Posted by David Lennick on November 1, 2009, 6:55 pm
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Is there a protocol for how and where to wear a poppy? I've been wearing them since the fifties and have never heard until today that you're supposed to pin it on your left side (shirt front, lapel). A cadet selling them said he'd been instructed that this was proper procedure. The cadet beside him had his pinned on the right. Anyone ever hear of this? Seneel (sp?) Joshi has his pinned on the left, I just noticed.

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Posted by RW on November 1, 2009, 7:28 pm, in reply to "Poppy Protocol..a bit off topic"
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"never heard until today that you're supposed to pin it on your left side" Someone once said "Wear it over your heart" but most others are just glad to see people wearing poppies period, from what I understand.

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Posted by CKLWlover on November 1, 2009, 8:34 pm, in reply to "Re: Poppy Protocol..a bit off topic"
207.161.132.131 | Message modified by user CKLWlover November 1, 2009, 8:43 pm

The Poppy should be worn on the left lapel, as close to the heart as possible. I must say I'm highly impressed that you asked, and care enough to do it correctly. The second Cadet who made the error and pinned it on your right side must have been new. Wearing a Poppy has always meant a great deal to me .. going right back to maybe grade one, when I first started to hear why a Poppy is worn and what & who it represents. I've been attending Remembrance Day Ceremonies for over 40 years ... without fail, every single year except one about 25 years ago. That time, I had been out late the night before and decided I would watch the service from Ottawa on the CBC. Well, I watched all right ... I watched hundreds of veterans, some being pushed in wheelchairs, some limping, some much, much older than me, and many that had known deprivation, and heart accelerating terror beyond my wildest nightmares. It was a cold, windy morning in Ottawa and there was a mixture of snow and drizzle while the veterans were marching to the cenotaph. Frankly, I felt like a real piece of work ... so I'd had a little too much booze and late night, and here I was at home with a measly hang-over. Compared to the way those vets must have felt while marching in the sleet, I felt wonderful. I felt like a lazy scumbag, and have never missed a Remembrance Day Ceremony since, nor will I ever, as long as I'm able to get to the service. Remembrance Day is a time for people to reflect upon how we obtained what we enjoy today. Two minutes is all it takes, once per year. I think of one of my grandfathers at Vimy Ridge, wounded once by German machine gun fire, and how he was hit a second time by shrapnel from artillery fire as he lay on a stretcher at the Field Hospital awaiting first aid for the gunshot wound. I think of my step-father going on the beach at Dieppe with the Royal Regiment of Canada from Toronto ... then going back again to hit the beach on D-Day, and then participate in the liberation of hundreds of thousands of starving people in Holland. I also think of my friends and acquaintances that have gone on Peace Keeping missions or served in the Canadian Armed Forces and failed to survive action or accidents. There is a superb song which describes my thoughts perfectly ... "Its a Pittance Of Time" by Terry Kelly. Here's a link on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4NZsD0zjAQ I hope you'll give some thought to taking in the ceremonies this year.

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Posted by Lorne on November 1, 2009, 9:31 pm, in reply to "Poppy Protocol..a bit off topic"
70.27.9.245 | Message modified by user cwci November 2, 2009, 5:44 am

From http://www.legion.ca/Home/FAQ_e.cfm : How is the Poppy worn ? The Poppy is always worn on the left breast, close to the heart. In inclement weather, the lapel Poppy is worn on the left side of the outer garment. (My father is on the right side of the image below, from the TTC's Poppy Campaign Kick-Off event held this past Friday.)

Posted by David Lennick on November 1, 2009, 9:58 pm, in reply to "Re: Poppy Protocol..a bit off topic"
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"The second Cadet who made the error and pinned it on your right side must have been new." No, I was already wearing my poppy, where I've been pinning it forever, on my right lapel..I'd bought it at the first place I found selling them, a half hour earlier. And as I said, this is the first time anyone had ever pointed out that they should be worn on the left side. Never heard that in school, never had it mentioned by any vets selling them.

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Posted by Piker on November 1, 2009, 10:03 pm, in reply to "Poppy Protocol..a bit off topic"
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And the Poppy it supposed to be removed and not worn past midnite November 11th.

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Posted by ig on November 1, 2009, 10:56 pm, in reply to "Re: Poppy Protocol..a bit off topic"
99.226.65.140 | Message modified by user radioguy November 1, 2009, 10:59 pm

I've got about 500,000 people using a poppy application I put together on facebook a few years ago. These questions come up every year. Everyone thinks they're right, and it's an incredibly heated and passionate discussion. The three most common questions are where it can be worn, when it can be worn, and are poppies with the black or green center the real ones? I don't take sides because you can't win. I refer them to the Royal Canadian Legion: The Poppy Questions and Answers When can poppies be worn daily? The official start of the Poppy Campaign is the last Friday in October and runs until November 11. Presentations of the poppies to dignitaries - for example, the Governor General, the Lieutenant Governors and Premiers - are normally made in advance of the official campaign start date. The distribution of poppies to the general public commences on the last Friday of October and can be worn at any time after that date. Is it proper to wear a poppy to commemorative events at any point during the calendar year or should the poppy be worn only during the Poppy Campaign? Although it is tradition for the Poppy to be worn only during the annual Remembrance period, a person may wear a Poppy any time he or she wishes to do so. It is not unusual for Poppies to be worn at commemorative events throughout the year, particularly during Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) pilgrimages. The best approach is to follow the lead of the event organizers. If you are organizing the event, you can seek advice from VAC senior officials or the Royal Canadian Legion. How should the Poppy be worn? The Royal Canadian Legion suggests that the Poppy be worn on the left lapel of a garment or as close to the heart as possible. http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=teach_resources/poppy

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Posted by Scraps on November 2, 2009, 12:06 am, in reply to "Re: Poppy Protocol..a bit off topic"
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Hey, do whatever. You're wearing one. But, yeah, tradition says, left side, over your heart. At the same time, I sleep on my right side. Always have. And it's supposed to be better for your heart.

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Posted by David Lennick on November 2, 2009, 12:27 am, in reply to "Re: Poppy Protocol..a bit off topic"
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Everyone on CP24 was wearing it on the left this evening. As I say, it's interesting that I'd never heard or read about this, nor been corrected. As for sleeping on my right side, that works till my damn cat wants to plop herself down on my mid-section. "Go lie on the nice lady beside me", I say. "Nuts" sez the cat, "she piles the blankets too high and she snores."

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Posted by radiofreak on November 2, 2009, 12:32 am, in reply to "Re: Poppy Protocol..a bit off topic"
99.241.47.62 | Message modified by user beatles November 2, 2009, 12:32 am

Page 11 of this reference works as well, at least for the cadets in question (assuming they're Air because most are).

Link: Air Cadet Dress Regs

Posted by Bruce Marshall on November 2, 2009, 1:30 am, in reply to "Poppy Protocol..a bit off topic"
70.26.100.225

I think the real point is to wear one. Especially at a time when we have newly fallen soldiers in this campaign in Afghanistan. As broadcasters, we should be finding ways to weave the story of the poppy into content - and encourage it's use. Nothing pisses me off more than the "debate" over support for our troops. This isn't a political debate. It's supporting those whom we have sent to do a job on our behalf. Whether we support the decision we must always support the troops sent to execute those decisions. The darkest day of American history had to be the time when individual troops were subjected to scorn by people opposed to the Vietnam war. We should learn a valuable lesson from that about how to properly treat those who we send to do our shittiest jobs and who die in the execution of that work.

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Posted by g. g. on November 2, 2009, 5:41 am, in reply to "Re: Poppy Protocol..a bit off topic"
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Drivers who are frequently in & out of vehicles and who obey the law by wearing a seat belt, have long ago discovered the practicality of wearing the poppy on our baseball caps or toques

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Posted by ig on November 2, 2009, 10:30 am, in reply to "Re: Poppy Protocol..a bit off topic"
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Put this together last night based on an e-mail I got. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWsf76wG78g

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Posted by Don Andrews on November 2, 2009, 12:18 pm, in reply to "The Average British Soldier"
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Beautiful. -Don

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Posted by David Lennick on November 2, 2009, 7:21 pm, in reply to "Re: Poppy Protocol..a bit off topic"
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I moved mine to the left and had to rescue it a number of times, mostly from the seatbelt. So sorry fellas, it's back to the right side for me.

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Posted by Lorne on November 2, 2009, 7:30 pm, in reply to "Re: Poppy Protocol..a bit off topic"
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I spoke to my father about this issue earlier, and it turned out that he had put his on the right side of his jacket today for the same reason. And come to think of it, I have a friend whose heart is on her right side, so she'd really have reason to wear the poppy that way.

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