The history books tell us that the First World War ended on November 11, 1918.

The truth of course is that for some, the war never ended.

Their suffering continued long after they returned from the front – sometimes until their death.

It is recorded that 887,758 British servicemen lost their lives in the "Great War", but twice as many, a further 1.6 million, returned to Blighty seriously injured or sick.

Many had tuberculosis, a bacterial lung infection easily spread in overcrowded living conditions such as barracks or trenches, a disease which at that time could all too often prove fatal.

Those at home were dismayed at the state of our returning heroes, and in an age which predated the existence of the NHS, many well-wishers across the country got together to form their own foundations and charities to provide assistance.

Among them were a group who gathered at the Savoy Hotel in London, holding their first meeting on September 8, 1919, to establish a charity to be known as Industrial Settlements Incorporated, which later evolved into Royal British Legion Industries.

Their mission was to establish a community for returning ex-servicemen where their illnesses and injuries could be treated and where they could be prepared to re-enter civilian life.

It was our good fortune in Kent which the board, casting around for the ideal location for their settlement, decided upon Aylesford, near Maidstone.

Preston Hall is a large gothic mansion erected in 1850 to be the home of famous railway engineer Edward Ladd Betts.

The house stood in a large estate with an even longer history, perhaps dating back as far as the 1100s, which had been home to the Colepepper family, who for centuries had been landed aristocracy with close links to the throne.

Indeed one Colepepper, Thomas, had too close a link, having been the lover of Henry VIII's fifth wife Katherine Howard, for which he was beheaded.

The last direct descendent of the Colepepper family to have lived at Preston Hall was Lady Alicia Taylor, who died in 1734, and their mansion was pulled down in 1848.

By the end of the First World War, the "new" Preston Hall, was owned by a Mrs Sauber, whose interests lay mostly in horses, but she had given it over to the Red Cross during the war as a military hospital, and afterwards decided she didn't want it back. She put the property up for sale with a price tag of £30,000.

The estate, though vastly reduced from the huge tracts of land once owned by the Colpeppers, still contained a farm and around 200 acres and was the perfect place for Industrial Settlements Inc, who decided Preston Hall would continue as a hospital, especially for the care of those with tuberculosis. The farm would give work experience and a skill in animal husbandry to the ex-servicemen as they recovered.

The settlement opened at the end of March 1920, providing training in fruit growing and pig and poultry farming.

At that period the treatment for tuberculosis consisted largely of giving the patients plenty of fresh air. So for that purpose a number of pavilion wards were opened in the grounds, where the patients could rest during the day with the wide French doors flung open to admit the healing air.

It was soon realised more permanent accommodation was needed for patients well enough to leave their beds but who were not recovered enough to completely return to the outside world.

For this purpose a number of chalet homes were constructed along Hermitage Lane. These distinctive homes came with a verandah and a large garden, again designed so the occupant could enjoy as much fresh air as possible.

Most of these buildings have since been demolished to make way for later redevelopment, but seven remain - for the time being.

During that time, the charity estimated that 15% of its patients would always need nursing care. Some 50% would recover and could return to society, and around 35% no longer needed nursing care but were not fully recovered. It was the latter group that occupied the new accommodation.

Around this period, the site came to be known as the Preston Hall Colony.

The British Legion, a charity with very similar aims, was not founded until May 15, 1921, and was itself an amalgamation of four existing national organisations for ex-Servicemen: The National Association of Discharged Sailors and Soldiers, The British National Federation of Discharged and Demobilized Sailors and Soldiers, The Comrades of The Great War, and The Officers' Association.

It wasn't long till the new British Legion – It did not become the Royal British Legion until 1971- headed by the wartime Field Marshall Earl Haig, also set its eyes on Aylesford, first establishing a local branch there in in 1921 and then in 1925 absorbing Industrial Settlements Incorporated and taking over Preston Hall and the ancillary accommodation.

The next 20 years saw many changes as both the hospital and the British Legion Village, as it became known, adapted to changing circumstances.

Firstly, there were great advances in the treatment of tuberculosis. Dr John McDougall was the medical director at Preston Hall from 1924 until 1944 and he went on to become the chief tuberculosis officer for the World Health Organization.

As treatment advanced, Preston Hall dropped the name of Preston Hall Sanatorium and became Preston Hall Hospital.

But also new accommodation blocks were built and new community facilities - these included a store and post office on the A20 London Road, and a restaurant, which were open to the public as well as Legion residents.

The nature of the work provided changed too, with the farm sheds gradually converted to industrial units.

For many years, the manufacture of wooden toys became the ex -servicemen's key occupation and there was also a printing press that took in jobbing print orders.

The hospital’s most famous patient – though perhaps he was not famous at the time – was one Eric Blair, better known as the novelist George Orwell, author of Animal Farm and 1984.

Orwell was admitted to Preston Hall on March 17, 1938, with suspected TB, after returning from six months fighting as a volunteer in the Spanish Civil War where he had been injured by a bullet in the throat.

After the Second World War, in 1946, the NHS was established and the Preston Hall Hospital was taken over by the Government.

The grounds and the accommodation were returned to the British Legion.

Here the details become rather hazy, but its seems it was at this time that the Legion split into two, with the British Legion retaining some of the ground at the British Legion Village, where today they have a factory which makes the poppies for the annual poppy appeal, and the rest being made over to a legally separate charity - Royal British Legion Industries (RBLI), which regards itself as the successor to Industrial Settlements Incorporated.

RBLI run the factory which is today occupied by Britain's Bravest Manufacturing Company, and employs disabled veterans and some disabled civilians to make road signs for the highway and rail industries, as well as wooden pallets for the farming and construction industry.”

RBLI also provides modern accommodation blocks, assisted living quarters, a care home and dementia home and the emergency accommodation for those who find themselves homeless that make up today's RBLI village.

The village store and post office on the London Road closed in the face of competition from the supermarkets back in 1970 and the restaurant too has gone. However there is a new children's play area and a cafe known as Base Camp on campus which is open to the public.

And Preston Hall? In 1964, it ceased being a tuberculosis specialist centre and became a general hospital.

After the new Maidstone Hospital was opened at Barming in 1983, Preston Hall was increasingly run down, and finally closed in 2012.

Two years later, the site was sold to Weston Homes who have subsequently converted it into 36 luxury flats.

Today, RBLI has its eye not on its long history, but very much on the future.

It wants to provide more homes for ex-servicemen to last the next 100 years

Specifically it has the ground and the planning permission to build a new block of six apartments for women ex-service personnel and also for a new community centre for the village to feature an IT suite and an accessible gym, capable of being used by its many disabled veterans.

It's a noble cause, but to achieve it, RBLI needs our help.

The KM Media Group has pledged to help them build Homes for Heroes – by raising £100,000 for the cause.

To donate to Homes for Heroes, visit here.

Alternatively, donate by text message – text 5RBLI to 70085 to donate £5; text 10RBLI to 70085 to donate £10, or or text 20RBLI to 70085 to donate £20.

Texts will cost the donation amount plus one standard network rate message, and you’ll be opting into hearing more from the RBLI.

If you would like to donate, but not be contacted further, please add NOINFO to your text message.