The Search For Enlightenment

My Grandfather, George ‘Chalky’ White fought for his country in World War I. He fought the Turks at Gallipoli and was one of the few to survive. He was then posted to France to fight the Germans, to the Somme to be exact, where he was blown up, gassed and shot, but still he survived. In the manner of many of his generation, he never talked about what he did, or what he saw, but like all the men and women who offer their life in the service of their country, he was a hero.

At the eleventh hour, on the eleventh day, of the eleventh month, we stand in silence, to reflect on the sacrifice that these men and women made, and continue to make. We make this gesture once a year, come rain or shine, to show our gratitude. In Ypres, Belgium, at the Menin Gate, at 6pm every day, they close the road, stop the traffic and stand while the local fire brigade brass band play The Last Post.

The heroes and heroines deserve the recognition they receive, they made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. So to hear that FIFA has banned the England team from wearing a Poppy emblem on their shirts, in the friendly game against Spain next weekend, is nothing short of a disgrace. They claim that the Poppy emblem is a political statement. It is not, it is an symbol of respect, something FIFA know little about. For these trumped up little demi-gods to pontificate on such a matter is totally unacceptable. I implore the English FA and the players to ignore this ruling, and to stand up for our heroes, in this small way, as they have all done for us.