Poppies appear on Greenwich borough leisure centres
Poppies have been painted onto Greenwich leisure centres to commemorate Remembrance Day this coming Monday.
These photos were taken at the Eltham Centre.
Some people had asked for Remembrance Days crossings after pride and black history month though after discussions between British Legion and Greenwich Council it was felt to be better to put up poppies on lampposts and signs on council buildings.
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I have never seen this happen any other year and cannot help and wonder if this is a publicity stunt by Greenwich Council as we have a General Election next month.
The support from the Council after the callous murder of Lee Rigby in Woolwich Barracks and general support of our armed forces from Greenwich Council despite Woolwich being a Garrison Town for hundreds of years has been absolutely disgusting and non existent,
They offer no real support to homeless soldiers and other Armed Forces Personnel who have since left the Forces and fallen on hard times. There is no priority housing schemes for ex-Armed Forces Personnel in the Borough which their should be as a Garrison Town.
People will not be fooled by this late show of support to our armed forces passed and present.
Indeed. One need only look at how rapidly the town fell apart after the Army was deployed to Germany in ’89. For years the Woolwich of the early 90s was one of charity or discounted VHS places, a far cry from a high street that boasted Cuffs, RACS and Church’s Shoes. While Arsenal may have stolen our football heritage, Woolwich boasted the Arsenal itself. Preserved and kept as a working attraction it would have been a major tourism and learning experience, particularly with role-playing elements.
Painting crossings and putting up poppies are temporary, an expensive but quickly-removable form of lip-service that they believe will get them the votes they need. I do like the idea of priority housing for homeless ex-servicemen, but unless it could be monetized I doubt the council would even consider it.
Quite garish actually. The poppy should be a quiet symbol of remembrance not turned into this kind of display. It has too many links to wars beyond World War Two just to make it a simple, innocent symbol. For many in various parts of the world it represent the army that terrorised and colonised their countries, some of which are still under that same occupation. The Council has done nothing to stop the kind of wars that fed into the evil that led to the murder of Lee Rigby. This is just adding to the ignorance of what war, death, occupation and the military really means.
No matter what Greenwich had done there would have been complaints from someone, so I think what they have done is fair.
What would you like Greenwich to do?
Realist About War.
You know what you are.
Hopefully a citizen and taxpayer who is raising a valid point of view in a public forum, with the hope that it will be met with broadminded discussion. The poppy symbolises not only those of the Silent Generation but also soldiers deployed to places such as Northern Ireland. These aren’t faraway wars of liberation, but more recent actions that claimed lives on both sides, and have more immediate resonance.
A citizen may disagree with meaning of the poppy, just as a citizen may disagree with the commercialisation of Christmas. Until we begin shaming or forcing people to partake in our remembrances or celebrations, we should respect their right to disagree.
For my part, I wear a poppy in honour of those who fell in the just wars of 1914-18 and 1939-45. I also encourage my young nephews and nieces to observe the silence by explaining to them the significance of the moment.
It is good to see Greenwich Council installing poppies on their buildings for Remembrance Day on Monday 11th November.
Two minutes silence will take place at 11 am across the Borough to remember members of our Armed Forces which have fallen in previous wars and more recent conflicts.
Please also pay your respects to our brave men and women of the Armed Forces which are still serving in conflicts around the world to keep us all free and safe.