THE POPPY

Hokitika Guardian, 27 December 1929, Page 7

THE POPPY

(By Admiral of the Fleet, Karl Jellicoe.) LOATHLY, Nov. 11. “Honour the Lend, Serve the Living,” the motto oi the British Legion, is to-day the motto of the country. The anniversary of Armistice Day is the opportunity of all who realise that sacrifice begets sacrifice. The Day of Remembrance is also the day of reckoning, in the sense that men broken in the wars, and widows and orphans bereaved by the war, have a ola.in on all who have survived the war. Throughout the country, in large cities and remote hamlets, the glorious dead are honoured to-day at the shrines known as war memorials where the names of those who fell are carved in stone. To-day is Poppy Day, the day when the power of the poppy means the power of the purse. By purchasing poppies generously the British people serves the broken soldier and the widows and orphans of those who have died that the nation may live. * . * X -K

Among the V.C.’s who 'Attended the wonderful dinner at the House of Lords on Saturday evening were many men who, having won the “Most Enviable Order of Chivalry,” have to bear the cross of straitened circumstances, men who find it not easy to got work, men who have given much but get little. AYo must help these men, if only out of a sense of duty and decency. The Prince of Wales is patron of the British Legion which is endeavouring to make the poppy an emblem of plenty. But he is more tlian that, lie is the life and soul of the Legion and the ex-Sorvice community. 1 am often asked what the Legion does with all the money raised by the sale of poppies. On Saturday 1 replied to this query in general terms, and I now gladly take this opportunity which the “Daily Mail” has so kindly afforded me to deal in more detailed manner with the various activities hqlped by Poppy Day. Since the British Legion was formed in June, 1921, up to September 30, 1923, no less than £2,140,827 has been raised by the Earl Haigli British Legion Appeal. What has happened to this large sum?

The sum mentioned is the gross amount. To arrive at the net amount available for the work of the Legion we must • deduct the cost of poppies and wreaths, amounting to £306,795.

-X- -X- #• * , , This may seem a large sum, out when it is remembered that by means of it to-day no fewer than 326 exServicemen, with an average disability of over 70 per cent, are employed the whole year round making poppies, and that but for this employment they would be out of work, no one, I feel sure, will desire to cavil at the amount. In addition, £153,253 must be deducted to cover the cost of organising the various appeals, the cost being made up of printing, stationery, package, transport, warehouse charges rent, rates, wages, and salaries—not a big sum spread over eight years. We are left then with a net sum of a little over one and two-thirds millions pounds, which since 1921 lias Ibeen expended in the following principal directions. £1,126,278 lias been spent in direct relief of destitution due to unemployment. This work has been carried out by over 2,890 voluntary committees distributed throughout England Wales and Ireland (Scotland possesses an entirely independent organisation and the money raised and expended by the) Scottish Legion is not included in the figures I am giving.) Thousands upon thousands of men and their families have lieen tided over bad times; and in many cases literally saved from desperation, by the money thus expended. Relief is given in the form of vouchers for food or fuel, and every endeavour is made to see that relief is given in as permanent a form as possible—namely, by assisting a man to get back into employment or to add by some means or other to his livelihood. Hero is a typical instance of the kind of help the Legion gives: An ex-Servioo man, an M.A., discharged from hospital, had no home to which to go and was literally destitute. The Legion stepped in and supplied board and lodging. The man subsequently obtained employment with a firm of publishers (reaumg and translating), but before taking pp his job had to be clothed by the Legion, as after three and a half years in hospital his garments were few and scanty. '1 he man is truly thankfur and writes to say that he is earning, £2 per week, “which will enable me at least to live, anti now that 1 have my foot once again on the ladder l shall mount once more by my own ability and exertions.” " -X- * * -X----£75,03!) has been spent in erecting homes for disabled ex-Service men, a work which is now being admirably carried on by the Douglas Haig Memorial Trustees. Let me give just one instance of the inestimable value of tlipse homes: Ait ex-service man with both legs off was living with his wife in a crowded basement. He became so depressed that his neighbours feared for his reason. Now he, is comfortably housed in one of the Legion homes and lias a little garden in which, despite his limbless condition, he is able to work, lie is now restored to his normal happy self. •£172,315 lias /been spent in assisting ex-olliceis and their dependents.

This is additional to disbursements from funds raised hv the Officers’ Association before the Legion was formed. 'Flie education of the orphan children is one of the main directions in which this money has been expended.

£44,527 has gone to the building up of that wonderful tubercular .settlement at Preston Hall, near Maidstone, where 150 men, all of whom have suffered from tuberculosis, now earn an independent livelihood and live a happy and healthy existence with their wives and families. £56,405 has been devoted to the development of the poppy factory and to the erection of adjoining flats where the most hadlv disabled employees are now housed. Think of the blessing to a man who has lost both his legs to live next door to the place where he works instead of having to go many miles by tube, omnibus, or traimvay-car to his place ol residence.

£139,064 has been spent in assisting to finance the general work of the Legion, which comprises advice on pensions, representation at the Pension Appeal Courts up and down the country, and that most important side of our activities, the finding of work for our unemployed comrades.

The larger portion of the balance remaining has been spent in assisting migration and in grants to othe) bodies, such as the various disabled ex-Serviee industries, and under this latter heading was a recent grant of £IO,OOO to the ’F.nham village which, with other grants at various periods, makes a total of £17,000 to that wellknown centre for limbless and shellshocked ex-Sorvice men.

Every penny of expenditure is carefully watched and scrupulously checked.' Full balance sheets are published, together with the Legion’s annual reports, which are widely distributed. Despite the generous response of the public a the most careful discrimination at headquarters, the distress is still so great that we have had to refuse help to many deserving cases because our funds are depleted.

I hope, therefore, that all who read this will give generously to-day and so enable us to carry on Lord Haig’s great work not only undiminished but with increasing effectiveness.