A Royal British Legion branch standard has been “laid up” in the local church after the branch disbanded.

An “emotional and very moving service” at All Saints’ Church in Hollingbourne on Sunday was attended by around 70 ex-servicemen and women, and villagers.

The writing had been on the wall for the Leeds, Hollingbourne and District RBL since November 2019, when it was taken into administration by the county branch.

Derek Davison, who had then been chairman for 10 years and the branch Standard Bearer since 1975, said: “We had around 37 members and were still having good attendance at our monthly branch meetings, but we just couldn’t get anyone to fill the committee positions.”

Finally, 91 years after its foundation in 1932, the branch – which used to meet on alternate months in the Leeds and Hollingbourne village halls – has disbanded.

The laying up service was conducted by the Rev Rob Tugwell, and featured two buglers.

Mr Davison, who is 85, did his National Service with the Royal Military Police (RMP) in Germany. He said: “It was very emotional and very sad.”

In its time, the branch had been one of the borough’s most successful. Members had raised more than £25,000 for the Poppy Appeal in each of the previous 10 years.

Mr Davison’s wife Jeanne, whom he married in 1960 while on leave from the RMP, was awarded the Legion’s gold badge for 30 years of dedicated service to the Poppy Appeal.

In 2018, together with the Hollingbourne Meadows Trust, the branch created the Avenue of Remembrance in Hollingbourne, featuring 100 hawthorn trees representing the 100 years since the end of the First World War.

The closure leaves only three RBL branches in the borough of Maidstone: Headcorn, Sutton Valence and District, and Maidstone.

On Wednesday of last week, the three branches were collectively awarded the Freedom of the Borough of Maidstone by the council in recognition of their decades of support helping ex-servicemen and their families.