Royal British Legion Poppy Day - Chelmsford 2004
Harry Hudson, chairman of Chelmsford RBL invited us back again for a fourth year to help kick-start the launch. All the previous years the launch date has been at the end of October, the problem with this is that on the launch date we can't take any money from the public on the high street. We have got around this silly by-law by having all the collection tin's & buckets on the big double -decker RBL poppy bus .When the public step on the bus to give money, they are then technically 'not on the high street', so they can donate to the cause. Even by doing this we have managed to collect well over a thousand pounds on the one day each year. With the launch date being postponed by one week, this then allowed us to collect money on the high street.
Myself, Alex Mallia, Terry Hurley & Andre' Fugl went as WW1 Soldiers with Nick Clark, Gary Ashcroft and Jason Burnham in WW2 uniforms. We split up into small groups and walked around the town, we all lost count the amount of time we were stopped and told that this was a fantastic way to sell poppys. Within a few hours the small tins were full to bursting. We also caused a stir with the public when we were all seen in full kit and again we lost count how many times we were stopped and asked all about the uniforms we were wearing. I spread the Union Jack flag across the front of my jeep and on the hood I had a small display case with letters, photo's and many other personal items from Soldiers of the First World War.
The local brass band were playing many a stirring tune and the RBL Standard Bearers march forward and stood to attention with the Mayor of Chelmsford giving a speech . The weather was very kind to us and we only had the odd spit of rain, just as well as we had the canvases down on the jeeps.
With another successful year under our belts, here's to next year's poppy launch.
Richard Knight
Chairman The Vickers Machine-Gunners Society