Southwick Green Branch of the Royal British Legion was formed on the 27th June
1985 by a group of local ex-service men, women and civilians. It’s founder members
were Chairman Roy Ford, Henry Southcote-Want (later Chairman) Fred Hall
( standard bearer), Mr Sullivan, Ena Barr (welfare sec) and Mrs Hale. They were later
joined by Peggy Green and Bill Rogers. Roy Ford was also Chairman of Sussex
County in the 80’s/90’s and Sussex County HQ was named after him (Roy Ford
House).
The branch organised large annual events in the Barn at Southwick Community
Centre inviting veterans from Gifford House and Princess Marina House care homes.
As well as raising funds for the Poppy Appeal as we still do today, our branch had
many welfare caseworkers who went out in to the community to visit those in need of
assistance and helping hundreds of cases.
Later members including John Woodman, Len Mills, Thelma Burton, Nigel Pulling,
Eric Walters, Pat Alden, David & Eileen Hill and Jean Pointer to name but a few, all
strove to ensure that the branch endured for many years.
Our branch in collaboration with the Southwick Community Church replaced the lost
medals of two veterans in Nagaland who fought alongside the Allied forces at
Kohima. The Church had found the two gentlemen while carrying out missionary
work there and presented the medals back to them on our behalf.
Henry Southcote-Want, presented Private Jack Billet with the Medal of the French
Legion of Honour in 1998 on Jacks 100th Birthday. Jack served with the Royal
Sussex Regiment at Ypres and The Somme. The medal is Frances highest
decoration.
War Memorials
At the start of WWI soldiers were to be billeted on Buckingham park but due to it
being waterlogged a temporary camp was built on Southwick Green. The soldiers
stayed with local residents and the Green was turned in to a training ground. Our War
Memorial and the kerb surrounding the Green is made from the concrete base that
the huts stood on. It was unveiled in 1922 and commemorates those that fell from
Southwick and Fishersgate in WWI, WWII and Korea. There is also a separate
memorial inside St Michael & All Angels church. At Southwick Community Center, the
Garden Room and Terrace Garden was built in memory of the armed forces and
civilians of Southwick and Fishersgate who died in WWII. Poppy wreaths are laid at
the memorial by the RBL on Armistice Day.
There are ten known Commonwealth War Graves at Southwick cemetery and eleven
in St Michaels churchyard (research ongoing)

SGRBL now resides at Champion House, in Southwick. Champion house was the base of the Home Guard during the war and was also the base of the Southwick branch of the British legion which was disbanded some years ago.