Yes folks, it's time for another of Pub Philosopher's annual rituals - the 'Buy a Poppy' post.
Harry Patch must be busier now than he has been for some years. As one of the last surviving soldiers of the First World War, he gets roped in to any event or TV programme about the war or remembrance. It is fitting that Harry, the last British Passchendaele veteran, launched this year's Poppy Appeal on Saturday.
Wearing a poppy is a public expression of your appreciation for the sacrifices made by the armed forces. At a time when military personnel are under attack from stupid and small minded people like this, it is all the more important to demonstrate your support.
It doesn't matter whether you think the military interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan were right. I have reservations about both. The soldiers went because, for better or worse, our elected representatives told them to. They are doing their duty and we should not take out our feelings about these wars on them. One day, you might need these people too.
A poppy is also a sign to those who lived through the war that you still give a damn. Even people my parents' age who were kids at the time did their bit, sitting under a shower of bombs, taking punches that would otherwise have been landed on the RAF. It is right that we should show our appreciation for those who gave up the best years of their lives to fight in jungle or desert so that we can be free today.
If you're still not convinced, read this moving poem by Don Crawford called Why Wear A Poppy.
Ha! That got you didn't it?
Go on, put a couple of quid in the box and buy a poppy. It's not much to ask for sixty years of freedom, is it?
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