This country has been involved directly in wars for the past 13 years, wars which have become increasingly unpopular at home, and which have failed even in the most basic of their declared aims. This was the ‘war to end all wars’, conducted at a catastrophic level of human loss and suffering, with millions bereaved, physically or mentally injured.īut instead of starting a period of peace, the war marked the beginning of a century of war and the development of nuclear weapons.
The red poppy was adopted to commemorate the First World War, the flower chosen because of its frequent appearance in the barren wastes of the killing fields of France and Belgium. While many people buy the red poppy to support soldiers returning from war, the best way of protecting their interests is to stop sending them into these disastrous conflicts in the first place. We do so not because we feel the suffering of those who died or were bereaved any less, everyone agrees that we should commemorate the sacrifice.īut we fear that in remembering the First World War, too many people in government and the military are using the compassion that people feel to justify present and future wars. Many of us instead wear a white poppy, the symbol of peace. Poppies are flown thousands of miles so correspondents from Washington to Hong Kong are able to be seen wearing them.īut there are growing numbers of people who refuse to join in. This hard sell is urged on by broadcast media where it seems that everyone is compelled to wear the red poppy on camera. There will be military bands playing at main line rail stations, poppy brooches on sale in department stores, trays of poppies at every supermarket checkout. Over the next few weeks everyone will be encouraged to buy and wear a red poppy.
That work has been done in conjunction with the Fields of Mud and Seeds of Hope project, with Dan Metcalf, Jeanne Mundy and Joe Priestley.People buy the red poppy to support soldiers returning from war, but the best way to protect their interests is to stop sending them into these disastrous conflicts
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In a further development, metal silhouettes produced to mark the centenary of the end of World War One have been mounted at Hell Wath nature reserve, following years in storage.Ĭllr Martin has worked to acquire a license to have them installed at the site which is owned by Tarmac and was the country’s largest military training ground in WW1, with 30,000 troops on site. He has provided support from his localities budget towards a fundraising concert, which raises the funds needed to ensure the displays can be repeated annually. Ripon is a military town and 300 of today’s troops will be present for a Remembrance Sunday service in the Spa Gardens, where Cllr Martin will also attend as County Council chairman, followed by a further service at the Cathedral, where the second of Ripon’s two war memorials is situated.Īnecdotal evidence from businesses in the area suggested they benefitted from the presence of visitors who travelled to pay their respects, he said. Without them, we would not be able to do the things we do and it is important to remember them.” Installing the display annually is a task which requires almost military precision - with volunteers from the Ripon Community Poppy Project, set up with assistance from Cllr Martin and residents Hazel Barker and Carol Dunkley.ĭisplays have been installed around the town and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service staff volunteered to help get the blooms to some of the more hard-to-reach locations.Ĭllr Martin said: “Those who made the sacrifice we remember gave us the freedom we have today. It is an impressive sight and was made possible through a ‘viral’ online campaign several years ago which saw knitted poppies donated from worldwide locations alongside widespread support from the local community. Within the last few days, North Yorkshire’s chairman Cllr Stuart Martin - who helps to ensure the display survives by providing support towards fundraising from his localities budget - has spoken to people in town from Cheshire and Lockerbie, visiting specifically to view the display. The town is currently decked with around 65,000 poppies, mostly knitted, which are there as a visible recognition to those who gave their lives in the two World Wars and other conflicts.īut like the Tower of London poppy installations which marked the centenary of WW1, Ripon’s display now attracts visitors from many miles away.
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