A WELL-WRITTEN and thought-provoking piece by Stuart Cosgrove (Remembrance is not about poppies but the simple act of reflection, Nov 14).

I too think more time should be spent solely on reflection. I will always make a donation to the official fund but I choose not to wear a poppy. That is solely my choice and I’ve been berated for this on occasion, but I then point out my great grandfather was one of the first ever casualties of gas in warfare when he and his comrades from the Seaforth Highlanders were killed on the first day in the Battle of St Julien in April 1915, or how my grandfather fought Franco’s fascists in Spain with the International Brigades and was treated appalling whilst a prisoner, or my mother’s cousins who were lost at sea in the Atlantic Convoys during World War Two.

READ MORE: Second World War veteran joins FM to lay wreaths in Edinburgh

Some use this as a poor political point-proving exercise, without knowing anything about the person they are haranguing or berating, or giving thought or acceptance to the possibility that some may just prefer quiet reflection rather than establishment-organised grief.

Ally W
via thenational.scot