Great stuff City! Poppies here as well of course, and the locals make a big thing of "their" victory.
The red one represents appreciation of British troops and an ongoing support for the families of those who died fighting for us, whilst the white one represents all deaths through war regardless of nationality and is more an expression of despair at the futility of war (I'm thinking WWI about thousands dieing just to advance a few feet rather than saying we should have left the Nazis to rule Europe in WWII). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_poppy Personally I think the specific British nature of the red one doesn't really apply as much in the minds of the people wearing them, but obviously the money still only goes to our troops and their families. I'm not sure where the money goes for the white ones. I've tried to be neutral there, it might seem I'm in favour of the white poppy over the red but I really don't care either way.
Proceeds from sales of white poppies go to the Peace Pledge Union http://www.ppu.org.uk/whitepoppy/index.html
Just rereading my last post there's two additions I'd like to make: 1) Unless I'm mistaken red poppies are died and injured for us. 2) The bit about not caring either way was to which poppy people wear, as the wikipedia page says even the Legion doesn't have an official preference (though clearly they're going to prefer people to wear the one that makes them money for their cause). It doesn't mean I don't care about all the dead people as someone was bound to suggest.
As I get older the red poppy means more to me. For me it represents a reminder of the loss, not just of life but of the sacrifices made, not all of them physical. I hate the day it cuts me up. I hardly ever go to a parade and I have only worn my medal once. White poppy's, yes remember all who died, but buy at least one red one to support those who's duty to their country has left them or their families in need. I know its a bit OTT and please don't think that I have done anything different to countless other ex servicemen, I just feel so lucky that nothing really bad happened to me when it so could have and that is (believe it or not) difficult at times. Now can we get back to the ****ing football!!
well if a poppy doesnt give you the notion of using peaceful means then i dont know what would. "lest we forget"
When I was a kid (13 in 1956) I came home from school and stopped to say hello to an old guy who lived a few doors away. I was wearing a poppy, proudly, which I'd bought at school (the teacher's desk had a tray of poppies and a collection tin). He asked me what I'd got in my lapel and I told him it was a poppy. He asked me what it was for and I told him it was in remembrance of all the soldiers and so on, who had died in WW1 and WW2. He told me he'd been in the Great War, in the Hull Pals battalion of the East Yorksire Regiment. They were ordered to advance out of the trench - go 'over the top' - at gunpoint. An officer threatened to shoot you if you didn't go. They were line abreast and the German machine-gunners opened up on them. Three of them returned, all their mates dead or dying in flooded shell-holes and/or drowning in mud. Next he asked me what it said on the black centre of the poppy. I told him it said 'Haig Fund'. He told me that the King had asked "That Bastard" how the war was progressing and Haig informed him that it was going well. He said that Haig had never been anywhere near the mud and the broken bodies, never seen the kind of terrain and the horror where he and his mates had been. I have never worn a poppy since.
