White Poppy and Rememberance

I’ve never heard of anyone wearing white poppies and never seen any here. At first I thought of the white feathers which they used to hand out. I’ll stick to the original red ones which I see as a respectful and a non political way of remembering my relatives and all those others who were killed in the wars.

même
autocorrect again!

Alex Penstone, veteran of the Arctic Convoys:

"Man has never learnt a lesson .... that you've got no winners in a war"

If looking back on millennia of conflicts would do any good - we would do well to not remember history.

Plus ça change, plus c'est la meme chose.

GrannyRose15

If remembering the dead of two world wars for over 100 years had done any good we would not have got involved in conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya.

Perhaps it is time to stop looking back and start looking forward.

What exactly does that mean you would do?

If remembering the dead of two world wars for over 100 years had done any good we would not have got involved in conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya.

Perhaps it is time to stop looking back and start looking forward.

You are right ; it was Northern France, Flanders and Picardy. not Normandy. Apologies.

Iam64

AreWeThereYet

I'll wear my red poppy and I'll wear it remembrance of all who fall in wars, whatever race, ethnicity, nationality, colour, creed, gender, height, weight, soldier, sailor, airman, civilian and animals too. I get so tired of everything and everyone being put in boxes, as if one box is worth more than another.

I agree .

Suggesting that a white poppy represent desire for peace more strongly than a red one, tends to diminish the significance of the red poppy. The red blood of so many young men on those fields where the red poppies grow is a real reminder of the brutality of war and the futility of the war to end all wars. If only it had

I agree.

Well said, Mollygo

It is only the film industry, TV, which glamorises war.
No one who wears a red poppy does so.

Anniebach

The red poppy is worn because of the many deaths in poppy fields, no one was buried beneath white poppies .

Yes, that us why, Anniebach 😥

Do you not think that anyone wearing a red poppy prays for peace too, Franbern?

People wearing red poppies were in church praying for peace.

This thread and similar ones each year cause more division where none is needed.

Wear whichever poppy you choose. The men who went to war were fighting for peace. The money raised through the sale of red poppies goes to help those or the descendants of those who put their desire for peace into actions to obtain it.
Many of those who fought, died in the struggle to obtain peace.
They wanted peace just as much as those wearing a white poppy want peace.
The only comment about the virtue of white poppies that I find objectionable is where they claim
A refusal to celebrate or glamorise war itself.

Apart from the cinema, who do they imply is celebrating and glamorising war?

You might like to know that the French wear a bleuet - cornflower because they also thrived on the battlefields.

Whilst a white poppy represents peace, nothing for the grief, sorrow, respect, memories, a red poppy does.

AreWeThereYet

I'll wear my red poppy and I'll wear it remembrance of all who fall in wars, whatever race, ethnicity, nationality, colour, creed, gender, height, weight, soldier, sailor, airman, civilian and animals too. I get so tired of everything and everyone being put in boxes, as if one box is worth more than another.

I agree .

Suggesting that a white poppy represent desire for peace more strongly than a red one, tends to diminish the significance of the red poppy. The red blood of so many young men on those fields where the red poppies grow is a real reminder of the brutality of war and the futility of the war to end all wars. If only it had

I’ve just seen part of the march past at the Cenotaph this morning. There was a wreath to commemorate working dogs - it was purple poppies, with a red paw print in the middle.

Very poignant to see a group of children, who had a parent killed in war walking by.

Aberystwyth today held a Remembrance ceremony with red and white poppies

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202311/medium-436073-poppies12.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202311/medium-584945-poppies24.jpg

I think the Tower of London display in 2014 showed us the significance of the red poppy. There were 888,246 ceramic poppies, representing every soldier from Britain and the empire killed in WW1. I bought one and it still sits on my sideboard in a display case.
I think the white poppy is also important and why should there be any conflict? People should wear one or both or neither.

I'll wear my red poppy and I'll wear it remembrance of all who fall in wars, whatever race, ethnicity, nationality, colour, creed, gender, height, weight, soldier, sailor, airman, civilian and animals too. I get so tired of everything and everyone being put in boxes, as if one box is worth more than another.

I’ve never seen anyone wearing a white poppy, or seen anyone selling them.

Jackiest

Oreo

Well, it hasn’t happened yet Jackiest has it?
Wearing only a white peace poppy instead of the usual red for remembrance is your choice franbern and while you were thinking about the cries of the children in Gaza I hope you spared a moment to think of the cries of children in Israel on the 7th October cruelly tied up and murdered by hamas.
Also if you stand around in the High St and hand out laminated sheets then you will likely get some remarks you may not like.

And it never will happen unless people start taking a stand against wars.
The white poppy is for all people that have been killed in wars no matter what race, gender or colour they are.

I already knew what the white poppy stood for.
I made the point about it not happening yet as for so many thousands of years wars in some form or another have been going on.Before that, tribe against tribe.
Which people will ‘take a stand against wars’ ? A handful of conscientious objectors? It’s no good saying we wish the world would hold hands and sing, wouldn’t that be lovely, but not human nature.
There will be wars for many centuries in the future is my bet.
Some worth fighting for like WW2 and others def not.

There is also the purple poppy which is a symbol of remembrance for the animals who served their country during times of conflict. This year, I have felt the need of white poppies and am part of a yarn bombing group who contributed to a display of those. It takes nothing away from remembrance of those who died but adds a hope for peace.
A few years ago Mr P and I stood at the gravestone of his great uncle on the centenary of his death in France. We were on a tour of war graves, following the route that my grandfather's regiment took during his service in WW1. My grandfather didn't die, but he was wounded three times and his health was poor for the rest of his life. I always think of the survivors too and the terrible conditions that they have endured.

WWI was't fought in Normandy, eazybee. It was fought in northern France and Belgium.

Having said that, our holiday property in France is in Normandy, where the D Day landings took place, and there are many WW2 graveyards there which are beautifully kept and thought provoking to visit. Including the German ones.

Oreo

Well, it hasn’t happened yet Jackiest has it?
Wearing only a white peace poppy instead of the usual red for remembrance is your choice franbern and while you were thinking about the cries of the children in Gaza I hope you spared a moment to think of the cries of children in Israel on the 7th October cruelly tied up and murdered by hamas.
Also if you stand around in the High St and hand out laminated sheets then you will likely get some remarks you may not like.

And it never will happen unless people start taking a stand against wars.
The white poppy is for all people that have been killed in wars no matter what race, gender or colour they are.

Anniebach

Millymay I have no relatives who died in the wars, I researched for other families

I didn’t necessarily mean your relatives as such, I meant the relatives of all of us (including the families you researched for. Sometimes people have different opinions / different views and it’s not a bad idea to stop and think, “Oh, that’s interesting, I hadn’t thought of it like that”, rather then immediately jump into an unnecessarily challenging, combative reaction.

Millymay I have no relatives who died in the wars, I researched for other families