Let's avoid making the humble poppy a far-right symbol

Perhaps I have been living under a rock, but neither I nor my friends knew that the symbolic poppy has been appropriated by the far right, as Neil Mackay explains in his article “The poppy has been hijacked by the far right – this is why I won’t wear it” (November 6).

Personal family history with war and sacrifice

My recently deceased father survived the Normandy landings. His father was wounded at Passchendaele by a shell and was evacuated to the Netley receiving hospital on Southampton Water. Despite his injuries, he refused to have his legs amputated. After treatment at 12 other hospitals, he returned to Passchendaele to fight in all weather, wearing his kilt. When he passed away, he still carried a piece of shrapnel dangerously close to his spine and had a hole in his buttock large enough for a fist.

Neil Mackay: Why I can't risk wearing a poppy this year

My mother’s boyfriend died with all hands when HMS Kite was torpedoed in 1944—a fact my father had only recently shared with me. This loss deeply affected her throughout her life. This illustrates the dedication and courage of those who went to war to protect our democracy and country.

My father instilled in us the importance of supporting the Earl Haig Fund and wearing the poppy as a symbol of remembrance, with the words, “Lest we forget.” I recall him standing at attention, tears in his eyes, observing the minute’s silence every year at eleven o’clock on the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

Author’s summary

The poppy symbolizes profound sacrifice and unity, and we should protect its meaning from political misuse while honoring those who fought for our freedom.

The Herald — 2025-11-07