How dare they call the poppy racist?
IN BEL Mooney’s moving defence of poppies, which a leading writer has condemned as ‘symbols of racism’ (Mail), she mentioned the Tower of London tribute. Six thousand of those ceramic poppies are now making up the Poppy Wave on Plymouth Hoe, which has been attracted 200,000 visitors to date. As a volunteer guide, I’ve not heard one of those people say the poppies are racist, a tribute to war or anything else derogatory. We’ve had school parties with children as young as six — not to be indoctrinated into thoughts of war, but to learn about remembrance and beauty. We’ve had wedding parties posing for memorable photos, and families and veterans from many different countries, all with their own stories to tell. Visitors are invited to leave their thoughts on cards. Perhaps some of the scorners should come and read them. Not one glorifies war, but we have messages such as the one from a 96-year-old lady, ‘To remember Daddy, who died at sea’; from a survivor, ‘To remember those who died in the Exeter blitz’; and from school children, who say the poppies are ‘calm and beautiful’. To my mind, the most moving tribute we have received is from 11-year-old Farshad from Afghanistan, who wrote: ‘Thank you to all the British soldiers who helped my country.’
JILL HASSALL, Plymouth, Devon.
I WEAR a poppy out of respect and recognition for all of the servicemen and women who have lost their lives and not because I am a supporter of war. In fact, wearing a poppy is a potent reminder of how dreadful war is. Unless you have stood in the war cemeteries in France and Belgium, you can’t understand the emotional effect of the rows and rows of gravestones in neat lines. you don’t stand there thinking about victory or defeat, all you can focus on is the scale of the loss of human life. The poppy should not be hijacked by those who seek to inflict their politics, prejudices and self-righteous views on us.
Mrs S. BALDWIN, Bristol.