Two historic British Legion Standards have gone back on public display in Darlington as part of the VE Day 80th anniversary commemorations, following restoration and framing funded by prominent local businesses.
The then-British Legion’s Darlington Branch was among the first to be established when the organisation was founded in 1921, with Standards being awarded to the main branch and to its women’s section in recognition of their new status.
New Standards were given to the Branch in 1971 after HM Queen Elizabeth II granted Royal status to the organisation on its 50th anniversary, with the original Branch Standards being relocated to St John’s Church in Darlington.
Before the closure of St John’s in 2023, the two original, delicate cloth Standards were rediscovered and reclaimed, and after being temporarily housed at St Herbert’s Church in Darlington, they were returned to the Darlington branch by the people of St Herbert’s and St John’s Churches in March this year.
The Standards have since been placed in bespoke wooden frames which feature UV glass to protect them for fading in the light, with North East employers the Banks Group and Hellens Group sharing the cost of the framing work.
The restored artefacts have now been unveiled at a special ceremony at the Hopetown Darlington Railway Museum, precisely 80 years on from VE Day.
Darlington’s deputy mayor Cllr Sonia Kane and Royal British Legion Darlington Branch chair John Smith led the unveiling ceremony, which was also be attended by Royal British Legion members and is open to members of the public.
The Standards will now be on display at Hopetown until August as part of the ongoing 200th anniversary celebrations of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, after which they will move to their new permanent home in Darlington’s Central Library.
The Darlington Branch of the Royal British Legion currently has a membership of around 115 people, who represent all the branches of the services and who served in locations including Suez, the Falklands, Northern Ireland, the Balkans and the Persian Gulf.
Branch treasurer Steve Brown says: “These Standards are a very important part of the organisation’s heritage in Darlington, and with the old North Road station being the departure point for thousands of local service personnel when they were going overseas, it’s very fitting that they’re now on show at the Hopetown Museum.
“Bringing the Standards back into public view on the 80th anniversary of VE Day added extra poignancy to the proceedings and we’re grateful to the deputy mayor for helping to lead our event.”
Branch chair John Smith adds: “Being more than one hundred years old, the Standards are naturally in a delicate condition, but the special frames we’ve been able to place them in with the help of the Banks Group and Hellens Group will help ensure they are properly preserved for posterity.
“Our members are extremely pleased to have them back in our possession, and it’s good to know that they’re going to be well looked after and easily available for everyone to see.”
Kate Culverhouse, community relations manager at the Banks Group, says: “These Standards are part of more than one hundred years’ of social and military history in Darlington and it’s especially appropriate that they came back into public view on the anniversary of VE Day.”
Gavin Cordwell-Smith, chief executive at Hellens Group, which recently began work on the 2000-home Burtree Garden Village, adds: “Supporting the communities in which we work has always been a fundamental part of our values at Hellens Group, and we are proud to have played a part in preserving such an important piece of Darlington’s heritage.
“Helping to restore these historic Standards ensures that the sacrifices and contributions of generations past are honoured and remembered by future generations.”
Lola McEvoy, MP for Darlington, said: “It was great to be at Hopetown on the VE Day anniversary to mark the contribution of the wartime generation, and to unveil these two amazing standards, which are beautiful historic artefacts. Things and events like this help to build the pieces of the puzzle of why Darlington is so great.”
Darlington County Council deputy leader Cllr Chris McEwan says: “I’m proud to be a member Darlington Branch of the Royal British Legion, which meets in my Haughton & Springfield Ward.
“When I became aware of the Standards, I just felt they were important local artefacts that needed to be displayed for the people of Darlington and I’ve been more than happy to help bring this about.”