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Remembrance of yesterday and support for tomorrow: how LGFL are supporting our military community

Remembrance of yesterday and support for tomorrow: how LGFL are supporting our military community

In the run up to Remembrance Day, LGFL will be supporting the Royal British Legion. Funded by the annual Poppy Appeal and donations such as ours, the Royal British Legion works year-round to provide practical, financial and emotional support for the Armed Forces community. (1)

We are also supporting The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (2), and LGFL is now a Friend of the Regiment for 2026. For all Armed Forces personnel, whether serving or veteran, we offer a 10% discount on our legal services in honour of your service. With over a decade of experience in family law, we have been proud to help a number of current and ex-military families, and we can help you too. To discuss your situation and receive practical legal advice:

  • Call us
  • Email us
  • Request your reduced fee initial consultation*

* 10% discount does not apply to reduced fee consultations, as it’s already discounted from our normal rates.

 

We will remember them

Like so many towns and villages in the UK, Swallowfield has a War Memorial, a granite pillar commemorating local men who fell during WWI and WWII. The inscription reads:

“To The Men of Swallowfield who died for King and Country
4 Aug 1914-11 Nov 1918
The brave die never being deathless...”

Every year, on Remembrance Sunday, poppy wreaths are laid at the memorial. The tradition of using a poppy as a symbol of memorial was begun by WWI poet John McCrae, as the iconic red poppies grew in abundance on the disturbed soil of the First World War battlegrounds

We first posted McCrae’s poem “In Flanders Fields” here on our website back in 2018, and at this time of year, it is our most read article of all. We are glad and proud that so many choose to read it and remember. As the poem says:

“To you from failing hand we throw
The torch: be yours to hold it high.”

(https://lgfamilylawyers.co.uk/poppies-remembrance/)
 

The Armed Forces in our area

The military are very much part of the landscape and architecture of nearby Reading and east Berkshire, including:

Brock Barracks

Brock Barracks is a Grade II listed site on Oxford Road and home to:

  • 135 Geographic Squadron Reading Detachment, Royal Engineers
  • Headquarter Company, 7th Battalion The Rifles
  • Army Reserve Centre

Denison Barracks

Denison Barracks are in Hermitage, near Thatcham. The Barracks are home to:

  • Headquarters, 77th Brigade
  • 73 Military Intelligence Company
  • Specialist Group Military Intelligence (Reserve)

 

Local Armed Forces

A few miles south of us is the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Gibraltar Barracks Minley, and the major Army bases in Aldershot. We are also just a short helicopter flight from RAF Odiham, home of the UK Chinook Force. (5)
 

A tradition of military heritage

Here at LGFL, we are surrounded by reminders of our military heritage even in our discreet countryside location in Swallowfield.

Just down the road is Stratfield Saye, home of one of Britain’s most famous heroes of the Napoleonic war, The First Duke of Wellington.(2)

During WW2, the village provided a safe haven for Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands who fled her country in 1940 and took charge of the Dutch government-in-exile. (3)

Mentioned in the Doomsday Book the village has been visited by Royalty, and Swallowfield Park was used for breeding King Edward III’s horses! For more about this fascinating village, see the Swallowfield Parish Council website.(4)
 

All change

We are also conscious of the changing needs and deployment of the Armed Forces. The former Arborfield Garrison at nearby Arborfield Cross moved out in 2015 and the whole area is being redeveloped for housing. It’s a whole new community with a total of 3,500 homes planned.

Legal help for those who helped us

If you are a current member of the Armed Forces, or a veteran, we offer a discreet and absolutely confidential family law service. You are welcome to visit us here in our countryside offices at Swallowfield, or we can talk with you via Zoom or telephone if you prefer or are currently stationed abroad.

  • Call us
  • Email us
  • Request your reduced fee initial consultation*

 

FAQs - LGFL’s military community discount and Poppy Appeal FAQs

What does your 10% discount for military personnel include?

Our 10% discount applies to our professional legal services we provide at LGFL, but not our initial reduced fee consultation as it’s already discounted from our normal rates. It also does not apply to fees set by the courts or government, such as the mandatory court fees for divorce or financial remedy proceedings.

How can I donate to the RBL Poppy Appeal?

You can buy a simple poppy from one of the many local shops and sellers in our area, or online from the RBL shop. You can also donate online at https://www.britishlegion.org.uk/get-involved/donate anytime, and also by phone, text or post.

When is Remembrance Sunday in 2025?

Remembrance Sunday is on Sunday 9 November 2025. Remembrance Day is on Tuesday 11 November 2025.

What is the significance of the date of Remembrance Day?

Remembrance Day commemorates the day World War One ended, at 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month, in 1918. A two-minute silence was introduced by King George V in 1919 such that “The thoughts of everyone may be concentrated on reverent remembrance of the glorious dead”. (6)

* 10% discount does not apply to reduced fee consultation, as it’s already discounted from our normal rates.
 

About the author

Rita Gupta is Co-founder and Managing Director of family law firm LGFL Ltd, serving family law for clients in the Reading and Thames Valley area, across the UK and for international clients involved in UK divorce cases. She has featured as a family law expert on national TV and radio, including BBC Radio 5 Live with Nicky Campbell, LBC, GB News with Darren McCaffrey and local TV and radio.

  • Legal 500 Recommended Lawyer
  • Listed in Chambers and Partners
  • Listed Leading Lawyer at Wiselaw
  • Member of Resolution

 
SOURCES:

(1) Royal British Legion. (n.d.). The Royal British Legion. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://www.britishlegion.org.uk

(2) LGFL Ltd. (2025, October 22). Certificate of support from The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers [Facebook post]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/LGFLLtd/posts/pfbid0eVbJZ6wpsmdrVKNPCdDySh3Fsad8mr1gFfEo7QXhEn9YmsfWMckhR24qtq9TJx5Rl

(3) Wikipedia contributors. (2025, October 12). Wilhelmina of the Netherlands. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wilhelmina_of_the_Netherlands&oldid=1316513459

(4) Swallowfield Parish Council. (n.d.). Local history. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://www.swallowfieldpc.gov.uk/our-community/local-history

(5) Royal Air Force. (n.d.). RAF Odiham. Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisation/stations/raf-odiham/

(6) BBC. (2023, October 27). Remembrance: What is it and why is it important? BBC Newsround. https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/15492752