Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League

Analysis

Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in London. It was registered in September 2017, 9 years ago. Its declared purposes cover the advancement of health or saving of lives, disability, the prevention or relief of poverty and armed forces/emergency service efficiency, which this site groups under health and saving lives. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 10922587). It says it makes grants to individuals and makes grants to organisations.

In the financial year ending March 2026, Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League reported income of £2.8m and spending of £2.9m, spending 105% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2022 to March 2026, income fell from £4.1m to £2.8m (-32%), an average of -9.2% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2024, when income dropped by 21%. Over the whole period it spent 105% of the income it received.

Among 24,651 England and Wales charities whose main cause is health and saving lives and that reported income, Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League sits at the 95th percentile: it is larger than about 94% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 97th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include QPR in the Community Trust (£2.8m), Cheshire Deaf Society (£2.8m) and The British Isles Province of the Congregation of Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary (£2.8m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 25% and investments 1.2%. Charitable activities took 96% of spending and raising funds 1.9%. Reserves of £1.2m would cover about 5 months of spending at that rate. It employed 8 people.

Data notes from the register: Spending has exceeded income in each of the last three reported years, so the charity has been drawing on reserves or other funds.