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Royal British Legion

December 7, 2020

Minister accused of breaking ministerial code to push through Overseas Operations Bill

Critics say the bill disregards the human rights of both armed forces personnel and civilians.
November 2, 2020

BBC says presenters may wear poppies of any colour

The statement was welcomed by the Peace Pledge Union which produces white poppies in remembrance of all victims of war, a commitment to peace and a rejection of militarism.
October 17, 2019

Poll finds majority of public want to remember all nationalities on Remembrance Sunday

An opinion poll has found that 83 per cent of UK adults agree that Remembrance Sunday should involve remembering people of all nationalities who have died in war.
October 16, 2017

White poppy sales rise as British Legion criticised over exclusion of civilians

The Royal British Legion is facing renewed criticism over its refusal to commemorate civilian victims of war on Remembrance Day. Launching this year's white poppy campaign, the Peace Pledge Union said that high white poppy sales in recent years were in part due to growing unease with the Legion’s approach.
November 11, 2015

My Name is Legion: The British Legion and the control of Remembrance
November 6, 2015

Remembrance Day: Why should former soldiers have to rely on charity?

I recently blogged about how the Royal British Legion – who produce the red poppy – insist that Remembrance Day should honour only the British military dead.
October 28, 2015

Who is the red poppy designed to remember? The answer might surprise you

Many people in the UK wear a red poppy at this time of year out of a laudable desire to honour and remember the victims of war.
November 18, 2014

The uses of memory: looking beyond chocolate bars

The Blood Swept Land and Seas of Red installation is gone from the Tower of London. The disputes over white poppies and the British Legion's misuse of Eric Bogle's 'Green Fields of France' have died away. But in this centenary year of the start of the first World War, there is much remembering – both honest and contrived – still to be done.
November 11, 2014

How ought war to be remembered in schools?

'How ought war to be remembered in schools?' is the question David Aldridge asks in the journal Impact, published by the Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain. It is well worth reading alongside Ekklesia's report on 'Re-imagining Remembrance' (www.ekklesia.co.uk/research/reimagining_remembrance).
November 6, 2014

Remembrance and truth-telling

I once heard it said that we will never stop going to war until we have the courage to admit that many of the lives lost are simply wasted, sacrificed for nothing. This is a terrible thing to admit, especially for the bereaved, but if it will prevent other young lives being wasted, isn’t it our duty to face the truth?