Opinion: Our city cares and will never forget

From bomb damage on the home front to battlefield exploits, their experiences were still part of our lives.

There were still a fair number of survivors of the ‘Great War’, as the First World War was often known, although they were elderly and often frail.

Time takes its toll. That earlier generation are gone, while the veterans of 1939-45 are down to the survivors in their nighties or hundreds.

Just as the blasted fields of mud in Flanders have passed beyond living memory, those who watched the Battle of Britain rage in the skies above us are ever fewer in number. Those who saw France or Italy liberated, who fought at sea or served from Africa to Burma, are down to local handfuls.

But their legacy will endure beyond their lifetimes, just as our memory of all who have died endures. On Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday, we remember them.

Peterborough plays its part. Last weekend, I joined the wonderful Malcom and Sandy Foster for the Poppy Appeal on Bridge Street. Along with dozens of local volunteers, they will be out across our city in all weather until Remembrance Sunday.

Malcolm and Sandy have done this for decades, often raising in excess of £100,000 for the Royal British Legion. That’s why they were among the Peterborough Heroes that I was able to thank in Westminster.

Although veterans of the world wars are fewer, the needs of those who survive are often complex. The Royal British Legion does a fantastic job in helping them. It also helps those who served in subsequent conflicts. That includes Korea, Northern Ireland, the Falklands, the Gulf and Afghanistan.

From the blasted mud emerged a symbol of hope. The bright red Poppy is our way of honouring those who served our country and secured our freedom. Today’s Poppy Appeal has over 40,000 volunteers nationwide, distributing around 40 million poppies every year. It also takes many forms.

Just before I wrote this column, I was turning slightly pink for a Poppy Appeal ‘time trial’ cycling challenge at Westminster. I’m pleased to say that I finished well ahead of Mr Speaker, although he opted for a more stately pace.

Alongside its paper poppies and enamel poppy badges, the Legion recently began producing lamppost poppies. These have helped raise lots of additional money to support its work.

I think they are a great idea, so I am launching a Lamppost Poppy Appeal for Peterborough. If you would like to sponsor a lamppost poppy on your street, please let me know. [email protected]

Likewise, if you have any suggestions for locations, do get in touch. I will be starting by sponsoring a lamppost poppy on Thorpe Road, just around the corner from my house.

As we move towards the civic commemorations next week, let’s show that Peterborough cares and will never forget.