Tower of London Poppies

[Mrs Y]

If you've bought a ceramic poppy from the London installations how are you displaying yours?

Looking for some ideas?

Thank you

[uncleglen]

I would auction it on ebay and donate the money to the British legion or other military charity

[Convex]

I thought a deep frame would look nice?

[bonniebird]

Inside a glass vase and put "lid" on the top

[Ladygooner]

I don't think Ebay are allowing people to sell them on their site

[Sue]

My brother-in-law has one (and also helped "plant" them) and my sister had it framed for him for Christmas.

It's in quite a large deep frame with quite a large border and glass on the front, if that makes sense.

[Davis]

Mrs Y Wrote:

'If you've bought a ceramic poppy from the London installations how are you displaying yours? Looking for some ideas?'

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Why you would buy a poppy? What is it that you think you are supporting?

[steveo]

Possibly because they are red and rather attractive

[Davis]

.

[Sue]

Davis Wrote:

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>

>

> Why you would buy a poppy? What is it that you

> think you are supporting?

Maybe you like to remember the number of young men and women who died (mainly) fighting for their country in a war (and other wars) they had no choice in?

Maybe you like to occasionally remember to be grateful for the relative freedom we have in our lives, thanks to people like them who did not have much of a life, and the little they had was short?

Just a thought.

I found the Tower installation very moving, and I would have bought a poppy, but by the time I looked they were sold out.

[Blah Blah]

Well said Sue.

[Alan Medic]

http://www.wiganlatics.co.uk/news/article/14-11-07-statement-regarding-james-mcclean-2070059.aspx

On the other hand there is this footballer's view.

[adonirum]

Very well said, Sue.

[ernesto]

Davis Wrote:

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> Mrs Y Wrote:

>

> 'If you've bought a ceramic poppy from the London

> installations how are you displaying yours?

> Looking for some ideas?'

>

> ------------------------

>

>

> Why you would buy a poppy? What is it that you

> think you are supporting?

you seem to work hard at being the comedy voice of objectivity, yet fail repeatedly. Why do you do this ?

[Davis]

.

[Mick Mac]

Davis ...

And compare that to life under German rule..

Soldiers in WW1 and WW2 fought to defend our freedom - end of.

[Sue]

Davis, if you want to start a thread or threads on conscientious objectors, or the nature and futility of war, or the many civilian deaths in war, or the ways in which society, its laws and accepted behaviour change over time, or any other related matters, I'm sure there are plenty of people on here willing to take part in discussion, but I don't think this thread is the place to do it.

Just my view, however.

[Blah Blah]

We can challenge him Sue.

Davis you are showing no understanding of the times that people lived in. Conscription was compulsary. Men did refuse and ended up in Jail. Men who were already serving and refused were shot. In WWII some soldiers were too frigthened to fire their weapons. It's one of the reasons why we have smaller but more highly trained and selected armies today.

Yes some wars are unjust. Others are self defence. All wars are a waste of life and resources. But remembereance is about the plight of those ordinary men (and women). It is not about the monarchs, and governments that sent them to their deaths. They were incredibly brave, all of them on all sides, and it is the bravery we honour, and the sacrifice. It really doesn't matter if the cause was just or not.

Incidentally, it was the lack of respect shown to the German fallen that in part left Adolf Hitler so angry after WW1, and that sentiment was not only his.

Also I think there are some valid comments you make on fresdom etc but WW1 and WW2 were reactions to aggressors determined to invade the whole world (if they could) and impose a totalitarian regime. Or do you think we should have let the Kaiser invade France, and North Afica? Or the Nazi regime invade all of Europe. Yes women and homosexuals etc were not equal, but no-one apart from Germany was gassing peolple.

[LadyDeliah]

I don't do poppies either, for many of the same reason as Davis.

In my mind they glorify war, or at a minimum, excuse the elite for sending poor mothers' kids to be killed and maimed and to kill & maim other mothers' kids in other countries.

When I see war mongers like Blair, Thatcher and even Cameron wearing a poppy when their hands are covered in blood, it makes me want to smash their patronising, smug faces in.

But that's just my opinion and I get that most of you hold a different opinion.

[Sue]

I don't see the poppies as some sort of political statement.

Each poppy which was "planted" at the Tower represented one person who was killed.

Each evening (I think at sundown) a list of names of those people was read out, finally ending on the last day of "planting". Those people were people like your family, friends and neighbours who died before they "should" have, in many cases in horrific circumstances and in great suffering.

You can choose to diminish (in my opinion) the remembrance of those deaths by letting the poppies remind you of what/who ultimately caused the deaths, and that the war (or other wars) should never have happened, or the smugness of some of those who wear them, or whatever.

But at the end of the day they are a reminder of what those individual people did, and what we owe to them now.

And for the avoidance of doubt - I have never voted Tory in my life and I can't stand the smugness of many politicians either, but I think it's very easy to stand on the sidelines and say you wouldn't involve a country in war when a) you are not placed in that position and have to make an absolutely awful decision which you know in advance is going to cause bloodshed b) are not privy to all the relevant facts. As indeed you might not even be if you had to make the decision, though you might think you were.

By all means diss the poppies and don't wear one, but maybe take a moment to look beyond the political (for want of a better word) issues and see the connection with the individuals who they are honouring.

I didn't wear one for years, for similar reasons to those who still don't probably, but 9/11 brought home to me what was at stake and it was the first time I really "got" what the poppies were about.

[Otta]

I think Poppies are good. But I do agree with LadyD about seeing the politicians wearing them with grim expressions plastered on their faces. This is not a dig at the Tories, they're all as bad.

Gordon Brown used to carry it off pretty well, but he had a lot on his mind so it's no surprise the grim expression looked genuine.

[LadyDeliah]

The poppies planted do not represent all the people who died, just our people who died and that, in my opinion is part of the problem.

[Sue]

Well, maybe, but we are living in this country and so did they.

Like the war memorials around the country, it's honouring our own country's dead.

There are all sorts of points like that which could be made, but the fact is those poppies are remembering people who died.

If you want something to remember every person on every "side" who has died in every war since time began, you would need a bloody (pun intended) large area of ground and f-ing millions of poppies.

There was nothing to stop somebody having a separate project to include the dead of every country who fought in WWI, if they felt so strongly about it.

I can't see how one country honouring their own dead somehow detracts from remembering the equally tragic death of people from other countries.

[StraferJack]

I know people who lost family in the wars, good people who gave their lives. And I mean NO disrespect to anyone in that situation.

And isolation, remembering the fallen in the 2 world wars is a good thing - but it's become something for all fallen soldiers now hasn't it?

The best way to remember the dead and care for families and children would be to not make the same mistakes again and again surely

When we have stopped doing that then we will have earned the right to use rememberance day as contemplation on those who died

As it is it's a bit like lazy Catholics going to confession every week and saying sorry for sins they repeat over and over - because there is always the "moment of reflection"

Sue - how dit 9/11 change it for you? If anything it crystallised the futility of rememberance when we let one act of terrorism in another country dictate our military spending (in lives and money) for the next 15 years. And that's just thinkning about this country - never mind the innocents abroad

Poppies to me now signify, not the fallen from 2 world wars, defending this country from an invading army, but the bogus

furrowed brow of those in power, showing themselves as thoughtful and caring when their actions are the complete opposite

[Mrs Y]

Thank you to those who replied with their suggestions, I will leave the rest of you to fight it out. Nice to have the freedom to write on such a forum.