Poppy time

[ozzy72]

Please remember that this Sunday is Rememberance Sunday (if I remember correctly the Americans call it Veterans Day).
So buy your Poppy and wear it with pride, someone didn't

An elderly man selling Remembrance Day poppies in a busy supermarket was attacked with a claw hammer.
The 79-year-old was taken to hospital after being struck with the weapon as he sold the poppies for the Royal British Legion in a Safeway store in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.
A Thames Valley Police spokeswoman said: "The man was attacked three times with a claw hammer and was taken to Stoke Mandeville Hospital with head injuries."
He was released later.
A 29-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm and released on police bail pending further inquiries.
Both the Royal British Legion and Safeway said they could not comment on the incident.

As a veteran myself this makes me sick to my heart. Please think of veterans all over the world irrespective of who's side they were on. They deserve our respect.

Mark

[Hagar]

Why does this not shock me? It's just another a sign of the times I'm afraid.  :'(

Did you hear they're not supplying pins with Poppies any more? This is in case someone pricks themselves causing terrible injuries & sues the British Legion for damages. The world has gone mad.

[BFMF]

That makes me sick

He should be locked away forever.

I've got more relatives that I can think of who have served in the military, and I even want to go into the USAF.

btw, What's a poppy?

[ozzy72]

Its a type of flower found in Flanders (and elsewhere, including a special type in Afghanistan for making opium from).
The Brits wear a paper one for Rememberance Sunday (I've been getting odd looks around town wearing mine, and only one colleague of mine even knew why I was wearing it!!!!!!!)

[BFMF]

Is there a picture on the internet somewhere?

[Hagar]

btw, What's a poppy?

Read this Andrew. http://www.poppy.org.uk/

[Smoke2much]

A writer first made the connection between the poppy and battlefield deaths during the Napoleonic wars of the early 19th century, remarking that fields that were barren before battle exploded with the blood-red flowers after the fighting ended.

During the tremendous bombardments of the First World War the chalk soils became rich in lime from rubble, allowing 'popaver rhoeas' to thrive. When the war ended the lime was quickly absorbed, and the poppy began to disappear again.

They shall grow not 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.

[HawkerTempest5]

Check this link Andrew.
http://www.poppy.org.uk/

Did you hear they're not supplying pins with Poppies any more? This is in case someone pricks themselves causing terrible injuries & sues the British Legion for damages. The world has gone mad.  

I had heared about this, but I got a pin with my poppy this year. I can well believe this is true however.

[Smoke2much]

The etiquette that I was brought up with is that the poppy is worn for a few days beforehand and removed on the 11/11 (or the 11/11 in US notation) after the service.

Others may have a differant opinion though.

Will

[BFMF]

THanks for the link

A question though, Do people wear them here in America? I can't say I remember seeing them before

[Hagar]

I doubt it Andrew, unless they're Brits of course. Not forgetting our Commonwealth friends.

[BFMF]

ok, I would probably look funny if I wore one.

Is it Memorial day where people wear little flags here?

[ozzy72]

When I was a kid in California (many many years ago) I seem to recall on the 11th that you all had your flags at half-mast as a mark of respect.

Mark (stretching his braincells back over a 22 years there!)

[Craig.]

verterans day Andrew:)
as for the poppy pins they actually had this on the news here, the keynsham and saltford branch got so many complaints about people being hurt by the pins they took it to the news and it went local then national::) common sense, what ever happend to it?
hell i never had a problem when i was 6 or 7 whats happend to older people now?

[C]

Its sad to see so few people wearing Poppies this year, but as has been said, it just reflects the society we're in today (than again it'll probably be un-PC one day, just incase we offend anyone)

Last night's TV summed it up. BBC2 at 2100 had Jeremy Clarkson profiling the Victoria Cross, concentrating mainly on the story of Major Robert Cain (who, it turns out, was his father-in-law). He also mentioned Flt Lt John Cruickshank, whose citation approval mentioned a sense of "self preservation", in saving himself as well as his crew (how he was to do otherwise as the pilot of the Catalina I don't know). And he had 72 wounds of various descriptions to boot, and the mission (if my memory serves me well) was only a quick one at 20-something hours... All in a days work, eh?

On the other hand, on good old ITV1, we had (yet another) programme about "Sir(? - by the time he's thirty)" David Beckham MVicB RMd MANU (Rtd), that well known national hero, who regularly risks life and limb to save our country from the infinate darkness. Can you see my tongue in my cheek yet...

It disgusts me  >:(

Anyway, I'm wearing my Poppy with pride.

(and I did get a pin with it)

Charlie