WHITE POPPIES

RED POPPIES are widely available in the city.

From the BBC Website:

Remembrance Sunday is approaching and poppies are on sale to raise money for the Royal British Legion.    But what is the etiquette when it comes to wearing one?

1. Should you wearone?  
The poppy commemorates those who have died in war. The tradition was started by American teacher Moina Bell Michael, who sold silk poppies to friends to raise money for the ex-service community. In 1920 the poppy was proclaimed the national emblem of remembrance in the US, and in the UK, the first poppy day was in 1921. Last year Britons bought 26m poppies, but others choose not to.    Channel 4 newsreader Jon Snow famously refuses to wear one on air, reportedly saying he does not want to bow to "poppy fascism''.

2. What colour towear- red, white or purple?
Red is most popular, but the lesser-seen white poppy dates from 1933, when the Women's Co-operative Guild wanted a lasting symbol for peace and an end to all wars. But the Royal British Legion refused to be associated with their manufacture, and so the Co-operative Wholesale Society took on production. The intention was not to offend the memory of those who died in the Great War, but many veterans felt white poppies undermined their contribution and the lasting meaning of the red poppy. Feelings ran so high that some women lost their jobs in the 1930s for wearing white poppies. Critics argue the red poppy already encompasses the sentiments of white one, which they say also diverts funds for the Royal British Legion. The Peace Pledge Union, which now distributes the white poppies, estimates that 50,000 were sold in 2006. It says the Royal British Legion has been asked twice to manufacture white poppies and has refused on both occasions. A Royal British Legion spokesman says it has no objection to any group expressing its views. There are also purple poppies, worn to remember the animal victims of war and sold by animal charities.

From the BBC News Magazine