Royal British Legion: Last post sounds for a military institution

THE Royal British Legion is in crisis, with one of Edinburgh's biggest clubs set to shut its doors and a string of others on the brink of closure.

Years of falling membership have left the 13 legion clubs in and around the Capital struggling to balance the books.

The situation has become so severe that the Portobello club – once one of the biggest in Scotland – will close down entirely in the coming weeks.

The Evening News has found the same pattern of a declining and ageing membership at struggling clubs across the Lothians, with many warning they will not survive or will have to downsize to smaller premises.

It is a nationwide problem for charity chiefs, with the Royal British Legion Scotland seeing its membership fall from 75,000 in 1995 to 47,000 today.

The closure of clubs, as well as having a devastating impact on the social life of the remaining elderly members, could also hit collections for charities such as Help For Heroes and Erskine Hospital as well as the iconic Poppy Appeal.

The chairman of Portobello British Legion, Peter Thomson, said "crippling overheads" meant the club would close on 18 April. He has seen the club's membership – around half of whom are ex-servicemen – fall by 1,000 in the past ten years.

"The fact is members are dying off or not using it regularly, and young lads in the army nowadays don't join the Legion because it isn't their thing.

"We are not making ends meet and can no longer run the club.

"It was a different scenario in the 1970s when we had to turn people who wanted to join away if they weren't from Portobello because we were so thriving.

"Not only is this a great shame for our members, especially army widows because they use the place a lot for bingo and dances, it is a loss for the community because we are the only war memorial in Portobello.

"Unlike in other towns, we have no statue or plaque. With the money made from the sale of the property we will be sure to create one."

Mr Thomson said he also believed factors such as the smoking ban and new licensing laws – which meant the club could only rent the premises out to non-members 12 times per year – had contributed to its downfall.

He said the club had considered opening up membership to non-servicemen – currently there is a cap of 40 per cent on non-army members – or modernising the club so that it appealed to soldiers fresh out the army, but said the hurdles had been too great.

He said: "We thought about modernising the Legion and making it more suitable for younger folk, but this is harder that it sounds because there would be a lot of discussion and paperwork to get through."

Ronald Dickson, president of the Edinburgh Central Branch on Rodney Street, said his club had also seen a stark drop in members from around 1,900 to 900, despite only moving to a larger property a few years ago.

He said that the club – the biggest in the country – had been searching for ways to keep afloat and had even talked about moving away from the traditional ethos of the institution.

He said: "Older members are dying out and for the younger soldiers the Legion isn't their cup of tea – they'd rather go to trendy discos. We're trying to sort something out or we will have to move to smaller premises. Other places are facing the same issue.

"We essentially have to stick to the rules set by the central body, and they're not one for changing their ways.

"It is hard to know what to do. Do we buck away from RBLS as a branch or go through so many processes and red tape? Change would take time, and we might not have that."

While many clubs consider moving to smaller premises to survive, those outside the Capital, including Cockenzie and Port Seton, Dalkeith, and North Berwick, have admitted they face the threat of closure.

One exception is Prestonpans, where club secretary Andrew Davie said the club actually had a waiting list for non-army membership – although he admitted it was in a "fortunate" situation.

The national spokesman for the Royal British Legion Scotland, Neil Griffiths, said all clubs were facing difficult decisions.

He said: "Clubs have considered opening the Legion to the public but it would lose its reason for being if it started operating like a community centre. And what would happen to its charitable status? It brings a lot of questions.

"If we were to jazz it up it could alienate the current clientele. It's a difficult one to call.

"The truth is unless we broaden our membership we are doomed. Numbers are decreasing every year and new army members do not join the legion.

"It doesn't help that there are fewer army members to appeal to. In 1975 the army had 175,000 members but at the moment there are only 95,000 members. In 1960 there were 317,000 members.

"It is true that some may have to get smaller in size, but the Legion will always exist in some form. There will always be branches, where ex-servicemen can meet up anywhere to socialise."

He added: "In Portobello's case it is a real shame. It is a jewel in Edinburgh's Legion crown."

'This club was the centre of my social life for years'

THE BAR staff at Portobello British Legion need a drink.

It has only been a day since Julia Taylor and Janis Larmonth found out they were losing their jobs after years of loyal service, and it is yet to sink in.

In a few weeks the pictures which decorate the walls – including one of the founders of the Portobello branch in 1951, right, when the club opened its doors to a bursting membership – and familiar smell of Sunday lunch will go.

Laughter in the bar will cease, feet will no longer tap the grand ballroom's polished floor as ladies enjoy weekly tea dances and the posters on the walls advertising over-60s socials and karaoke sessions will be torn down.

The bar staff chat in the largely deserted club as member Jim Turnbull sets up his bagpipes in the corner for his weekly performance.

For 26 years Mr Turnbull has been entertaining the folk who dance, laugh and enjoy a drink down the Legion, but now he is overcome with emotion as he prepares to pump the distinctive sound of Scotland down the hall for one of the final times.

Trying to control a shaky voice, Mr Turnbull, who has been a member of the club since the Sixties, says: "It's terrible news for me. I've been the piper down here for years and the place holds many happy memories. It was a wonderful club and was very much the centre of my social life for many years. It really is a great shock. My wife died a couple of years ago and this was where I felt at home."

Mrs Taylor adds: "I'm very sad to see the club go. My thoughts are with all of our members. I don't know what I'll do, or what they will do."

SUPPORT AND FRIENDSHIP SINCE 1921

THE ROOTS of the Royal British Legion Scotland stretch back to 1921.

Field Marshal Earl Haig formed the organisation – along with the national body – in Edinburgh, at St John's Church, in the West End.

It grew into the country's leading charity, providing financial, social and emotional support to current and ex-servicemen, with 13 Legion clubs and 26 branches across Edinburgh and the Lothians.

The charity is best known for its annual Poppy Appeal and Remembrance services, although it also raises funds for army-related campaigns including Help For Heroes. Last year the RBLS raised over 62,000 for Erskine Hospital.

Although anybody can join the Legion and become an associated member, currently no club can admit more than 40 per cent of non-army members.

The clubs are funded through membership fees while branches consist only of ex-servicemen and can operate from any location.