Poppy Appeal 2006

Thank you all for supporting the Poppy Appeal so well again this year. It is entirely appropriate that we should have had another record year in this the 90^th anniversary year of the Somme. The Somme was arguably one of the defining battles of the Great War, but with catastrophic loss of life. Although of limited tactical benefit, strategically it was a vital success.

Although Field Marshall Haig wanted to wait until his preparations were fully completed by August or September before committing the British Army, his hand was forced by the French, who had been fighting for months at Verdun. The French leader, Marshall Foch implored Haig to launch an offensive to draw some of the pressure off the French. This was achieved, albeit at an appalling cost in casualties, with over 20,000 British dead on the first morning. However, it relieved the pressure on the French, who were able to hang on at Verdun and confound General von Falkenhagen, whose aim at Verdun was to bleed the French white.

It is ironic that 90 years after one of the Army's greatest battles the British Army should find itself once again stretched to the utmost. With over a third of the Services currently committed to operations, the Army has not experienced operations at this intensity since the Korean War. Inevitably this will impact on the already considerable workload of The Legion.

What we have achieved at the Poppy Appeal this year would never have been possible without all the hard work of my dedicated team of collectors and the magnificent generosity of you all. Thank you very much, over £2100 has been raised. If anyone would like to be involved in collecting for next year's Poppy Appeal, please make yourself known either to myself (680234) or Pat Crowther (680705).

Yours sincerely,

David Sewell, Poppy Appeal Coordinator

[We apologise for the somewhat tardy arrival of the above, and trust that your response to the 2007 Appeal will be equally magnificent. Ed.]

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Last modified: March 30, 2007