating, should be booked online using the seat picker through See Tickets.

Payment will be taken at the time of booking. Postal applications will not be accepted.

Tickets will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis. No ticket will be issued before full ticket holder details are received. Once confirmed, tickets are non-returnable or refundable. You are able to change the name of your guest before 31 October by visiting the Customer Service page on the See Tickets website. Members can purchase tickets for either the evening or afternoon performance, not both.

Ticket prices

Ticket prices for both the afternoon and evening in 2024 (including VAT) are: 

Security

Due to heightened security measure the Metropolitan Police will need to conduct individual security checks on all participants. Basic personal information will need to be provided in advance for each
applicant during the registration process.

Ticket holders will need to bring with them both photographic ID and a document showing proof of membership (where applicable) for access to the Royal Albert Hall via manned Police entry points on the day.

Dress code

Members of the Royal British Legion attending either performance of the Festival of Remembrance are requested to wear the Legion badge, tie and decorations.

Legion Standard Bearers

Nominated Standard Bearers are entitled to bring a guest to the evening performance. Standard Bearers will be given a unique code for the website to secure their ticket when all names are confirmed. Please do not buy tickets through See Tickets online when they go on sale.
Your unique code will be sent to you in September.

It is essential that Standard Bearers are physically fit and have a high standard of smartness conforming to the guidelines contained in Chapter 6 of the Ceremonial Handbook. Standard Bearers are required to attend the rehearsals during the afternoon of Friday 8 November (exact timings to be confirmed). Participation is conditional upon attendance of Friday rehearsals and parading in both the afternoon and evening performances on Saturday 9 November. Lunch and dinner will be provided.

Standard Bearers will receive a payment of £50 to assist with their travel costs. All other expenses are the responsibility of the Branch, County or District. To receive this payment, all participating Standard Bearers will need to provide their bank details when completing registration. This will be reimbursed after their attendance at both Festival of Remembrance and accompanying rehearsals. 

CENOTAPH CEREMONY

– for information

On Sunday 10 November 2024, the National Service of Remembrance will be held at the Cenotaph on Whitehall in London.

The Royal British Legion organises the annual Veteran March Past that passes the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday for 10,000 British and Commonwealth former military and civilian Service personnel.

Eligibility

Members wishing to take part in the Cenotaph Parade must meet at least one of the following eligibility criteria:

•  Ex-service personnel from the UK and the Commonwealth who have served the Crown.
• Retired emergency services personnel from the UK and Commonwealth who have served the Crown.
• Partners or first-generation family members of those who served in His Majesty’s Armed
  Forces and have died. This only includes the following:
  • Wives, husbands, partners or civil partners
  • Siblings
  • Parents
  • Children
• Those marching on behalf of their organisations that have historically played a significant role in times of conflict, supporting the Armed Forces community or who are key organisations in Remembrance.
• A carer of a veteran requiring wheelchair assistance.

The carer accompanying the veteran must be included within your allocation; where appropriate, the option of one veteran assisting another for the duration of the dispersal should be considered.

Please note, this is a veterans’ parade, therefore serving personnel are not permitted to take part. Civilians cannot take part unless they meet the eligibility criteria above.

Registration

Places to take part in the Cenotaph March Past on Remembrance Sunday 2024 are allocated through service and unit associations. If you belong to an association, please get in touch with them for further details on how to apply for a place. If you are unable to contact your association, please contact us at cenotaph@britishlegion.org.uk and we will put you in touch. Registration closes on 22 August 2024.

If you are an ex-service individual but not a member of or affiliated to a service or unit association, you are still eligible to take part in the Cenotaph March Past. This year, we will continue to offer any remaining unused tickets to eligible veterans so that they are afforded the opportunity to march in the Cenotaph Parade. This will be done on a first come first served basis and will be restricted to UK and Commonwealth veterans from the Royal Navy, Army, Royal Air Force and the Merchant Navy. You can apply on our website here: Remembrance Sunday | Remembrance Events | Royal British Legion
Registration will close on Thursday 22 August.

Those applying to march will be required to provide one of the following documents to verify their service status:

• Veterans Recognition (ID) Card
• Veterans UK Status Card
• Certificate of Service – this must include date of discharge
• Certificate of Discharge
• Veterans Railcard
• Merchant Mariners – a copy of the personal details page of your Discharge Book, along with the vessel names on which you served and the operation names and date.

If you do not have the above documentation, you can obtain your service records through the below options:

Through the Ministry of Defence, you can apply for:

• your own service records if you are, or have been, a member of the armed forces.

If your application is urgent, explain why in your form or a letter, so it can be prioritised. For example, you need the records for legal or medical reasons.

What’s available?

• Royal Navy and Royal Marine service records

The RN Disclosure Cell holds service records for commissioned and non-commissioned officers (both RN and RM) from 1926 onwards. Information from these records can be requested under
the MOD Publication Scheme.

Records prior to 1926, including records for World War 1 service, are held by The National Archives.

• British Army service records

The Army Personnel Centre (APC) Historical Disclosures Section holds army service records for officers whose service ended after April 1922 and soldiers whose service ended after January 1921. APC also holds some records for the Foot Guards (not Scots Guards) back to 1750.
Information from these records can be requested under the MOD Publication Scheme.

• RAF service records

The RAF Disclosures section holds service records for non-commissioned and commissioned RAF personnel dating back to 1920. Information from these records can be requested under the MOD Publication Scheme.

How long it takes:

It can take several months for your application to be processed.

Your application will be prioritised if it’s urgent.

Other ways to find service records:

You can also search:

• the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website
• the Armed Forces Memorial roll of honour
• the National Archives for service records from 1913 to 1920 or service records before 1913

There are also a number of web-based platforms who provide access to service records, although there is usually a fee or a monthly subscription charge to access such sites.  Examples are:

• Ancestry - https://www.ancestry.co.uk/
• Forces War Records - https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/