There are seven branches of the Royal British Legion in France, covering Paris, Bordeaux and South West France, Brittany, Nord/Pas de Calais, Nice-Monaco, Somme and Lyon
Red poppies have this year been worn for a century to show support for the armed forces communityEkaterina Pokrovsky / Shutterstock
Red poppies have been worn as a show of support for the armed forces community since 1921, and they are available in France too.
Most of the regions are very large so the best way is to contact the branch by email, which will send out poppies by post. You can email from anywhere in France, not only where there is a nearby branch.
RBL does not make a charge for a poppy but invites a donation, which is then passed on by the branch to the Poppy Appeal fund without any costs being deducted.
In Paris, there will be collection points at M&S Passy, M&S Saint-Lazare, WH Smith Rue de Rivoli, St Michael’s church, St George’s church, Scots Kirk church, and St Joseph’s church. Also, St Peter’s church, Chantilly; Holy Trinity church, Maisons-Laffitte; Fontainebleau church; and St Mark’s, Versailles.
Their annual Service of Remembrance will be held at the Saint-Louis des Invalides Cathedral on November 11.
As is customary, a coffee morning is due to be held at the British Embassy at the end of October.
The Bleuet de France symbol | Photo: MPhoto8
The French poppy equivalent is the cornflower or Bleuet de France. You can obtain one from the official website or from volunteers selling them in town and city centres in early November.
The money collected is passed to the Office Nat iona l des Anciens Combattants et Victimes de Guerre, which takes care of war and terrorism victims and is responsible for most of the war memorial events.
