[Editor: This article about Poppy Day (Armistice Day; later known as Remembrance Day), was published in The Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld.), 11 November 1932.]
Poppy Day
Benefit of Diggers
To those of riper years in whose memory is still fresh the horrors of the great conflict of 1914—1918, Poppy Day has its solemn significance. Others have their remembrance of a proud and glorious sacrifice, but to the Digger Poppy Day is another reminder of his sacred pledge to his fallen comrades to “carry on.”
The march now for many Diggers is from town to town in search of employment, and many of them, due to frailness resulting from war service, are less able than their more fortunate fellow trampers to keep going. Enormous demands are made upon the Returned Sailors and Soldiers’ Imperial League of Australia for aid.
To supplement the funds, Poppies bearing the official League tag, “Lest We Forget” will be sold in the city to-day from stalls and by a number of nurses from the General Hospital.
Buy a Poppy and wear a Poppy on Armistice Day in memory of those who made the supreme sacrifice in Flanders Fields and on Gallipoli. Help the cause and honour those who honoured Australia.
Source:
The Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld.), 11 November 1932, p. 8
Also published in:
Evening News (Rockhampton, Qld.), 7 November 1935, p. 3
Editor’s notes:
The article refers to ex-servicemen tramping from town to town in search of employment; this occurred during the Great Depression (1929-1939), when many men travelled the roads as swagmen, looking for work.
Digger = an Australian soldier (a slang word which originated during World War One); in later usage, can also refer to a friend or mate
Returned Sailors and Soldiers’ Imperial League of Australia = an organisation founded in 1916, dedicated to the welfare and well-being of returned servicemen (the organisation’s name was abbreviated as RSSILA); the name of the organisation was changed to the Returned Sailors’, Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Imperial League of Australia (RSSAILA) in 1940, it became the Returned Services League of Australia (RSL) in 1965, and then became the Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL) in 1990
See: 1) “A Historical Perspective of the RSL”, Emu Park RSL Sub Branch
2) “Returned and Services League of Australia”, Wikipedia
[Editor: Changed “General Hosital” to “General Hospital”.]
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