Respect for the Fallen.

[Hover Fly]

White.

 

[MontyVeda]

White.

which was considered an insult to the fallen by the powers that be when Corbyn used to wear one

 

[Tail End Charlie]

I'll wear one - only red will do for me.

 

[Accy cyclist]

The Talk TV newsreader earlier today read the news without the small poppy broach she had on yesterday, but when she read the news an hour later her broach was back on! 🤔

 

[Emanresu]

Don't forget the families of the fallen. Just a shout out for SSAFA, an excellent organisation.

https://www.ssafa.org.uk/

 

[Hover Fly]

Back in 1941, even though the air-raid alarm had sounded my father and his father left home together, to go to work in Vickers (guns) on the night shift, the bombs started to fall, a land mine land exploded across the road from were they were waiting for a lull in the bombs, grandfather was killed instantly and my father went to hospital for stitches in his thigh and back. He was back at work the very next night. Both men made a sacrifice, as did many others out of uniform, for the country, yet the organisation I will not mention doesn’t seem to think them worthy of remembrance.* not even allowing civilian deaths to be recorded on war memorials.
That is why I won’t wear a red poppy, among other reasons like for instance perpetuating the “lions led by donkeys” myth and the glorifying war that seems to be creeping in more and more.
Want to argue? Take it up with the rack of medals I will be wearing, including the spray of oak leaves on the ribbon of one.

*Or didn’t at least until fairly recently, can’t bring myself to look at their website.

 

[All uphill]

Here's mine.

 

[Accy cyclist]

I bought this knitted/crochet poppy and a wooden cross with a poppy this afternoon. I think the knitted ones are made by the local Women's Institute. They're a bit different and more robust than the paper ones. The poppy and the cross were £1.50 each, so I gave the seller a fiver. I always put a cross on my dad's grave seeing as he saw active service during the Korean War. Yes, those summer meadow flowers are looking a bit tatty now, but I'm waiting till those few remaining flowers have died off and the seeds on the drying up dead flowers have been eaten by the birds, before I pull all the dead stuff up.

 

[Accy cyclist]

I'm still not seeing many poppies for sale or those selling poppies, as in ex servicemen. The local Tesco has for many years had a table display of stuff being sold by the ex services, but so far this year I've seen one woman selling stuff last Sunday, when I bought that knitted poppy and I go in there every day, so I notice these things. I also notice a lack of people wearing poppy emblems.

 

[slowmotion]

I'll tip my hat to people who were far braver than I am.

 

[dicko]

I have worn my Poppy with pride every year since 1952. I am a service family child and have served with the Royal Lincolnshire regiment and the Parachute Regiment and every member of my family wear there’s to respect the fallen of all wars. When I visited the Arnhem military cemetery in 1955 I was shocked just how many graves there are 😢

 

[Time Waster]

I had a close relative who used to drive trains carrying supplies into London from the docks at Southampton. He drove past many engines destroyed and just pushed off the track so they could get the line running again. They were always on the lookout for German planes because goods trains on that line were secondary targets for planes that had anything left to drop.

Anyone know if the sacrifice of those railway workers, of which my relative in grateful for not being one of, ever got any recognition for sacrifices made? Day after day they ran the gauntlet and the odds of survival on certain runs was low. Does anyone remember them or are poppies only for those who carried guns?

BTW one biopic Hollywood film I once watched was about a religious man who saw the effect of the great war on his dad but he wanted to serve. He would not carry a gun but trained as a medic. His officers and fellow volunteer cadets tried their hardest for him to quit. He didn't and in a particularly difficult attack on a defended ridge he got cut off as his unit retreated from the Japanese onslaught. He carried on treating people through the night and lowering them from the ridge. Even saving the life of a Japanese soldier! He eventually got off the ridge alive and carried on being a ftontline medic without ever carrying a gun or killing anyone. An absolute hero! His battle was with his own side until they saw what he could and did do had merit.

BTW I once saw a documentary about soldiering that reviewed research into soldiering and effectiveness. In the great war they found out that most of the killing of the enemy was carried out by a very small proportion of the fighting force. The others simply missed, fired but couldn't hit. Later on they changed training to effectively teach aggression and, I can't remember the exact term but it's like increasing psychopathy in them. That's not the right word but it's about the killing or ability to do it that was increased

Now that makes me wonder who were the heroes in the great war? The few who actually killed or the many others who didn't but contributed so much in other ways often under the same risk levels?

I'm sorry to digress and ramble but I don't wear the red poppy or any poppy. That's not a consciousness thing but a practical thing. Why buy a stupid emblem one period of the year so you can virtue signal when a proportion of the donation made to get it goes to waste on the emblem itself or the distribution to you the punter. You are a customer of the business that is RBL Ltd. If you want to remember them remember and show respect. If you want to donate pick another forces related charity who don't waste money on poppies.

Sorry but it's a business wrapped around respect for the fallen and help for veterans. Not the best way to help veterans imho. But carry on wearing the emblem if you want to just know you're buying it is wasting a proportion of your money so put a little bit more in the pot to cover it.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

I'm still not seeing many poppies for sale or those selling poppies, as in ex servicemen. The local Tesco has for many years had a table display of stuff being sold by the ex services, but so far this year I've seen one woman selling stuff last Sunday, when I bought that knitted poppy and I go in there every day, so I notice these things. I also notice a lack of people wearing poppy emblems.

My first reaction is; so what?

The absence of a poppy on someone doesn’t mean they don’t care or remember.

Maybe you could offer to be a seller and see if they’ll set you up at a local supermarket.

 

[siadwell]

BTW one biopic Hollywood film I once watched was about a religious man who saw the effect of the great war on his dad but he wanted to serve. He would not carry a gun but trained as a medic. His officers and fellow volunteer cadets tried their hardest for him to quit. He didn't and in a particularly difficult attack on a defended ridge he got cut off as his unit retreated from the Japanese onslaught. He carried on treating people through the night and lowering them from the ridge. Even saving the life of a Japanese soldier! He eventually got off the ridge alive and carried on being a ftontline medic without ever carrying a gun or killing anyone. An absolute hero! His battle was with his own side until they saw what he could and did do had merit.

Hacksaw Ridge, about Desmond Doss. Very good film.

 

[Time Waster]

Hacksaw Ridge, about Desmond Doss. Very good film.

Yes, good film and an absolute amazing guy. A hero whatever your view of war is. I doubt anyone can see that film and read up on him without thinking that. Hero's don't come with guns or don't need to. We should remember them all.