The field poppy is a humble flower; most of us see them as solitary blooms by the roadside. Ironically they thrived better in the desecrated fields of the Great War than with modern farming methods, but most importantly they have no creed or politics. The paper poppies sold every November seem to have remained unchanged forever, easily lost and when they fall apart they are ideal for children to play miniature ice hockey, the black centre the puck and the stem the hockey stick. Anyone who belongs to a craft group has probably knitted or sewn longer lasting flowers, the Royal British legion also sells enamel badges and giant poppies appear on buses and lamp posts.
But the humble flower has become a symbol of political correctness and angst. From mid October onwards nobody is seen on BBC television without a poppy; given how easy it is to lose them or leave them on your other jacket, I always imagine assistant producers hovering with boxes full of poppies at the ready. From politicians to football players, public figures risk on line abuse if they are spotted without a poppy. But there are many people who fear if they wear one it suggests they are against peace; worse still, on Facebook we are paranoid that we might ‘Like’ a picture of a dear old veteran adorned with poppies and later discover it was posted by an extreme right wing group.
It was never intended to be like this.
http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/remembrance/how-we-remember/the-story-of-the-poppy/
It started with a field of poppies in 1915 and a poem. For the Great War generation it was the war to end all wars; there was only remembrance and the desire for peace.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vH3-Gt7mgyM
In more recent years the last ever episode of Blackadder remains the most poignant reminder.
Our ceremonies at this time of year have veterans at their heart and the men and women of the Royal British Legion preserve the framework for this. But not all veterans are at the forefront. Like wearing a poppy it’s a personal choice; my father, uncles and aunt never belonged to the legion, never wore their medals and never marched a single step after they were demobbed ( except the one who was a scout leader! ). As far as I know they never met up again with RAF and army comrades. For those of us who are not royals or local dignitaries we are likely to go to Remembrance Day ceremonies and marches only if our daughters are in Guides, or sons in the army cadets.
But the two minute silence can be observed by everyone and is most meaningful if you are in a busy airport terminal or railway station; the unusual silence then seems to last an eternity, time enough to think of all the casualties of war in the past one hundred years.
Should you wear a poppy? They are made and sold to raise money to help ex servicemen and for the foreseeable future that support will be needed more than ever. But you can do the British Legion lottery, you can give to other service charities; the person wearing a poppy might have walked straight past a homeless man who is an ex serviceman.
Since 2014 we have been remembering various anniversaries of the first world war and yet the world is further than ever from peace and nobody seems to know the answer, or if they do, nobody is listening to them…
Times and Tides of a Beachwriter 
I bought a wrist band this year-no chance of losing it or it adorning another item of clothing!
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It’s such a thorny topic. Well done for saying your piece (peace!). Every year I worry it looks like I am supporting war or nationalism if I wear a poppy – and am sorry if one of my favourite flowers represents those things to some people. But I always think of those who had to go, of my grandfathers in WW2, one of whom laboured for years as a POW in the salt mines, the other a country man, a builder, sent as a guard to Nuremberg, and my great-grandmother as a young widow in WWI, who never married again and brought up her family alone. I know that’s personal but remembrance is made up of personal histories too. There are white poppies for peace: apparently these have been around since the 1930s. I had both.
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Reblogged this on Times and Tides of a Beachwriter and commented:
This is the blog I wote two years ago.
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‘It was never intended to be like this.’ So true. I wrote a similar piece myself, about how it has become so polarised. You really are damned if you do and damned if you don’t, in many eyes.
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Thanks for your comment Mike, very true.
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I don’t wear a poppy. I used to wear a white one but decided not to wear any. I can think about and remember those who lost their lives in the wars without having to provide evidence to the world that I’m doing so. I can donate to the Legion or other services-related charities without feeling the need to show the world I have done so. What really bothers me is they hypocrisy of politicians wearing poppies, laying wreaths and talking about peace when they wouldn’t hesitate to go to war. Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair…
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Yes,good points Mary, brave would be the politcal leader or royal who declared they would not take part in all the trappings of Rembrance Day.
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Either my partner or I buy one because a neighbor sells them, but I absolutely refuse to wear the damned thing. And even buying them–it’s such a small step between supporting ex-servicepeople and somehow, suddenly supporting the next war, or a current one.
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It sounds like a very delicate issue. Politicians never miss an opportunity to politicize anything.
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well said, Janet. It’s important to remember those who have served our countries. I like the idea of the two-minute silence. Maybe if we did that every day, our world would get closer to peace than we are now.
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Interesting that you should write about this topic, Janet. Di you hear about this news that just happened?
https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/28059815/hockey-icon-don-cherry-fired-immigrant-comments
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Hello Pete, no I didn’t hear that one, we’re too snowed under with Brexit and elections. But we see similar situations where anyone in the public eye can get themselves tangled up in full blown hysteria because of what they said, didn’t say, wore or didn’t wear!
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This year I felt even more reluctance to wear one. Though there is a nice trend now in knitted poppies, white, red or purple (for the animals?). Quite apart from the symbolism – I love poppies!
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Thanks Maria, yes real delicate poppies are beautiful. Purple poppies are a great idea; obviously the first world war saw terrible slaughter of animals, but animals are still at the forefront – first in to look for explosives!
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