WANT TO JOIN the RBL? GOT A QUESTION? Go to FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) about joining us.

BUT WITH GREAT REGRET, we have to advise you that you can't join Byfield & District any more because at our Branch's AGM in November 2023, we had to vote to close our Branch - despite repeated requests over many months prior, NONE of OUR MEMBERS volunteered to step into any of our retiring Committee Members' shoes.

BUT for the sake of our old Members, and the RBL in general, we hope the RBL will keep this Web-site so it can remain as a tribute to what was once a successful if very rural Branch...

NOTE: The Web links in the pale blue banner across the top of all these pages are NOT directly related to our Branch - those are for the main RBL HQ Web site, and will take you there.

NOW - THIS is our "DIGITAL ARCHIVE" as well as our advisory on forthcoming events, and our activity record. We make no apologies for it being a bit of a maze. There are more than two hundred individual pages for you to view, including the edited Minutes of every meeting since December 2015. Within this Web site, you'll find true stories of adventure, poignant poems, tingle-factor stuff, and dozens of images to stir your hearts. Please explore, and be inspired.

To take advantage of this site you'll need some NAVIGATION skills, which will enable you to peruse all those pages BUT FIRST...

We hope regular computer users will bear with us for the next few paragraphs because some of our older Members may require a little guidance...

PC (Personal Computers i.e. laptops and desktops) users will find our list of Contents, one under another, on the left hand side of this Web site; we'll call this a "Content side bar" or "Content drop-down menu". 

Tablet users & PC's using later software, may have to select their “menu icon” (a box with horizontal lines within it, usually appearing in the top left hand corner of your device), to reveal those Contents.

If you hover your cursor (or in the case of Tablets, place your finger or stylus) over the Content item, that should reveal any sub-pages to that page on the right hand side of that vertical “Content” side bar. There will also be a tiny white arrowhead on the right of that Content item to indicate that there are one or more sub pages to that page.

Contents’ pages and their sub pages are opened by clicking (or tapping) on that title.

CLICK-on COLOUR? except for titles at the top of Contents' pages, words in coloured font (usually red but sometimes blue font, or even bold black on occasion) have links to interesting places - just place your cursor over and CLICK!

IF the aforementioned action takes you away from our Web site to another site, to get back to Byfield RBL's Web site you should click-on the "back arrow" on the Web Browser you are using (usually a black arrow pointing left at the very top left of your Browser's page). However if you are just at a different part of our Web site, click-on any "back arrow" or Branch Home (that's this page) to reveal all the Contents of our site, listed vertically down the left hand side.

WE ALSO HAD A SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE but no longer..

The Royal British Legion (RBL)...

is the UK's leading Armed Forces charity and one of its largest membership organisations. Members get together through the network of branches and clubs all over the country, and overseas to participate in social, fundraising and welfare activities.

Remember ALL are welcome in the RBL - you don't have to be ex-service to be part of this organisation - men and women are welcomed as Members of our Branch and there are no age limits.

Byfield RBL  once met monthly, mostly on Mondays at 8 p.m. in the The Meeting Room (used to be called "the lower annexe") of Byfield Village Hall NN11 6UT BUT sometimes, as our District is scattered across thirteen villages, we meet elsewhere in our area. That's usually in Eydon or Chipping Warden but sometimes we'll surprise everyone and end up in Woodford Halse, or maybe Moreton Pinkney!

Make sure you check our Meetings' Minutes & Notices pages for dates and venues of our meetings.

Unlike many larger Branches, we don't have a club but we do usually assemble in a local hostelry about half an hour prior to our Branch Meeting, and often repair there afterwards. And, we often have "social gatherings", usually lunchtime in a pub somewhere inside our District - see "Other Social Gatherings" or for times past before that "Other Social Gatherings 2016-2018".

As our District is made-up of many rural communities, some of those being quite small and relatively distant, there are always Members willing to pick-up others from the far corners of our area at any time of the year and return them home after our meetings... JUST CONTACT any of our Officers if you wish to take advantage of that offer.

Many of our meetings include Speakers on various subjects not necessarily of a military nature. VISITORS to our "SPEAKER MEETINGS" are welcome for £1/head BUT be warned, we'd try to RECRUIT you!

Membership is open to everyone. If you have an interest in the objectives of the Legion and want to help and support those who have served, and their families, come and join us. We welcome men and women of all ages, whether they have served in the Armed Forces or not, and, Membership of our Branch guarantees admission to any British Legion Branch in the UK, or overseas.

Legion membership ensures that

• Remembrance is kept alive and that the sacrifices our brave Service men and women have made are never forgotten.

• The ex-Service community has a voice and that their concerns are brought to the public eye.

Becoming a member also provides the opportunity to get involved in a wide range of activities and events held locally, regionally and nationally throughout the year. You can use the link below to join online now.

If you have any problems with joining online, please phone 0808 802 8080 and one of our RBL staff will be happy to process your membership application over the 'phone (inside the UK, calls to 0808 numbers are FREE from both landlines & mobiles).

If you wish to contact us to report any inaccuracies or omissions on this site, or to suggest any useful additions or upgrades please email: byfield.secretary@rbl.community

About The Royal British Legion

We provide financial, social and emotional care and support to all members of the British Armed Forces - past and present and their families. The Legion is also the national Custodian of Remembrance and safeguards the Military Covenant between the nation and its Armed Forces. Outside our organisation, we are probably best known for our annual Poppy Appeal, and its emblem the red poppy.

Founded in 1921, the Legion is not just about those who fought in the World Wars of the last century, but also about those involved in the many conflicts since 1945, and those still fighting for the freedom we enjoy today. 

Visit www.britishlegion.org.uk for details of our national initiatives.