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Two beautifully dressed poppy sellers collect from a smartly dressed man in 1924, the first Poppy collection in Calne

STORIES of triumph, horror and homelessness hidden in journals almost a century old have been revealed.

Calne Royal British Legion has handed over ledgers dating back to 1926 to the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre in Chippenham.

The yellowing handwritten journals take readers back through times of conflict and peace.

Records include the story of Winifred Bowery, of Northend, in Calne. As the widow of an ex serviceman she contacted the British Legion after her child became seriously ill in 1942.

Members decided to pay the doctor's bill and support the family while the child was ill.

The minutes of the meeting state: "The legion has told Mrs Bowery not to worry about doctor's bills."

Other heartbreaking entries detail the horrors of families being thrown out on the street after landlords put their rent during wartime.

In 1926 an unnamed family appear in the journals after the wife receives some rent tokens due to her husband's war injuries.

She next appears months later when she asked the legion for some support after her husband was taken to hospital.

Her husband, who was away for weeks according to the journals, left her without an income to look after their children.

The story of the family only reappears in the journals in 1929 when it records the husband's death.

In 1950, the British Legion gave a struggling widow a milk voucher to help look after her children.

Not all the records are of helping ex servicemen and their families with material goods. Sometimes the support is political. In 1945 three servicemen sent their medals back to King George VI in protest against the changes to war pensions which meant they lost out through the timing of their awards.

The three Calne veterans enclosed a note with the returned medals, asking: "Was it harder to get the military medal in 1930 than 1918?"

Branch chairman John Ireland said: "These ledgers show the fight some families had to go through to get fair treatment during times of conflict and peace.

"There are stories of poverty and fighting which are incredibly interesting.

"The ledgers show people how times and attitudes have changed dramatically. The journals show how the British Legion supported many families and servicemen throughout the years to get them the respect they deserved."

As well as containing stories and plights from the past the ledgers have records of deaths in every conflict.

British Legion president Paddy Croxford said: "These minute books are an important part of the future as well as our history. Children need to understand the past and one look at one of the ledgers will give great insight into our war veterans."

The Royal British Legion 1921 as a voice for former servicemen. It was only granted its Royal status in May 1971 on its 50th anniversary.

The charity, which is fighting nearly 36,000 ongoing War Disablement Pension cases, launched its Honour the Covenant campaign last year urging the government to honour the Military Covenant.

This is the concept that soldiers who risk their lives defending their country should be treated fairly.

1:05pm Monday 4th February 2008

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