The annual fund-raising campaign to help support past members of the British armed forces is underway in Monaco and along the Riviera.
Readers who may consider becoming an active part in the local Poppy Appeal can call 0678633357 or gdfassoc@gmail.com, or write to the British Association of Monaco at bam@monaco.mc. Those who wish to contribute to the Royal British Legion may do so at the offices of Eric Blair (Blair SAM, 11 avenue St. Michel) or at St Paul’s Church during regular services. (22 avenue de Grande Bretagne).
The poppy is a well-known and well-established symbol, one that carries a wealth of history and meaning. During WW1, when much of the countryside was blasted, bombed and fought over repeatedly, there was a notable and striking exception to the bleakness – the bright red Flanders poppies.
These resilient flowers flourished in the middle of so much chaos and destruction, growing in the thousands upon thousands. Shortly after losing a friend in Ypres, a Canadian doctor, Lt Col John McCrae was moved by the sight of these poppies and that inspiration led him to write the now famous poem ‘In Flanders Field’ and the setting-up of the Poppy Appeal, which was an immediate success.
The Poppy Appeal persists to this day, not only in the UK but in Monaco and along the Riviera.
