To want a better-designed poppy?

[Dancergirl]

Every year I'm fed up with fiddling around attaching the pin, attaching the poppy, poppy falls out, pricking my fingers on the pin etc.

Surely it can't be difficult to design a poppy with a built-in safety pin, a sort of poppy badge sort of thing.

AIBU?

Hmm I'm not sure really, maybe they are so cheaply made so that they can maximise the profits. I usually just pop them through a button hole rather using the pin.

Have just bought a poppy pin badge (£2 min donation) for this very reason!

Oz poppies

The Australian poppies are synthetic with a twisty thing that you can put in your button hole, twist around a button etc..people get quite imaginative with them.

Um, I agree. It's a shite design.

I would love to wear a poppy but my DS is autistic and needs to be carried even though he is 3.5. I've found it to be a bit awkward when he tries to stab me in the eye with the pin.

I have always liked talking to the veterans about where they have served though, and thanking them

Does anyone know why they all seem to be men? DH's grandmother had a bloody dangerous job putting the searchlights up for planes and she is fully able to do what these men are doing at almost ninety. Most of the men in the shopping centre today had scooters but she manages without and fund-raises a huge amount every year.

Where are our brave women who served? They are never or rarely present, have you noticed?

Where do you get the pin badges from? I'm not allowed to wear the paper ones at work for h&s reasons.

Last year I got two with a sticky bit on the back.
They didn't stick very well to clothes, but one is still attached to DD1's chair.
They were being sold alongside the ones with pins and I think adults were getting pin ones and children were getting sticky ones.

I suspect it is down to profit, fair enough I guess.

The British legion do do an enamel lapel badge that clips on. It is smaller but does stand out on a coat etc really well. About £2.00 I think.

About women being ignored. We commented on this the other day when we went to London, just passed the centotaph is a lovely statue that acknowledges all the jobs women did in the wars. My DD and I spoke about it and how lovely it was and how much we owe to women. It is easier for me as we live on an army camp and my DD does see women in uniform regulalry so she knows women and men make sacrifices for our country.

I have a fantasic picture of DD with three ladies at last years homecoming parade - the three old ladies look amazing in their WW2 uniforms and medals, they actually spend much of their time being wined and dined at various British Legion, Army sponsored events as they are such a rare breed. They were all widows and told me they loved being around the amry 'hunks'

I think that is basically the reaons - most soldiers (perhaps all not sure) were men whilst women were land army, nurses, SOE etc not front line troops and although they are at parades etc they do not have uniforms or medals?

As an army wife I just feel so strongly about people like my wonderful grandma who got married, got pregnant and then saw her husband nearly five years later! In the meantime she kept everything going and held a full time job down - just incredible and she always said she just did what was needed and was not anything special - hmm I beg to differ.

You can get a range of pin badges and brooches from the British Legion website.

And all current service personnel, veterans or their relatives are welcome to get involved with the British Legion and other service organisations regardless of gender, they just need to contact their local branch. If they don't want to go along to the regular meetings they would still be made very welcome at parades and other events.

I want the ones they have on the X Factor! .... shiny

On a slightly different aspect my df was torpedoed twice and served, despite being 32 in 1939. He was an officer in the Merchant Navy and they get a mention at the Cenotaph somewhere behind the Fire Brigade. Most of the army wouldn't have arrived at the various theatres of war without the 'troopers'. Stupid of me to be upset, but I am.