War memorial campaigner turned away by RBL home

Ian Davidson was "absolutely shocked" to be told there was no place for him at the Royal British Legion care home in Hastings Road.

The 75 year old is a former Royal Marine Commando who joined up at age 17 and went on to serve in Cyprus, Aden, Suez, and Northern Ireland.

During the 1990's he became involved with the restoration of war memorials across Britain and was interviewed on BBC Radio 2's Jimmy Young Programme about this campaign on which he liased with Winston S.Churchill, the grandson of the great war leader.

Ian has been a smoker all his life and says in the past men in the Navy were issued with cigarettes or tobacco for rolling, and that the majority of them smoked - if they were injured the first course of action would be to "stuff a cigarette in their mouth."

He now suffers breathing problems through damage to his lungs and has difficulty sleeping at night.

Ian is at present living in sheltered housing in Newhaven but desperate to move where his needs can be met - for instance he would like a bathroom with a shower - and spent 60 on a taxi to visit Mais House to look over possible accommodation.

He claims he was then informed by head of care Ros Stanaford that he could not move into Mais House, which has room for some 54 residents who are ex-service men or women, or their dependents.

"It is disgusting," Ian told the Observer this week.

He is outraged too that some RBL homes allow smoking outside the building while there is a total ban in others, and thinks the policy should be uniform throughout.

"I think it's despicable - especially because of what I have done for the Poppy Appeal."

Ian's small bedsit is full of reminders of past efforts, from the giant red poppies he has used for fundraising, to photographs of the memorials he began restoring across the country.

"They are very important...but one name on a war memorial is too many."

He was the founder of the War Memorial Trust which continues the work he started to cherish Britain's heritage - Ian was for instance heavily involved in restoring the Aldershot memorial to full glory after vandals damaged it.

Winston S Churchill is quoted on the Trust website: "In the Spring of 1997, a buzz went round the Smoking Room and Tea Rooms of the House of Commons that an ex-Royal Marine, by the name of Ian Davidson, was coming to one of the Committee Rooms to report on the 'scandal' of Britain's war memorials."

This meeting was one of many that saw Ian's passion develop into a fully fledged charity that was registered on May 7 1997, having started when he was working in central London and noticed that the war memorial in the Mall was in neglected condition.

Ian commented: "To think of what I have done by rescuing those war memorials and to be treated that way, to be refused to get into the home...is absolutely despicable beyond belief.

"I need a place. I want to be in a legion home. But I would not go to there now on principle."

The manager of Mais House Sue Jones said in response: "All prospective residents are assessed prior to admission. This gentleman was obviously part of the admission process and stipulated his needs and requirements. Following this assessment it was determined that he could not be accommodated comfortably at Mais House at this time as none of the rooms have access to the outside smoking area. Therefore the home could not meet his assessed needs."