Poppy Appeal.

Bruggen, for all the wrong reasons, that is a wonderful photograph, it really brings it home for me as shown on that photo, is a lad i went to college with in 2005-2006, left hand side, middle of the picture, Marine Tony Evans, J Company, 42 Commando Royal Marines, Thursday 27th November 2008. he was my age(20 at the time of his death)

RIP Tony,and to everyone else in past conflicts who passed, never forgotten

It’s when I see photos like the one above and I see all the people in their early 20’s – so around my age … the first thing that comes to mind is that they were probably so brave and now they’re never going to get the chance to do things they thought of, they’ve gone at such a young age – which isn’t really an age to die at …

Poppy sellers were out in force today in town – Air Cadets were on the market square and outside Waitrose and a couple of gents spaced around the place.

I did give my details one year to a Poppy Appeal stand at a country fair – never heard a peep back from them!…

Quite powerful memorials there.
Nice photos.

You placed a poppy for Steve that night. The BoB Memorial has a much greater presence at night and when it’s festooned with poppies it’s a powerful sight.

Taken that night (ignore the watermark date):

Same place but different occasion though I may well have shed some water that night too.

And not just up the back wall of the MOD building ;D

Bruggen 130
So young what a waste of lives, will mankind ever learn?It chokes me up and makes me angry everytime I here of another death.

Poppy

Yes. Once. At the Battle of Britain memorial on the embankment. But i wasn’t crying for anyone on there. I was crying for someone who’d sponsored one name and who was never to see it. I placed a poppy there for him and from him.

I have had a poppy on here and there since getting one with my second donation (the first I just put in my loose change but didn’t feel it was enough so declined a poppy). Mostly I’ve not been wearing it; it just hasn’t quite fitted in with my week. It’ll be worn on Sunday when I take my time out to go somewhere.

Perhaps the reason there are less sellers in town are because there are less volunteers. Phone up the local person in charge and get your name down for next year. I did it a couple of times in the past and got a box in at work (and pointed it out to all my customers, very successful collection that). I mentioned it to a mate and he was amazed he’d not thought about it. he collected quite a lot too. Do it and spread the word.

The same thing happend to me on a trip to London a couple of years ago,
we just walked up to Westminster Abbey and were confronted by the sight
of thousands of Poppys on the the greens, when I stopped crying I took this.

Yes. Once. At the Battle of Britain memorial on the embankment. But i wasn’t crying for anyone on there. I was crying for someone who’d sponsored one name and who was never to see it. I placed a poppy there for him and from him.

Taken that night (ignore the watermark date):

Battle of Britain Monument, London by shuttleworthpix, on Flickr

Battle of Britain Monument, London by shuttleworthpix, on Flickr

I won’t mention anything about what happened to the back wall of the MOD.

Whilst not getting too far away from the subject, I would just like to say that being a Polish immigrant in Lincolnshire ain’t always a barrel of laughs either.

This week a considerable amount of resource has been utilised in unravelling a quite nasty racially motivated attack on a Polish family.

Elements of this included a lady getting her face repeatedly bashed against a kerb stone.

Makes me proud to be British……….

You can never be certain of anything though, about 3 weeks back a couple of Polish lads took a severe beating in our town, much outrage on local forum and press, the police tracked down and arrested the perpetrators who turned out to be Romanian, sad old world isn’t it?

Andy that just shows the bigotry and lack of respect for all by the underclasses that inhabit our country. Its sad to think so many died to give this freedom we have for them to them to roam about. To me they are no better than the “Brownshirts” of the Fatherland.
I was in a asian corner shop today and the staff were all wearing poppies unlike the majority of their customers. To all I never judge a man by his colour, creed or nationality but by his actions

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.

Whilst not getting too far away from the subject, I would just like to say that being a Polish immigrant in Lincolnshire ain’t always a barrel of laughs either.

This week a considerable amount of resource has been utilised in unravelling a quite nasty racially motivated attack on a Polish family.

Elements of this included a lady getting her face repeatedly bashed against a kerb stone.

Makes me proud to be British……….

Jim, as I mentioned last time you’re obviously in the wrong part of Lincolnshire, look at the fantastic resources they have http://www.ahleducation.org.uk/

In the next two weeks I’m hosting 4 school visits at Newark Air Musuem, two of which are from schools in Lincolnshire – both doing World War II, Remembrance and Evacuees etc. 😉

Howard, Yes, your right, however, I have never rated South Lincs, I know there was a WW1 & 2 Airfield at Sutton Bridge, and there is nothing left to see apart from a factory site, and office blocks etc. I have an old sepia photo of bi planes at S.B. I really must look it up, as I would like to know the make of the aircraft thereon.If I find it, (It’s Post Card size), I will get a few copies run off and send one to you.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Out of curiosity, I don’t know if any of you have experienced this also, but a few years ago around this time I went to London with my University classmates and a friend of mine and me both stood at the War Memorial where all the poppies were laying and without any intention of considering it or even thinking it, my friend and I just both burst into tears and suddenly this massive feeling of graciousness and respect alongside this feeling of sadness I guess I should call it … It was quite peculiar because I wasn’t even thinking of sadness, I was thinking in my head of such respect for the fallen …

Yes. Once. At the Battle of Britain memorial on the embankment. But i wasn’t crying for anyone on there. I was crying for someone who’d sponsored one name and who was never to see it. I placed a poppy there for him and from him.

I have had a poppy on here and there since getting one with my second donation (the first I just put in my loose change but didn’t feel it was enough so declined a poppy). Mostly I’ve not been wearing it; it just hasn’t quite fitted in with my week. It’ll be worn on Sunday when I take my time out to go somewhere.

Perhaps the reason there are less sellers in town are because there are less volunteers. Phone up the local person in charge and get your name down for next year. I did it a couple of times in the past and got a box in at work (and pointed it out to all my customers, very successful collection that). I mentioned it to a mate and he was amazed he’d not thought about it. he collected quite a lot too. Do it and spread the word.

The scale is the problem, surely? We simply cannot accommodate EVERYONE who wants to come and some will have far better reasons for coming than others. It has to be a selective system.

Immigration is an interesting subject.
When you consider how many immigrants have fought and died for OUR country then you realise maybe we have a duty to find a home for them. Great Britain was one of the few countries to offer sanctuary to the Jews leading up to the second world war. On reflection i’m glad we did. At the end of the day we are all immigrants one way or another.

There are usually 3 RBL positions in town and have been for as long as I have donating and taking a poppy here. Today only one. The veteran did not know why and seemed resigned to the fact that I was the umpteenth person who had made the same comment.:(

This year I bought my poppy and badge in ALDI. They have never allowed any charity collections in that store since it opened no matter what the cause until this.

Interesting that you say that, our local one not only sells Spitfire ale but every year has the Wings appeal collection, probably at the discretion of the local store manager.

If you’re quoting from ‘Horace’s Odes’ or even the British female poet Jessie Pope then it’s a straight comment.

Book 3, Ode 2 🙂

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Out of curiosity, I don’t know if any of you have experienced this also, but a few years ago around this time I went to London with my University classmates and a friend of mine and me both stood at the War Memorial where all the poppies were laying and without any intention of considering it or even thinking it, my friend and I just both burst into tears and suddenly this massive feeling of graciousness and respect alongside this feeling of sadness I guess I should call it … It was quite peculiar because I wasn’t even thinking of sadness, I was thinking in my head of such respect for the fallen …

Jim, the ‘migrant situation’ is brilliant as you can draw parallels with evacuation. 🙂

I’ve really managed to get meaningful engagement with Polish and Romany young people – so much so with one group four ‘remote’ Polish boys became active participants by translating the Polish markings found on a couple of the museum exhibits – issues of non-engagement only happen when you let them!!