The human cost of war
On 1 July 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme, British forces suffered 57,470 casualties. Among them, 19,240 were killed in a single day. Across the First World War, an estimated 886,000 British military personnel died and around 1.66 million were wounded. In the Second World War, around 384,000 British service personnel lost their lives, and some 284,000 were recorded wounded across the UK and Crown Colonies.
The Blitz lasted just over eight months, from September 1940 to May 1941. In the Battle of Britain, the average age of a Fighter Command pilot was just 20. Of roughly 3,000 aircrew who took part, 544 died during the battle and a further 814 died before the war ended.
From the end of the Second World War to February 2026, the Ministry of Defence recorded 7,201 UK Armed Forces deaths connected with operations that qualified for a campaign or service medal. In the Falklands War of 1982 alone, 255 British servicemen, three civilian islanders and 649 Argentinians lost their lives.
For many who come home, the effects of service last a lifetime. In March 2026, 5,443 veterans were receiving a lifetime payment under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme for a serious service-related injury or illness. In a 2024 King’s College London study, 7% of serving regulars and 11% of former regulars surveyed had symptoms consistent with probable post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The Royal British Legion was founded on 15 May 1921, bringing together four organisations formed in the aftermath of the First World War. Today it supports serving personnel, veterans and their families. In 2024–25, the Legion directly assisted almost 20,000 households across the Armed Forces community.
