Poppies and Veterans. I love this time of year

Heartwarming thread!

I love this time of year aswell – I’m very proud of our veterans!

Today has largely been taken up looking into the memorial in the village I grew up in. I chatted with an ex-RE member who served in India and Iraq and am going to have a detailed chat with him sometime soon. I was introduced by a friend who told him I used to live in ‘the Macks farm’. “Oh, he said, your parents are away”. “Can’t hide anything here” says my friend. “Thats why I moved away after 20 years – another five and I’d have been local – then you’d have known everything!!” Anyway, he filled in a couple of blanks straight off the bat. Also found out the name of a WW1 veteran from the village I recall speaking to many, many years ago as a kid.

Never forget, because if you do, they die.

I will be working on the eleventh but will halt production and silence my machine the German bosses have done the silence as long as i can remember.
I was in a supermarket last year with Joanne and the boys while in the foyer i noticed the poppy seller had a light brown beret on, on closer inspection i saw the now famous winged dagger on it,its hard not to stare at one of David Sterling’s originals, he must have noticed me as he flashed a wry smile at us and gave the boys a wave as they were both sporting their Poppy’s.

great thread moggy, i too love this time of year shame its the only time you get to see the old boys wearing their insignia and ribbons.
dave……….

I will be on cleaning duties on Rememberance Sunday at Old warden. I think it will be strange to be around some of the aircraft that helped to achieve victory in both World Wars.

I will be placing several Poppies in rememberance of certain individuals and crews. All it takes is time, and it’s thanks to the sacrifice of those who gave their lives and the efforts of those who fought, that we have the ability to donate a little bit of time. Steve Young was right, all they want is to be remembered.

Regards,

kev35

Don’t forget that as well as wearing a poppy you can also place a poppy cross in remembrance too.

We will remember them.

Brilliant song- amazing sentiment. Its now on my mobile as a ringtone! In this place I doubt there will be much silence on the 11th, so i’ll put it on in some form of tribute. It almost had me in tears.
BARNOWL

Thanks for this thread Moggy. All of us should follow this example for the next week at the Poppy jars.

I posted the following link last year and find it very touching. Hope you don’t mind me posting it again.

I want to share a song that was written here in Canada for Remembrance Day. I believe it has been out for a year or two and you might have heard it before.

Here is the link:

http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/chief_land_staff/remembrance/English/home.asp

Please read the page and then click on “Watch The Video” on the left side of the page. It is very important to read why he wrote this song.

best wishes,
Chris

I spent some time chatting to one of the old guys at a local garden centre a couple of years ago after buying a poppy. He was incredibly modest about the things he’d done, but it absolutely made my day to be able to spend some time with him talking. As I was about to leave, he mentioned that he was glad that at least someone seemed to care these days. Unfortunately I had to be somewhere else shortly afterwards otherwise I’d have happily sat down and spent the rest of the day with him.

Andy

Brilliant actions – great post 🙂

Feeling of pride well-earned.

Moggy

seconded, a great story.

The feeling of immense pride that I felt that day cannot be put into words. In a small way- I felt like I had somehow paid my respects to his comrades who didn’t return.
BARNOWL

Brilliant actions – great post 🙂

Feeling of pride well-earned.

Moggy

As always I bought a poppy- from the Somerfield in Great Malvern as I was visiting my Girlfriend. The chap selling them was wearing a fighter command blazer, with Battle of Britain ribbon (amongst others). I asked him where he was stationed in 1940 and he said Biggin Hill, flying Hurricanes (the squadron escapes me) as a sergeant pilot. Eventually I was torn away by my girlfriend, who needed to get to an interview. But I left him with a firm handshake and a “Thank you.” He turned to me and said: “A great pleasure young man, Thank you for caring.” I had a tear in my eye for the rest of the day. These men are saviours, and should be recognised as the heros that they are.

I remember last Remembrance day I was in charge of the platoon of CCF RAF cadets at the cenotaph in Monmouth. As I was marching them back to school I saw a veteran with walking stick, in a beret and blazer of RAF Bomber Command comming out of a shop with his wife (evidently getting something for tea!). I gave a salute to the right, and as one the section executed the best right salute I have ever seen. The veteran looked slighty taken aback, but smiled at me as we marched past.

When we got back to school and I dismissed the cadets to go home, I turned around and saw the same veteran standing at the gates. I saluted him again, and he straightened up to his full height and saluted me back, fully, proudly, like he was proud of me personally.

The feeling of immense pride that I felt that day cannot be put into words. In a small way- I felt like I had somehow paid my respects to his comrades who didn’t return.
BARNOWL

There was a couple of RAF Chaps selling poppies at Morrisons today, was going to go over and have a chat but by the time i finally got on a break they’d gone, hopefully i’ll go into work early tomorrow and have a talk with them

I can’t help but wonder whether this or any remembrance day and the poppy appeal is alot more important than other “charities” but i suppose you have to be equal,but still without these heroes these other charities probably would’nt exist.

I used to work on customer service at a Tes** branch and we could only give a limited time to all of the numerous requsets for collections at the store,as we wanted the collectors to be inside to keep warm,not because we favoured any one group-to answer an earlier post.

Superb stuff, bravo. And mine’s worn with pride, of course.

That’s the best post I’ve ever read Moggy dude. Anecdotes like that aren’t written in any books.

Salute! 🙂

I agree, great time of year that sees the veterans get the exposure they deserve. I sold poppies last year which was a worthwhile experience, sadlty this year I am too busy but a quick phone call to the Legion got the photo lab I work in a few hours a week a box and collection tin so thats something I guess.

Daz, Just a thought but could the reason that Tesco only allow the poppy sellers 4 days a week have something to do with the fact that they try and allocate the space to others during the week, ie poppies mon-thurs, cancer research friday, oxfam saturday etc?

Good Post Moggy.

Both of My Grandfathers had significant Military/Aviation Careers, and I wish they had stayed alive long enough for me to really appreciate what they had achieved.

They inspired me to join up as soon as I could, and it was the feeling of letting them down that hurt the most when I was thrown out of the RAF.

I will follow your lead next time I see a Veteran

Moggy.

Knowing you as I do, I can hear your conversation, and picture the expression on your face. It really is priceless when we get the opportunity to engage these veterans in conversation. And it doesn’t matter what the Branch of Service was, they all were willing (though they will all tell you not eager) to make the supreme sacrifice. They all have funny stories, tragic stories, and most of them have this uncanny ability to stop you dead in your tracks with a simple one liner.

An elderly gentleman I cared for in hospital was in the 8th Army and came up through Italy with them. He spoke a little about his experiences describing it as a time he wouldn’t have missed but that the did nothing out of the ordinary. Sadly, he died, and it was a few days later his son came back to the ward to thank us. I said his Dad had spoken of his time in the Army and it was then he showed his prized posessions. His Father had won the Military Medal and been Mentioned in Despatches three times.

And that’s what we remember, ordinary men and women doing the most extraordinary things and then thinking they did nothing of significance. This is not a false modesty. Incredibly to us, it’s what they actually believe.

Regards,

kev35

Our local mega superstore,Tes*** is very generously allowing them to collect for 4 days only,4 days,good job the vets did’nt agree a time limit for fighting. :confused: