The Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League (RCEL) represents the interests of
Commonwealth citizens who have served with either the British or Commonwealth Forces. It was founded in 1921 (as the British Empire Service League) by Field Marshals
Earl Haig
Earl Haig is a title in the peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1919 for Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig. During the First World War, he served as commander of the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front in France and Bel ...
and
Jan Smuts
Field Marshal Jan Christian Smuts, (24 May 1870 11 September 1950) was a South African statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various military and cabinet posts, he served as prime minister of the Union of South Af ...
to link together the various ex-service organisations throughout the Commonwealth.
History
The archives of the League are retained at its headquarters in London (UK). The papers include minutes of the Council from 1952 onwards and those of the Executive Committee; reports of the Triennial Conference since 1921; annual audited accounts; and subject and correspondence files referring to individual ex-servicemen's organisations in various countries. A full set of the magazine ''Our Empire'' is also available. Special permission is required for access to the papers and further enquiries should be addressed to the Secretary-General.
[Cook 2006, p. 244.]
See also
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British Empire
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...
*
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the ...
*
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations m ...
*
Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in t ...
Notes
References
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External links
RCEL: For Service And Honourby Jennifer Morse published in Legion Magazine, 1 November 2008.
{{Authority control
1921 establishments in the United Kingdom
Aftermath of World War I in the United Kingdom
Commonwealth Family
International organisations based in London
Organizations established in 1921
Veterans' affairs in Australia
Veterans' affairs in Canada
Veterans' affairs in South Africa
Veterans' affairs in the United Kingdom
Veterans' organizations