I found this interesting reading that 2 old war heroes can look at things so differently but who can say who is right or wrong. Oh and keep any daft Celtic comments to your selfs. Remembrance Sunday 2nd Sunday in November is a day to commemorate the contribution of British military and civilian servicemen and women in all wars and conflicts Armistice Day which coincides with Remembrance Day 11th November (also known as Poppy Day) is a memorial day observed in Britain since the end of the First World War to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty. This year, with the centenary of the First World War, the theme of remembrance is more prevalent than perhaps it has ever been since the end of that conflict. And, in particular, people have been talking about wearing poppies – a symbol of remembrance – and debating whether there should be a requirement for people, particularly those in the public eye, to sport them. Some argue that the red poppy has become politicised and is used to glorify or justify the decision to go to war. Harry Leslie Smith, a veteran of the second world war, explained in The Guardian that he would no longer wear the poppy for that reason, writing: “I will no longer allow my obligation as a veteran to remember those who died in the great wars to be co-opted by current or former politicians to justify our folly in Iraq, our morally dubious war on terror and our elimination of ones right to privacy.” Others make the case that the poppies have become no more than the equivalent of a fashion accessory. A recent piece in The Telegraph, highlighting £150 silk scarves and £79.99 cufflinks – made from artillery shells recovered from the battlefields – asks: “Is poppy chic going too far?” Many have pointed out that wearing a poppy – or not wearing one – is not necessarily synonymous with respect or gratitude for the service of the Armed Forces. When the newsreader Jon Snow was criticised in 2006 for not wearing a poppy, he responded in a blogpost: “I do not believe in wearing anything that represents any kind of statement. I respect our Armed Forces, the sacrifice and the loss, and like others I remember them on Remembrance Sunday. Thats the way it is.” His view is similar to that of ITV London presenter Charlene White, who faced a similar backlash to her decision not to wear a poppy. She writes in a blog: “I support and am patron of a number of charities and I am uncomfortable with giving one of those charities more on-screen time than others. I prefer to be neutral and impartial on-screen so that one of those charities doesn’t feel less favoured than another.” However, not everyone supports this view. Harry Puttick, 85, a veteran who is now a Chelsea Pensioner, said this week of television presenters that refused to wear a poppy: “They should be sacked. It’s a mark of disrespect.”
Posted on: Tue, 11 Nov 2014 09:40:24 +0000