Accrington Web - Remember, Remember

Today sees the launch by Katherine Jenkins, the 26 years old Welsh soprano, of the annual British Legion poppy appeal.

From now until Remembrance Sunday on the 12th November 2006 most shops will display a tray of artificial poppies, a card of pins and a collection tin for donations of any amount. Put some cash in the tin and you can take a poppy and a pin. How much is up to you but can I possibly suggest at least 50p? If a pensioner on a strictly limited income, struggling to survive (and there are 2.5 million living below the official government poverty line) can buy a poppy for 50p then surely those who are more fortunate can slip a pound coin or more into the collection tin.

Some shops will have just the standard poppy whilst some will also display more sophisticated looking poppies for a fixed fee and large poppies that can be attached to the car grill, also for a fixed fee.

Last year my ‘car’ poppy got nicked the same night that I bought it. I bought another and that too got nicked within a few days.

It is rather ironic that the humble poppy is the source of opium and all its derivatives that can be used for good or evil.

The British Legion was founded in 1921 to cater for the needs of the ex-servicemen and women that the government of the day and since, blatantly ignored. Nearly half a million volunteers continue to ensure that this service is available to those ex-servicemen, service women and their families should the need arise. Currently there are over 10 million people eligible to receive that help be they past or current service personnel and their families.

The British Legion values are simple enough.
Reflection - Through Remembrance of past sacrifice in the cause of freedom.
Hope - By remembering the past, a younger generation has the chance of a better future.
Comradeship - Through shared experience and mutual support.
Selflessness - By putting others first. (I would have put this value first)
Service - To those in need and in support of the whole community

How the Poppy Appeal began. (Copied from the British Legion web site)
The first official Legion Poppy Day was held in Britain on 11 November 1921, inspired by the poem In Flanders' Fields written by John McCrae. Since then the Poppy Appeal has been a key annual event in the nation's calendar.

Some of the bloodiest fighting of World War One took place in the Flanders and Picardy regions of Belgium and Northern France. The poppy was the only thing which grew in the aftermath of the complete devastation. McCrae, a doctor serving there with the Canadian Armed Forces, deeply inspired and moved by what he saw, wrote these verses:

In Flanders' Fields

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
Scarce 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.
John McCrae, 1915

If anyone is interested you can find out more about the British Legion and the Poppy Appeal at http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/ and http://www.poppy.org.uk/ and http://www.poppy.org.uk/crosses.cfm

Attributed to Mary Elizabeth Frye (1905 – 2004) a Baltimore USA housewife, this poem, although some people consider it to be a prayer, was written in 1932 to bring comfort to the relatives of the fallen who have no known grave.

Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep

Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not dead I do not sleep
I am a thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond glint on snow
I am the sunlight on ripened grain
I am the gentle autumn rain
When you awake in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circles flight
I am the soft stars that shines at night
Do not stand at my grave and cry
I am not dead I did not die

If that poignant poem doesn't loosen the purse strings then I don’t know what will.

Thanks for reading and I hope your donations will be generous.