Remembrance...
- Thread starter Stalker62
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Aye, it's a personal thing and ought to be about remembering the dead NOT the glorification of war - that's for sure, "there's no one as anti-war as an old soldier" I think is the old saying after all
I personally wear an RBL poppy lapel badge all year (a small one) as I try to stick to the "at the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them" - I lost too many dear & valued friends to ever forget - I also make a donation to the RBL appeal each year too. But both of those are by MY choice, I don't feel obliged to and my choice puts zero pressure on anyone to follow suit.
I don't expect and I certainly wouldn't dream of demanding that anyone else do the same or anything like the same, I wouldn't even expect/demand anyone wear a poppy on or around Remembrance Sunday and/or Armistice Day - with the possible exception of politicians perhaps. If you're gonna send people off to war you are kinda obligated to honour the dead of previous wars I think.
Red poppy, white poppy, purple poppy or the "progressive" poppy - wear what you want OR don't wear anything - the people the poppy is meant to symbolise thought that they fought to maintain your right to choose after all
I personally wear an RBL poppy lapel badge all year (a small one) as I try to stick to the "at the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them" - I lost too many dear & valued friends to ever forget - I also make a donation to the RBL appeal each year too. But both of those are by MY choice, I don't feel obliged to and my choice puts zero pressure on anyone to follow suit.
I don't expect and I certainly wouldn't dream of demanding that anyone else do the same or anything like the same, I wouldn't even expect/demand anyone wear a poppy on or around Remembrance Sunday and/or Armistice Day - with the possible exception of politicians perhaps. If you're gonna send people off to war you are kinda obligated to honour the dead of previous wars I think.
Red poppy, white poppy, purple poppy or the "progressive" poppy - wear what you want OR don't wear anything - the people the poppy is meant to symbolise thought that they fought to maintain your right to choose after all
Perhaps it's just being an American, but my stance has always been, wear a red poppy or not one at all. If you wish to remember civilians or voice anti-war sentiments, go find your own holiday to do it. Don't denigrate the meaning of the symbol or the day, with your own personal bias.
Do you have a right to wear whatever you want? Sure. But the whole point of the day is about remembering the sacrifices made by our military members, not some underlying political statement. i.e. It's not about you, the individual.
Changing the meaning of things for the sake of personal expression and sensitivities is what has gotten us into a lot of the problems we have today.
JMTCW....
Do you have a right to wear whatever you want? Sure. But the whole point of the day is about remembering the sacrifices made by our military members, not some underlying political statement. i.e. It's not about you, the individual.
Changing the meaning of things for the sake of personal expression and sensitivities is what has gotten us into a lot of the problems we have today.
JMTCW....
I am currently in foreign climes, but had a chance on Sunday to visit St George's Cathedral as well as both the Artillery Memorial and the Cenotaph.
It is always humbling, on my travels, to recognise the huge number across the British Empire who answered the call to arms and gave the ultimate sacrifice so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have today....freedoms that all too often we sadly take for granted.
We Will Remember Them
It is always humbling, on my travels, to recognise the huge number across the British Empire who answered the call to arms and gave the ultimate sacrifice so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have today....freedoms that all too often we sadly take for granted.
We Will Remember Them
8x57
Distinguished Member
Well said Sir, that's exactly how I feel about it.
I will have a red poppy behind my cap badge on my Regimental head dress on remembrance Sunday as per military dress code for the parade.
Daily I wear enamel pin badges leading up to and just after remembrance day.
Always a poignant time of the year for me and something that always stays with me all year round, lost a few friends in Iraq and Afghanistan over the years, one freind was killed on the 5th of November 2009, Sjt phillip Scott "scotty" and being so close to remembrance day its always tough, but this is why we remember and never forget
Like others here who have served i thank you for your service
Daily I wear enamel pin badges leading up to and just after remembrance day.
Always a poignant time of the year for me and something that always stays with me all year round, lost a few friends in Iraq and Afghanistan over the years, one freind was killed on the 5th of November 2009, Sjt phillip Scott "scotty" and being so close to remembrance day its always tough, but this is why we remember and never forget
Like others here who have served i thank you for your service
BenBhoy
Well-Known Member
Indeed I think that might be part of it
as im pretty sure nobody here would consider it a 'holiday' whatever ones personal political leanings.
BenBhoy
Well-Known Member
Ive had few people last few years pull me up on wearing a white one. Some genuinely curious, others downright rude through ignorance. I do not wear a white one to say 'look at me ' (no more than anyone wearing a red one). Not is it done as lack of respect. Quite the contrary, it's showing respect & remembrance to civilians (on all sides) and soldiers from all sides who died, the ones who didn't want to be there, the ones who were scared & homesick. Those emotions were prevalent on all sides & all imo deserve our thoughts. Its also a symbol of opposition to all war, past present & potential.
Foxyboy43
Well-Known Member
Hmmm.
I have been fortunate to have walked most of the World War One battlefields of France and Belgium and at differing times of the year. During these homages I have seen very many poppies blooming freely where many brave men of all countries still lie undiscovered.
Never on all these travels have I seen a white, blue, pink or rainbow one - poppies are red; for me they not only symbolise remembrance but also the blood sacrifice of those many young men from all over the world.
Call me old-fashioned but IMHO to change their colour is to utterly lose the true significance of what they mean.
I have been fortunate to have walked most of the World War One battlefields of France and Belgium and at differing times of the year. During these homages I have seen very many poppies blooming freely where many brave men of all countries still lie undiscovered.
Never on all these travels have I seen a white, blue, pink or rainbow one - poppies are red; for me they not only symbolise remembrance but also the blood sacrifice of those many young men from all over the world.
Call me old-fashioned but IMHO to change their colour is to utterly lose the true significance of what they mean.
Not sure about blue or rainbow ones, but white and pink poppies are definitely a thing. In fact its not particularly unusual to see the odd white one growing among the reds, as no doubt they did on the battlefields.
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I'm a veteran. I wear my poppy with mixed pride and sorrow. Not because I glorify war, not because I demand or expect recognition, and I don't demand or expect others to follow suit. I wear my poppy in quiet acknowledgement that it signifies both remembrance of those who fell to protect both our freedom and that of others, and the continuance of hope that their sacrifices weren't in vain.
That's why I wear it. I accept the views of those who don't, but they better damn well respect why I do
That's why I wear it. I accept the views of those who don't, but they better damn well respect why I do
Probably why you don't see white poppies being worn here in the US. It's red for a reason.
But in the UK, if everyone is okay with hijacking the original intent of the symbol to support their broader, and somehow more morally righteous views...have at it. <shrug> Doesn't sound like it though...
Not everyone. The overwhelming majority who tacitly condemn those who've seen war seem to have been very assiduous in their avoidance of it.
BenBhoy
Well-Known Member
That's just it, nobody is trying to 'highjack' anything..that's just you using overly dramatic language (yet again) to try to belittle anyone who thinks different to you...
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