Pride in your country

StoneofDestiny

*I think what OP is trying to say is that it it so much more uplifting to see these beautifully hand made poppies and post box toppers, signifying “Lest We Forget”, remembering and celebrating the great sacrifices our service personnel made, fighting alongside many other nations so we could all be free*.

Frankly, I’d rather see these than tatty cheap England flags, which for some signify this ridiculous “take our country back” rhetoric

Indeed so Cossy.
Motives and intentions are everything.

Yes. Its a truly beautiful and committed way of saying, "Remember, and let there be peace in our very troubled world"

It is remembering sadly the effects of war not just in the UK anymore, its a huge wave of a cry for "peace in our time"

After the stunning performances by Jake and Luke, winning gold and silver medals at the World Gymnastics championships today I would happily wave any number of flags to celebrate them I still don't see the point draping them round the streets to say "Oh look I'm British"

Simon Armitrage's poem "In retrospect" (which I think is a masterpiece) deals very adequately with the imagery of poppies.
I'm sure many if not all GsNetters are familiar with it.
If not , and you have a few moments, give it a whirl.

Poppies mean only one thing - Remembrance. Lest we forget.
Yes, but also for peace.

Remembrance does not glorify war and its symbol, the red poppy, is a sign of both Remembrance and hope for a peaceful future.

Royal British Legion

Well done, purplepixie for all your knitted poppies.

Sarnia

MayBee70

Perhaps the people who make them are the ones that remove them when they no longer look their best? Unlike the flags…

My WI removes ours, MayBee. The ladies save what they can for future projects. Recycling and all that.

Thanks. Do they need donations of wool? It never crossed my mind to give to anything like that.

MayBee70

Perhaps the people who make them are the ones that remove them when they no longer look their best? Unlike the flags…

My WI removes ours, MayBee. The ladies save what they can for future projects. Recycling and all that.

ViceVersa ditto

I wear my poppy with pride for various reasons - obviously to remember all those who paid the ultimate price in wars and conflicts, but also in gratitude that my own son returned safe and well from his tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq. I personally know families who were not as fortunate, and I always think of them in particular at this time of year.

MayBee70

Perhaps the people who make them are the ones that remove them when they no longer look their best? Unlike the flags…

Yes I've got no idea who has removed them but they have nearly all gone. They weren't anything to do with poppies so others might be different.

I liked the poppies at the Tower of London, I took GC to see that and it was quite spectacular.

Please

Pleas do not assign your opinions to other people. I like to see flags, however tatty, and poppies, even the home-made ones.

I think what OP is trying to say is that it it so much more uplifting to see these beautifully hand made poppies and post box toppers, signifying “Lest We Forget”, remembering and celebrating the great sacrifices our service personnel made, fighting alongside many other nations so we could all be free.

Frankly, I’d rather see these than tatty cheap England flags, which for some signify this ridiculous “take our country back” rhetoric

Indeed so Cossy.
Motives and intentions are everything.

I like both flags & poppies

Perhaps the people who make them are the ones that remove them when they no longer look their best? Unlike the flags…

MayBee70

It only just crossed my mind after they were mentioned in a previous post but, to me knitted post box toppers represent everything good about this country.

Really? I'm not sure why ours are such a mess. They look ok for a short time then start looking grubby, wet and bedraggled, eventually the colours fade and they look even worse. Thankfully most seem to have been removed.

I love my country and I also love my country of birth. Current Politicians ? No. They are a disgrace to the country, both ours and yours . My various family members didn’t die for how things are now. I have both British and Australian family members who gave their lives, World War I and World War 2.

Purplepixie

I’ve knitted over 100 poppies for our Remembrance Day display at our church in our village.
My dad lost two brothers in WWII.
Mam lost her youngest brother aged 21 in WWII
Dad came back with PTSD. He committed suicide at the age of 58. Mam told everyone that he died of cancer. There was still shame attached to suicide back then.
Poppies mean only one thing - Remembrance. Lest we forget.

I think what OP is trying to say is that it it so much more uplifting to see these beautifully hand made poppies and post box toppers, signifying “Lest We Forget”, remembering and celebrating the great sacrifices our service personnel made, fighting alongside many other nations so we could all be free.

Frankly, I’d rather see these than tatty cheap England flags, which for some signify this ridiculous “take our country back” rhetoric.

It's a wonderful sign of respect for those who gave their lives in a terrible war .
I hope and pray that our values continue .

That's very sad about your dad Purplepixie, I understand, (my father's fate was similar).

Of course, remembrance of all the sodiers killed is at the core of poppies. Pride in your country somehow touches on a certain arrogance to believe that your fellow countrymen are somehow inherently more valuable than people born in other nations.

As Allsorts says, everyone today has their lives before them. The brave died so we might live and hope moving forward.

The poppies are made by veterans at the poppy factory and all proceeds goes via British Legion to support and help armed forces. So I wear my poppy with gratitude for those that died so we might live, most of them very young people with all their lives before them., Poppies are for Remembrance. Also all those poppies made by schools and organisations are wonderful, long may it continue.

I’ve knitted over 100 poppies for our Remembrance Day display at our church in our village.
My dad lost two brothers in WWII.
Mam lost her youngest brother aged 21 in WWII
Dad came back with PTSD. He committed suicide at the age of 58. Mam told everyone that he died of cancer. There was still shame attached to suicide back then.
Poppies mean only one thing - Remembrance. Lest we forget.

Allira

StoneofDestiny

It’s a matter of personal choice whether someone chooses to wear a poppy and how they choose to wear it. We simply ask that if you do wear a poppy, you wear it with pride

Royal British Legion .

Yes, wear your poppy with pride and do not be afraid to wear it because there are those who believe, wrongly, that it a symbol of war, of jingoism etc.

It is not, it is for Remembrance and for Peace. We can be proud of those who fought for our freedom.

I agree.
There are some amazing poppy displays and postbox toppers around every year.
Lots of kind people who give their time to sell poppies in supermarkets too.

Made in a retirement village

agree MayBee70. The difference is that some actions are done with love for the right reasons and some are not.