On 1 August, it was announced that David Boe – the incumbent chair of Callander branch and vice chair of Angus, Perthshire and Fife – was elected to the position of national chairman. 

Since leaving the services in the late 1980s, David has been involved in the work of Legion Scotland and the wider veterans community. He says, “When I took over as branch chairman I said the one thing I don’t want to hear is ‘we’ve always done it that way’. We’ve got to move past that, that we’ve always done something in a certain way. We’ve got to adapt, while obviously sticking to tradition and maintaining the core values of what we do, which never changes. 

“We’ve got a lot of battles we can be fighting against whichever government is in power. The veterans community does not get well treated in Britain historically, the Americans do a lot better than we do, and I think we need to show unity to try and get a better deal for veterans.” 

David joined the Royal Armoured Corps in 1968, where he remained until 1970. His subsequent career took in the 17th/21st Lancers, during which time he spent two years on tours in Northern Ireland, followed by time in the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry. 

Following this, David became a joiner and had his own business. In 2020, he opened a hardware store in Aberfoyle. 

David’s grandfather, from Dumfries, was a founder member of Legion Scotland while his wife, David’s grandmother, was president of the Women’s Section. On the other side of the family, when David’s grandfather, from the Isle of Bute, died in the war, Legion Scotland was there to help his grandmother. “My grandmother was left with six kids, no NHS, and a ten shillings a week widow’s pension. So she knew proper poverty and Legion Scotland helped my grandmother.” 

David’s mother was also a poppy collector for over fifty years, while his father and uncle were involved in the organisation too. “It was something I was always brought up with,” he says. 

Read more about David Boe’s views on the future of Legion Scotland in the autumn edition of Legion Scotland Today, out in October.