Tributes are paid to Shropshire's 'Mr Poppy Man'
A man known to many as "Mr Poppy Man" because of his involvement in the Poppy Appeal in Shropshire has died aged 63.
Roy Fry organised the Poppy Appeal in Oswestry in 2012 and 2013, creating a new logo for the centre of the poppy wreaths which was adopted by the Royal British Legion nationally.
Failing health forced him to resign last year, but he remained an active member of the town's branch of the Royal British Legion until his death on October 3, just a few days before his 64th birthday.
David Cooper, a member of the Oswestry RBL branch, said all of Mr Fry's friends have fond memories of him and his contributions to the club.
He said: "When Roy and his wife Brenda moved to Oswestry he transferred his membership to Oswestry and quickly became an invaluable member. He will be missed by all that knew him.
"It was Roy who, by his own initiative, brought into being a new central logo for the poppy wreaths, one that could be used by anyone. He devised it in 2013 to commemorate the fatal RAF crash in Llansilin of 1943, which killed not only the crew and all those in the farmhouse where the plane came down.
"He ordered a poppy wreath for the occasion but when he saw the wreath he thought the central emblem was unsuitable, so immediately created a new emblem for the occasion.
"This new emblem very quickly adopted up by the Royal British Legion itself and is to-day widely used as a means of meeting local requirements."
Mr Fry had served as a soldier as a young man, joining the Light Infantry and training at Copthorne Barracks in Shrewsbury before serving in Germany and later Northern Ireland.
Mr Cooper said his friend had witnessed many tragedies while serving in Ireland, including the death of colleagues.
"Both as a soldier and later in civilian life he was known for his quirky sense of humour, and it was perhaps this that helped carry him through the dark days of the Ulster insurgency," he said.
After retiring from the army Mr Fry lived in Bomere Heath where he was involved with the local housing association and ACORNS, a Shrewsbury-based charity which helps the disabled. He also joined the local branch of the RBL at Baschurch and took part in a successful local recruiting campaign, which saw him tramping many miles through the lanes of North Shropshire on hot summer evenings following up membership enquiries.
Mr Fry died peacefully in his sleep at home.
