manroy's blog No 6

Posted by manroy | 2007-11-10 | Comments: (2) | Hits: 303

Hi Folks.
What a busy week this has been. In our branch of The Royal British Legion it's known as Poppy-Week.
For those who are not familiar with poppies and Remembrance Sunday, I'll explain.
Members and friends of the Legion set up stalls in the local supermarkets, the hospital, bingo hall and anywhere else they can get into to sell poppies to the public. Most of our sellers are quite old, even older than me, and some do not have the luxury of their own transport to get to and from their pitch, so I act as their free transport.
As the branch photographer, I have also been around all our vendors taking their photos. During the next week I shall be printing and handing out the photos to everyone concerned, free of charge. That is my contribution to Poppy-Week.
Poppies have been used as the symbol of Remembrance since the first world war 1914-1918 where so many men lost their lives in a poppy-filled field in Flanders.
The money collected goes into a Royal British Legion fund for helping ex service personnel and their families who are in need of furniture, a holiday, disability aids or anything else.
Tomorrow of course is Remembrance Sunday, the 11th of the 11th, and at 11am we will be observing a two minute silence. Then in the afrernoon at 2.30 or for the military minded 1430hrs we have a service in St David's Church, Merthyr. After which, we line up outside, behind the Salvation Army and march to the Cenotaph where we have an open-air service conducted by our Chaplain. On the way to the Cenotaph the parade passes a building with stone steps outside where the Lord Leiutenant, The Mayor and other dignitaries stand to take the salute. This is the position that I shall make my way to, in order to take my photographs. I shall be sending some of these photos to The Town Hall for the Mayor and anyone else who are in them, some will also go to the Merthyr Express, our local weekly newspaper, and of course to members of The RBL who will be on the march.
Ah here comes my wife Ena, with my medication and a cup of cocoa. I'll speak to you again next week.
Roy.