POPPIES TO BE USED.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXIV, Issue 925, 21 November 1933, Page 5

POPPIES TO BE USED.

Gesture of Remembrance for Dead. EX-SOLDIERS' FUNERALS. To lend more dignity and impressiveness, and to add a further gesture of remembrance, returned soldiers filing past the graveside and dropping poppies will be part of the ceremonial at funerals of returned soldiers in the future. A decision to this effect was reached at a meeting of the executive of the Christchurch Returned Soldiers’ Association last night. The matter was brought up by the president (the Rev F. T. Read), who said that in addition to forming a guard of honour returned soldiers should file past the grave and drop those symbols of remembrance. The poppies could be provided by the association and distributed to soldiers in attendance at the funeral. That would apply in cases where the association was advised of the death of a returned soldier. The suggestion was in addition to the recommendation of the association headquarters that the “Last Post” and ‘“Reveille” should be sounded. “The soldiers’ plot at the Bromley Cemetery is a credit to the Reserves Department of the City Council,” stated Mr W. E. Leadley, when the matter of war graves was dealt with. “We should show our appreciation of this by paying an official visit of inspection. I move that a special War Graves Comnjittee be set up to report generally on the condition of the graves.” The secretary (Mr E. F. Willcox): It will take about £l5O to complete the plots.

The president stated that the war graves in the Sydenham cemetery appea red to be well cared for. Mr Leadley’s motion was carried, and Messrs A. H. Parfitt, A. L. Emerson and E. W. Smith were appointed as the special committee.