General Chat

Wouldnt be the same with a white poppy Long before the Great War, the red poppy had become a symbol of death, renewal and life. The seeds of the flower can remain dormant in the earth for years, but will blossom spectacularly when the soil is churned. Beginning in late 1914, the fields of Northern France and Flanders became the scene of stupendous disturbances. Red Poppys soon appeared. In 1915, at a Canadian dressing station north of Ypres on the Essex Farm, an exhausted physician named Lt. Col. John McCrae would take in the view of the poppy strewn Salient and experience a moment of artistic inspiration. The veteran of the South African War was able to distill in a single vision the vitality of the red poppy symbol, his respect for the sacrifice made by his patients and dead comrades, and his intense feeling of obligation to them. McCrae would capture all of this in the most famous single poem of the First World War, In Flanders Fields. The doctor's work achieved immediate universal popularity which was subsequently reinforced by his own death in 1918 from pneumonia and meningitis. He was buried in a military cemetery near Calais on the English Channel, thus becoming one with those of whom he wrote in his famous poem. Probably by the time of his internment, John McCrae's verse had forever bound the image of the Red Poppy to the memory of the Great War. The poppy was eventually adopted by the British and Canadian Legions as the symbol of remembrance of World War One and a means of raising funds for disabled veterans. An American war volunteer, Moina Michael, helped establish the symbol in the US where the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion also embraced the Red Poppy tradition. Im for keeping the Red Poppy Paul

The RED Poppy is the symbol of the British Legion, not of any religious group. Wasn't the BL founded to help and support ex-servicemen? The poppies of my childhood used to have Haig Fund on them - this was started in 1921 to help servicemen, and the funds raised were for their support. I think there were Haig homes and workshops and the original poppies were made in the workshops by blinded and maimed ex-soldiers. This fund, and those men, are also what the red poppy represents, based upon McRae's sybolism. Are they suggesting getting rid of Pudsey Bear because he could be viewed as a symbol of discrimination against the visually impaired? Jay

Says it all. In Flanders Fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row That mark our place, and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarece heard amid the guns below We are the dead, Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields Take up our quarrel with the foe To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields. This religious lot know what they can do with their white poppies, Never heard of them till now, I'm glad I'm a Pagan. Incidently poppies also flourish on the Dardenals battlefields. Len

Absolutely not.....red is the colour of the blood shed by our war dead in defence of our freedom. They deserve to be remembered in an appropriate way, as has been the case since the custom was initiated. Reg

Another overpaid cretin with nothing to do at ministry?? Why do we tolerate these people?? J

My Dad ......and many others, would turn in their graves at the thought of it

Hello Roxanne.....long time no speak, hope your well. When are the PC bridgade going to go away.......lol Poppie are red and red they should stay to remember the poor men and women who died in the 1st and 2nd world wars. Suzy :o) x

For goodness sake, has this man nothing better to do? Does he just want his 15 minutes of fame by coming up with this stupid idea, he's a b****y idiot. Sue

Just to give the historical context - the white poppy has been around a long while. 'The White Poppy The white poppy was first introduced by the Women's Co-operative Guild in 1933 and was intended as a lasting symbol for peace and an end to all wars. Worn on Armistice Day, now Remembrance Sunday, the white poppy was produced by the Co-operative Wholesale Society because the Royal British Legion had refused to be associated with its manufacture. While the white poppy was never intended to offend the memory of those who died in the Great War, many veterans felt that its significance undermined their contribution and the lasting meaning of the red poppy. Such was the seriousness of this issue that some women lost their jobs in the 1930s for wearing white poppies.' Gwynne

I don't see what remembrance has to do with religion. I'm an atheist and wear a red poppy at this time of year. Flanders fields are filled with poppies which are RED - simple.

hello suzy:-)) nice to see you*waves* xx

I agree Roxanne it has always been a red poppy for a reason and should remain so, I sometimes wonder if people suggest change just to be different and create a stir, Caz xxxxxxxxxx

They shall not grow old as we that are left grow old Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn At the going down of the sun, and in the morning We will remember them......we will remember them Or they will have died in vain. Maureen

Maureen, never a truer word was spoken.