Remembrance Sunday 2015, Aberystwyth

Remembrance Sunday this year was a very historic one. For the first time, the main ceremony included the white poppy as well as the red poppy. This follows very heartening discussions between peace groups and the Royal British Legion (RBL), where a very good agreement was reached between them.

The white poppy has been a tradition since the 1930s, and it began to remember everyone who has died/suffered in wars, as well as communicating a clear message of peace. The reasoning is clear: if war can be stopped, the suffering that results from war will be stopped. It’s also worth noting that the vast majority of war victims by now are civilians, which is very different to the situation in the first world war. Therefore a number of people feel that remembrance needs to be expanded by wearing/placing white poppies, often in addition to the red poppy. The following quote by Pat Richards, a peace campaigner, is a very good outline of the reasoning behind the white poppy and how it goes together with the red poppy.

“I have a red poppy to remember the deaths of two great uncles. One died in the mud of  Paschendale, the other in Egypt on November 10th 1918 having fought all through the war. The white one I wear, always brings to mind my mother's friend. Both young women were nurses in London during the Blitz, Mum's friend was killed as she was helping patients to the shelters.”

Over the decades, white wreaths have been placed at the London Cenotaph frequently, and white wreaths have been placed alongside red ones in many towns on Remembrance Weekend. In Aberystwyth, the Town Council has placed a white wreath as well as a red one every year since 2004, and various peace groups have also place white wreaths, including the Aberystwyth Peace and Justice Network, Côr Gobaith and Women in Black. Despite this, until this year these have been placed in a separate ceremony, on the Saturday or around 1pm on the Sunday.

I’ve attended both ceremonies almost every year since being elected as a Town Councillor, and I’ve noticed how much the ceremonies have in common. Both note and remember the awful consequences of war, and they are quiet, respectful and poignant. So when the RBL and peace groups came together, in a meeting chaired by the Town Council, to agree to combine the two ceremonies from 2015 onwards, I was incredibly happy.

The Mayor placed the red wreath and the Deputy Mayor placed the white wreath. In the picture, here they are (Endaf Edwards on the left and Brendan Sommers on the right) holding the wreaths before the start of the procession. (Image: Cllr Alun Williams)

The Council ordered the standard red poppy wreath from the RBL. Regarding the white wreath, lots of white poppies were ordered from Cymdeithas y Cymod, and Columbine, the florists in Chalybeate Street, combined them into a wreath. The wreath is of a very high standard. For my part, I designed and printed the cards and the background to the red wreath. I have to say, I didn’t realise how prominent these would be in many photos in the media and on social media!

In the wreath laying ceremony after the period of silence, all the wreaths were placed on the War Memorial steps one by one, whatever their colour. A purple one was also placed by a local Animal Aid branch: this remembers animals that died whilst serving in wars.

(Placing a white wreath on the War Memorial steps in the wreath-laying ceremony. A large number of red wreaths are also evident, and the Town Council's wreaths are in the top left hand corner of the picture. Image: Cllr Alun Williams)

All the wreaths were removed a short time after placing this year, to protect them from the strong winds on Sunday and Monday, but I hope they’ll be replaced soon. It was a respectful and poignant day and I hope this arrangement will continue to enrich the town in the years to come.