White poppies on Sunday 14 October

At our market stall in Henley, we gave away white poppies. Sunday 14 October is well before Remembrance Sunday, to make clear that white poppies complement red ones – they don’t compete with them. White poppies are worn in memory of all those who have suffered and are suffering from war. First worn in 1933 by the mothers, sisters, wives and friends of those who died in the First World War, their message is ‘Never again’ to people having to give their lives in wars. That message is still relevant today. Quakers believe that more needs to be done to avoid conflict before it happens. Working for peace is hard, constant work: but peace achieved on sound non-violent principles is more likely to last longer than the victory of the strongest in a war.