Stevan Jackson, a Royal Navy veteran of 35 years, said: “Branding the arboretum with Royal British Legion imposes a service-centric focus, which I think diminishes those other organisations and charities that are not service related but are represented at the arboretum.
“I don’t see it as being at all necessary,” added Jackson from Kidderminster, Worcestershire.
John Woodall from Stourbridge, West Midlands, said: “It’s lost its emphasis as a national memorial for all services, whether they’re public services, police, paramedics, or whoever, and obviously some private services.”
The arboretum is visited by more than 300,000 people every year, including 26,000 young people on educational trips.
In a previous statement, the Royal British Legion said: “The naming process included research and consultation with members of the public… members of the Armed Forces community, volunteers, and staff.”
But in a more recent statement, the charity said no formal consultation had taken place and that the decision was made “in line with established governance procedures and with scrutiny and approval from the Board of Trustees”.