Poppies!

Reported

Eh?

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No, of course it should not be banned. If you think those who wear a red poppy believe a white poppy should be banned then you understand nothing about why these people gave their lives for freedom.

Personally, I think it should be worn on World Peace Day

Callistemon The point of the white poppy is it is not linked to any armed services and it remembers the civilians who have died in wars. Are you saying they shouldn't be remembered?. I grew up in one of the most bombed cities in the UK and remember the gaps in streets where houses used to be. The idea that war is just about the soldiers fighting is so wrong. Wear your red poppy by all means but allow me my white and the people I choose to honour and remember.

I remember when the German military cemetery on Cannock Chase was started in the early 1960s because a group of students came over to work on it and we were 'twinned' with them.

The red and white flowers are not just a nursing convention. Red and white flowers were traditionally the ones used for funerals, I was a ward sister and if anyone brought red and whIte flowers into the ward, they very quickly had a flower of another colour added to the vase. It wasn’t just the nurses who did not like it, many of the older patients became distressed if they saw a red and white bouquet arriving.

Youngsters are taught about both wars in school from primary here. In some small towns and villages final year primary pupils take on the role of tending the graves in their local cemeteries. There are few which do not have them.
DD was asked by her school here is she could bring in anything from her family for a project.
One of the Algerian children brought in loads of stuff as he had lost 4 uncles in WW11.

I once visited a WW2 German cemetery in Alsace. Although the Germans had been buried when they were killed, the graves had been unmarked. Many years later the local area gave some land to the relevant German charity ( no state money is allowed to go towards maintaining such graves apparently). The cemetery was established, the soldiers reburied and those that could be were identified . Many graves just said two or three unknown German soldiers . However, all had been buried facing Germany which I though was very moving. In the visitors book, the day before my visit a German had written that after 50 years of searching, he had found his brother’s grave. I thought the whole story very moving - that the local area who had suffered so badly from the Germans had given their old enemies dignity in death.

felice there is a German military cemetery on Cannock Chase in Staffordshire containing the graves of German, Austrian and Ukrainian nationals.

Felice that's so interesting and sad too about the German graves. It certainly must feel very close and real to you. Thanks for your kind offer. I'm sorry that this thread was subverted so unnecessarily. It's too serious for that.

lemongrove

Having just been on the British Legion site to donate, I then browsed in the ‘poppy shop’ on the website.....it’s brilliant and am contemplating buying a scarf.

I got the scarf for may daughter!

Actually, that's totally untrue

I bought it for my Mum. She loved it. But she died and my youngest daughter has it and will be wearing it from the 1st. November.

Goodness, so many deleted posts on a thread about the poppy

I shall wear my red poppy with pride

The most touching place in Flanders I have visited is the German Cemetery, the graves are back to back as there are so many of them.
When you enter, there are graves as far as the eye can see, ages from 14 to 73. I had to go and sit in the car I was so upset. The Americans had gathered as many German dead as they could and gave them proper burials.
I have 3 great uncles buried here , 3 Bothers who never went home, and my Mothers Brother from WW11.
I would be happy to escort anyone round the battlefields and cemeteries, and perhaps visit the British Church in Ypres when we can travel again.
We shall be having an online Service from the Church of Scotland here, the Church was built with contributions from former soldiers after WW1.
When you are living with it just around the corner, so to speak it becomes very real.

Having just been on the British Legion site to donate, I then browsed in the ‘poppy shop’ on the website.....it’s brilliant and am contemplating buying a scarf.

I suppose you can see why, and all institutions have their conventions and superstitions.Most nurses will have ghostly tales to tell about their hospital.

My village is still going ahead with Remembrance Day services out in the open on the small village green, as they usually do, but more spaced out and with masks for those who wish to wear them.

I noticed that the lady who does our flower tubs were separating out the red ones from the white. She explained that she was an ex nurse and called the mix of red and white flowers 'blood and bandages'. A bit grisly but she said it was a nursing convention.

My SIL was a nurse, and it was her who told me about red and white flowers ( in the days when nurses arranged the flower gifts brought for patients,)they would separate them into two vases.

I am not superstitious and given the fact of so much blood needing bandaging then red and white is surely a helpful match and rather apt in these circumstances.

Put not out, sorry

suziewoozie

One example Lemon gave was wearing a white poppy - do you think that should be banned or not suggested as a legitimate alternative?

No, of course it should not be banned. If you think those who wear a red poppy believe a white poppy should be banned then you understand nothing about why these people gave their lives for freedom.

Personally, I think it should be worn on World Peace Day.

Incidentally, do those who wear the red and white poppies together know about the superstition that red and white flowers should not be out together.
The red symbolises blood and the white bandages.

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