I took a girl friend today to see the poppies.
For those who don't know, the veterans in this country set up a charity called the British Legion, who do their best to look after the wreckage left by war, whether it involves the veterans themselves or their families. Each year, as Remembrance Sunday/Armistice Day approaches, there is the poppy appeal. Paper or enamel poppy badges are sold to raise money for the charity.
This year being the centenary of the descent into horror and madness that was WWI, there was a particular event. The dry moat of the White Tower (Tower of London) has gradually filled with ceramic red poppies, until there is one for every poor soul from this country who died in the conflict. It is like a river of blood. At sunset this evening, I heard part of the roll call.
Every name. "Private x. Royal x regiment. Private y. Y regiment. Name after name after name.
And we still haven't learnt better.
Comments
You're right about not having learned better
I hope that we never have another war-to-end-all-wars, but the "conflicts" that keep popping up around the world are just as heartbreaking. I wish that there was a way to give everyone what they want and not have so many people be suffering all of the time.
poppies
They do the same thing here in the united states poppies are sold after halloween leading up to veterans day on November 11th.
Hugs,
Jenna From FL
Moderator/Editor
TopShelf BigCloset
It is a long road ahead but I will finally become who I should be.
Same here in Canada
The Royal Canadian Legion sells poppies as well here in Canada. The author of "In Flanders Fields" was a Canadian doctor in WW1 who unfortunately did not get to return to his Homeland. The gentleman's name was Col. John McCrae. I believe that is where the idea of the poppies came from ( I may be wrong).
If memory serves...
from Sargent Pepper's:
"A pretty nurse is selling poppies in the park"
Liz
Sort of giggles
The pretty nurse was selling poppies from a tray - behind the shelter in the middle of a roundabout.
From the Beatles certainly.
But it was from ...... *drum roll* ..... Penny Lane
I was told by a patient
it was a stunning sight, and also that everyone of them had been sold at £25.00 each.
Angharad
I have a picture of the poppies
As mentioned by both cyclist and Ang - the display is impressive. And more will be added each day up to the 11th.
How true
That image is truly impressive! Thank you for posting it!
And even the poppies have produced anger and divisions
Here are many more pictures, and an overview (necessarily) of the anger that has been sparked ........ http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/10/31/tower-of-london-p...
Ukip?
The Guardian writer who objected dismissed it as "ukip". I'm not sure what that means in that context. (I know, from Wikipedia, that there's a splinter political party that uses that acronym, but that doesn't seem to me to be what this is about.)
Eric (in San Francisco)
UKIP
United Kingdom Independence Party - they are a bunch of radicals and, as such, are being sniped at from all sides - mostly suggesting that no-one should take them seriously, or suggesting they are a bunch of incompetents, and so on and so forth. My own opinion of them shall remain just that - my own.
Allow me to make one observation on them however - a (now former) seniorish person in the party made comments blaming recent floods in Britain on the prime minister David Cameron, because he had been responsible for the introduction of same-sex marriage.