I'll still be at Remembrance Day parade says 'sacked' Shropshire veteran
Pacifist war veteran George Evans, who claims he has been "sacked" from his role of reading the traditional poem for the fallen at Wellington's Remembrance parade, says he has given up his alternative plan of walking in the parade flying the flag of peace.
"My son Paul has persuaded me not to carry the flag," said George, 92, who fought in the Normandy campaign, where many of those around him were killed and wounded.
"I will just be there, with medals and ribbons, poppies red and white, and everything else. I have a lot of people to remember.
"For me, it won't quite be as normal as I shan't be doing anything, and will be 'just being'. I think that will make a point. You never know, I might be attacked, mightn't I?"
But would he refrain from hitting back?
"I can't guarantee that, I really can't. It's only heroic pacifists who won't under any circumstances hit back, and I'm not a heroic anything. Thank you for not calling me a hero."
George has read the traditional poem at the Wellington parade for the last 25 years, but caused offence among local Royal British Legion members last year when he also read a short peace poem of his own. In it he spoke of remembering his friends and his enemies too, that they all did their duty and obeyed their orders – and then murdered each other. It finished with the line: "Isn't war stupid."
Wellington RBL says many people were horrified by his off-script comments, finding them offensive and inappropriate to the Remembrance occasion. At a meeting for this November's parade it asked George to step down from his role on Remembrance Sunday, and offered him a compromise of speaking instead at a Remembrance event during the week. He did not accept.
A London-based spokeswoman for the RBL said: "Remembrance ceremonies and services on Remembrance Sunday honour the memory of servicemen and women past and present and mark the human cost of conflict.
"The legion remains neutral on the causes and consequences of conflict. Nonetheless, since the legion was founded in 1921 and as outlined in our Royal Charter, we support peace, with the red poppy itself being a symbol of remembrance and hope for a peaceful world."
Meanwhile George has found himself in the national media spotlight.
He said: "I was contacted by somebody from London Radio who wanted to do a direct interview at five past six, but as it was my granddaughter's 40th birthday, I explained to him that that was a three-line whip."
