Wearing a white poppy

They've got it now

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/red-poppy-appeal-royal-british-legion-civilians-white-ppu-a9157141.html

I’m with you, trisher. I normally don’t wear a poppy at all, but if I do it’s a white one, as does my brother. Much better to commemorate all victims of war.

That hasn't been widely publicised and I stopped buying a red poppy when the Royal British Legion accepted money from BAE systems. It seems incredible that after taking money from those who facilitated the bombing of Yemen they can now claim to be remembering the people killed by those bombs.

I wear a red poppy, the charity I donate to is the British Legion. Up to you what you wear. I would choose not to wear a white one.

White for me too

A red poppy for me also.

My Dad was a Royal British Legion standard bearer for many years. I remember him spending hours polishing his medals, shoes, and all the little plaques on the shaft of the standard. Those little plaques held the names of the winners of the standard bearers competition, the winner had the honour of parading the standard in the Royal Albert Hall. My Dad won it twice.

He never spoke of the war, and it wasn't until after his death that we discovered that he was part of the D Day landings.

Today I will be remembering all the fallen, both servicemen and civilians.

The Royal British Legion do wonderful work and rely on the donations they receive from the sale of poppies which are made by ex service personnel.

Complete rubbish. Get yer own ideas, don't poach the British Legion's.

Perhaps BAE's donation was conscience money - no need to refuse it. It isn't buying your thoughts, is it?

Gonegirl The White Poppy has almost as long a history as the red. It was first established by a group of women who had lost sons, husbands and brothers in WW1 and who saw the increasing militarism of the 1930s as a real danger. They wanted to re-affirm the original message of the poppy in 1918 that it should never happen again. They tried to get the British Legion to accept the white poppy in their services. They never have. Perhaps this is why
n 2014 for example, the British Legion Young Professionals' ball was sponsored by Lockheed Martin, one of the world's largest arms companies. Lockheed Martin plays a major role in manufacturing the Trident nuclear weapons system. Each Trident missile is capable of killing far more people than the 888,000 people represented by the red poppies that were displayed at the Tower of London at the time
My dad was part of the RBL as well MiniMoon but I know he would not support militarism in any form, and my mum lived through the blitz in Hull so knew all about civilian deaths.

Elegran if you accept money from a company which profits from killing civilians and you are supposedly supporting the victims of war isn't that a bit of a contradiction? Although I suppose you are right in that the RBL has only ever supported British military personnel all the rest are cannon fodder.

trisher, I always wore both in the UK.

I despair we have to argue even about a blooming symbol
This country is just one big bloody argument about everything Brexit, Corbyn/Johnson, racism, immigrants, even flipping fireworks covering pages of arguments on fb it seems no one agrees about anything but why can’t we disagree silently and just do what is right for us
I m tired to death of all this ‘I m right you’re wrong’ attitude whatever happened to live and let live
Sorry for the rant

‘Their’ Remembrance Day ?
War dead should be remembered in whatever country they fought for surely, if they gave their lives then their country should show gratitude.
The RBL is to be congratulated for their support of British personnel.This is Britain after all.

How wonderful, that in Britain you can wear whatever colour poppy that you like.
For any new GN members, this white poppy thread pops up every year at this time.

So it should lemon I wore a red poppy for many years as did my parents. BAE systems and the funding the RBL has taken from weapons manufacturers stopped me and learning about the women who developed the White poppy and their efforts made me wear one.

Especially when into her 90s my mum started to finally talk about the blitz and the people she knew who died in the bombing-all civilians.

Bluebell ?????????????????x a million

And every year people wear whatever shade of poppy focusses their own thoughts and remembrances. The choice is theirs, there is no need to wear what focusses someone else's memory.

The traditional red poppy flourished in the broken earth of civilian fields and gap sites in the city where bombs had dropped and civilians died, as well as in the ravaged battlefields. You could wear the cornflowers or moon daisies or corn cockles that flowered beside the poppies. Poppies also come in purple or pink, just as prolific, and there are yellow and orange ones too as well as white. They all spring up in damaged earth, and how about purple buddleia, that other plant of derelict places?

No need even to wear a poppy at all, unless you wish to be seen to be remembering. If you remember without advertising it, does that negate your remembrance?

I have no problem with whatever colour poppy people wear. However, as the RBL only sell red poppies who pockets the money made from all the other colours - do they make a donation to the RBL which does so much to help ex service personnel?

Very sad that people see fit to argue.

My mother too was a child in London. Her parents never went to Air Raid shelters. Her father said if they were going to go, they'd go in their home.

This was fortuitous. The Bethnal Green disaster was close to where she lived.

She lost many neighbours and friends.

It was hushed up at the time.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-35938274

My father was a Scot's Guard in WWII. He fought and survived. So many didn't.

They are both now dead.

I'm sat here, watching the service and remembering them.

They always wore red poppies. I do too.

We are lucky to live in a country where we can wear whatever colour poppy we want and criticise whoever we want.

Bluebell, no need to apologise for a rant. But I would recommend you stop looking at Facebook - that way madness lies.

Bluebelle??

I agree Bluebelle, well said, we cannot change the past , but we can learn from it , & that means letting go of stuff we cannot alter , we would have to go back to the beginning of time to do that !
But If Gransnet is anything to go by , it could take some while ?

Oopsminty, My mother also lived in Bethnal-green
They caught a partial hit .
As a child if it thundered, or a plane flew overhead my gran would make us sit under the stairs until it passed.