A REGIONAL competition saw the Devon Royal British Legion standard bearing towards a place on the rostrum. James Stacey, 21, of Halwill Junction, is the Okehampton and Devon County standard bearer and at Honiton RBL club on Saturday he came second in the legion's South West regional standard bearer competition. James narrowly lost out to his Somerset rival, Fred Pittman, of Bath, the Somerset county standard bearer, for the second year in succession. James (pictured right) was set to be joined in the competition by Ben Stephens, 17, the deputy standard bearer for the Okehampton branch. Unfortunately, due to illness, Mr Stephens, who is a member of Okehampton Air Training Corps and a student at Okehampton College, was unable to compete. But special arrangements have been made for him to compete in the youth competition at the end of March. Nine competitors took part in the competition from five South West counties. Peter Williams, of Okehampton RBL, said: 'The competition was full of very enthusiastic people. This event was especially noteworthy for its high standard, and with the participation of the younger generation it was a positive reflection of the appeal of today's Royal British Legion in British society.' Both James and Ben are well below the average age for standard bearers, not just in Devon but throughout the country. Last November, James represented Devon at the Royal Albert Hall for the National Festival of Remembrance and the Cenotaph parade on Remembrance Sunday.
