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Remembrance Day, "They shall grow not old......We will remember them" is the formal sombre theme (verse 4 For the Fallen) but verse 5 is the overall  war reality which gives me the stark inner sadness:-

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again,

They sit no more at familiar tables of home,

They have no lot in our labours of the daytime,

They sleep beyond England's foam.

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The toddlers at our group painted poppies on paper plates this morning - aren't they great (even though some of them ended up as partly peace poppies!) here's a photo of some of them  

I do personally agree Margie but I'm sure there are many who would see it as a juxtaposition... the Red Poppy a symbol of remembrance for the fallen in battle and the White Poppy also remembrance but

I wear mine out of respect. Nothing more, nothing less. If folks see it as being PC, then so be it. It's something I've done since starting work. If I was homeless, and down to my last ten bob, I

Going back to the OP,  I suppose it is about whether 'some schools' are encouraging the wearing of the wite poppy as an alternative to the red,or as an addition.  And why?

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WW2 could be classed as a Just War, purely due to the fact that because Hitler was heading east, then we'd be next.

If my memory serves me correctly, I think there was a historical agreement, that if any nation invaded the Low Countries, then we'd assist. 

 

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Thinking what is a Just War..... Well, any war against Japan is a Just War !

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Red poppies are the only official symbol of remembrance, made in the Legions own factory and with all profits going to that organisation, an organisation that does great good in its works.

 

The white poppy means absolutely nothing to me or any of my comrades I speak to on a regular basis and of course I will never wear one, the red poppy has been good enough since 1921 and will continue to be good enough for me.

 

If I went on parade with a white poppy I would be ostracised and quite rightly too.

 

The idea of peace in this world of ours is a great thought and a great ambition but it isn't going to happen, not this generation, nor the next, nor the one after that, it's the nature of man. Maybe be one day we will see sense and abandon armed conflict but in the mean time as the man said "Speak softly and carry a big stick" well summat like that.

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9 hours ago, radfordred said:

Anyone wearing the leftie white poppy shoud be punched in the gob on sight.

Why don't the people who want to wear a white poppy hold their own service and not offend those of us paying respect to all of our service men and women who gave their lives for our future.

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Two nice events in Newcastle this week, at a museum they had Balaclava Day (not the kind that covers your face) a  lot of exhibits were about local regiments.  There were many uniforms/weapons and medals on display plus many historical facts that had not be seen before.  Outside our Theatre Royal they  have erected a statue of a first world soldier on a plinth and encased in a clear cover to help commemorate Armistice Day a very striking sculpture.

I have no idea why the script as changed  !!

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Balaclava day used to be celebrated every year by the 17/21st Lancers now the Queens Royal Lancers, famous for the charge of the Light Brigade. The celebration usually started with the other ranks having a lie in and being served 'gunfire' a rum and coffee mix by the officers.

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The exhibition is to mainly  cover the role of the norths cavalry  regiments  from the Battle of Balaclava up to Afganistan.  All of the regiments involved in the battle are represented.. You may find the write up of the exhibition interesting.....Discovery Museum Newcastle upon Tyne.

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Just a thought, when we did history at school we were taught that the battle was at Balaklava and that a balaclava was something that you wore an your head.

Interestingly we have a small town in the mid north of South Australia called Balaklava, named after the battle.

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Bought two poppies in Tesco's this morning, and wanted on of those little wooden crosses to place next to my grandfathers commemorative plaque in the cemetery near the Forest. The old boy on the stall said £5. I said I was only asked for 50p last year.

Sod that, I just put all my coppers in and a couple of 5p's. Cheeky old bu66er !

I could knock em out for nothing with bits of scrap wood out of my shed !

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I always thought any donation was just that, a donation never heard of there being a fixed price,I got one of the little metal poppy pin badges with 1917 & 2017 on it, I gave a couple of quid but was told "put in what you want mate"

 

Rog

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Three men who fell at Waterloo two from the Life Guards and one from the Light Dragoon Guards, Picture taken at Cossall church yard

 

Notts_day_out_007.jpg

 

You might have to expand the picture to be able to read the names,the grave is just inside the churchyard gate on the right side

 

Rog

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Mrs Col bought one of the ceramic poppies from the massive display a couple of years ago at the Tower of London.

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Went to two social functions over the weekend. One on Friday night in the Headstocks in Bulwell. Over 50 attendees ranging from a baby to a 75 year old. Not one had a poppy on other than me. My sis in law said 'Oh, I see you've got your poppy on'. I questioned where hers was being as her late husband had been in the RAF. Mrs Fly, told me not to start, and I just replied that if it wasn't for our brave forefathers, most of us older ones wouldn't be here, and the youngsters would be speaking German ! 

Saturday night was spent dining at the new Chinese buffet place in the old Oxclose pub. Brilliant food btw, but again, I was the only poppy wearer within the whole clientele. 

A disgraceful state of affairs. 

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It'll happen again Jill, but hopefully not in our lifetime. There's always some megalomaniac or 'religious' fanatic going to do something stupid.

 

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My father used to say it was a very effective way of thinning out the population and, in my opinion, it needs thinning out drastically. We've become parasites who are destroying our host but if you express that opinion, attack from all sides is usually the result. It's a consequence of uncontrolled breeding and increased longevity but the effect on the planet is catastrophic.

 

Maybe dad was right!

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1 hour ago, FLY2 said:

Went to two social functions over the weekend. One on Friday night in the Headstocks in Bulwell. Over 50 attendees ranging from a baby to a 75 year old. Not one had a poppy on other than me. My sis in law said 'Oh, I see you've got your poppy on'. I questioned where hers was being as her late husband had been in the RAF. Mrs Fly, told me not to start, and I just replied that if it wasn't for our brave forefathers, most of us older ones wouldn't be here, and the youngsters would be speaking German ! 

Saturday night was spent dining at the new Chinese buffet place in the old Oxclose pub. Brilliant food btw, but again, I was the only poppy wearer within the whole clientele. 

A disgraceful state of affairs. 

I always used to buy and wear a poppy but not in recent years. It has now become a symbol of ‘political correctness’ to wear a poppy. Look at people on the TV. Everyone seems to get a poppy pinned on them before they go on air. We see characters wearing poppies on soaps who would never wear one in real life. I will never subscribe to the philosophy of political correctness.

 

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16 minutes ago, philmayfield said:

I will never subscribe to the philosophy of political correctness.

Me neither but I wear a poppy...just an ordinary one...every year out of respect for those (members of my own family amongst them) who died in both world wars. I, personally, would never wear the glitzy versions of poppies which have become common in recent years, nor display a plastic poppy on the front of my car. Something in me isn't happy about the current rash of poppies on lampposts. Yes, it is the centenary of the end of The Great War but I don't think that's any excuse to turn the symbol into 'bling' and neither of my grandfathers would have approved of that.

 

I believe, as with most things, it is the intention that counts. You either wear it as a mark of respect or you wear it because it is the politically correct thing to do. Only you know why you wear it and that's all that matters.

 

Otherwise, my philosophy is echoed by the late Harry Patch. Don't go to war.

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1 hour ago, FLY2 said:

Went to two social functions over the weekend. One on Friday night in the Headstocks in Bulwell. Over 50 attendees ranging from a baby to a 75 year old. Not one had a poppy on other than me. My sis in law said 'Oh, I see you've got your poppy on'. I questioned where hers was being as her late husband had been in the RAF. Mrs Fly, told me not to start, and I just replied that if it wasn't for our brave forefathers, most of us older ones wouldn't be here, and the youngsters would be speaking German ! 

Saturday night was spent dining at the new Chinese buffet place in the old Oxclose pub. Brilliant food btw, but again, I was the only poppy wearer within the whole clientele. 

A disgraceful state of affairs. 

Like all the Germans now speak English, Fly.

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I wear mine out of respect. Nothing more, nothing less. If folks see it as being PC, then so be it. It's something I've done since starting work.

If I was homeless, and down to my last ten bob, I'd STILL buy a poppy. They died so that I could live in so called peace, and relative freedom. 

Simple as that ! englandflag

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1 hour ago, philmayfield said:

I always used to buy and wear a poppy but not in recent years. It has now become a symbol of ‘political correctness’ to wear a poppy. Look at people on the TV. Everyone seems to get a poppy pinned on them before they go on air. We see characters wearing poppies on soaps who would never wear one in real life. I will never subscribe to the philosophy of political correctness.

 

I can't understand that logic, phil, I'd have said completely the opposite. We've been wearing poppies for nearly a 100 years, how can it be PC? More PC to stop wearing. I agree with FLY too, I've seen far fewer poppies worn this year, surprisingly the older generation seem lacking. 

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