 I remind members of the Covid-related measures that are in place and that face masks should be worn when moving around the chamber and around the Holyrood campus. The final item of business is a member's business debate on motion 1536, in the name of Alexander Stewart, on 100 years of the puppy in the UK. The debate will be concluded without any questions being put. I call on Mr Stewart to speak to the motion for around seven minutes. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I am delighted to have the opportunity of being able to open this highly poignant member's business debate this evening. During the last session of Parliament, I was extremely privileged to have been able to mark two significant military centenaries in the chamber. The opportunity of making such an anniversary of the most all-encompassing symbol of remembrance for all those who served and are still serving in Her Majesty's Armed Forces throughout the United Kingdom in commonwealth, as well as their families is a special moment for me. I would like to thank my fellow MSPs who supported my member's motion in allowing me to have this privilege this evening. The history of the puppy as a symbol of remembrance may not be as clear-cut as has been previously assumed. The first reference to the puppy has been traced back to the Napoleonic Wars. Several documents have been unearthed, which note that the falling of the Napoleonic Wars poppies became abundant on the battlefields where soldiers had fallen. The same source also drew from the first comparison between bloodstained individuals and the red colour of the puppy. As many of us know, the scarlet corn puppy's growth is aided by massive disruption to soil. Thus, the devastation of the natural environment caused by such conflicts saw fields littered with bodies alongside red puppies. Fast forward to modern times, whilst puppies remain popular in the United Kingdom and the commonwealth, countries across other nations have become involved. It may have been an American on a Mitchell who was first credited with the first charitable puppy sale. She worked for the YMCA overseas war secretary's office in New York. She was so stirred by the perhaps the most famous war poem of all time in Flanders fields by Lieutenant Colonel John McRae that she vowed to pin a puppy to her lapel and swore to always wear one to honour the war dead. Using money that she had earned from the YMCA, she purchased 25 silk puppies and distributed them among her colleagues. She continued her endeavours to ensure that the puppy was adopted as a national remembrance and the National American League eventually adopted the puppy as an official symbol of remembrance two years later. The popularity of the new custom grew exponentially and the tradition crossed the Atlantic. A lady named as Madame Egerin had travelled from France to attend the conference at the American League. She was so involved that she saw the puppies as a great way to raise money for those children who had suffered of the Great War in France. She was quick to organise a team of French widows who immediately began making paper puppies on an industrial scale. They made £1 million by 1921. Following the tremendous success of her puppy sale, she sent a delegation of puppy sellers to London in bids to ensure that United Kingdom was becoming involved. Field Marshal Douglas Hague was highly enthusiastic about the idea that was forwarded by Gernt's delegates. To this end, the British Legion adopted it almost immediately. The first ever annual puppy day in the United Kingdom occurred on 11 November 1921, marking the third anniversary of Armistice Day. The puppy grew its North American roots and rapidly was immediately adopted by Canada and Australia in 1921 and New Zealand the year later. At this time, the puppy, indeed the distribution, was still being made by war widows in France. However, in 1922, a factory here in Burmsley was opened. It employed just five disabled ex-military personnel to produce puppies all year round for distribution in the weeks prior to remembering Sunday. The very first official UK puppy appeal in 1921 raised £106,000, equivalent to nearly £5.5 million today. Nowadays, the Royal British Legion aims to make £25 million annually. In Scotland, the Lady Hague puppy factory opened in 1926 at a formal woodcutting factory in the grounds of Routford house, opposite this Parliament's Queensbury house. It then moved to the warmest in the area of the city in 1965. In the terms, 34 veterans now proudly produced 5 million puppies and 15,000 wreaths annually. It relocated to Redford barracks in 2019 to allow substantial refurbishment to be carried out but moved back here this summer. As a result of this enormous financial success, it is almost important to mention that the adoption of the puppy as a symbol of charity has transcended its purely metaphysical and commemorative status. Indeed, the red wildflower has become a physical palpable object providing financial stability for those who are affected by war. That is a special result of the tireless endeavours of volunteers, the length and breadth of the United Kingdom. That also helps only to support the Royal British Legion, Puppies Scotland and Angkor Som Association, for which I am proud to be the honorary ambassador for Scotland and to hold the post of honorary president for the Riven of Puppies project. To echo the words written by the Canadian journalist MacGerry, I say to those who accuse the red puppy of glorifying war that the red puppy is inherently a symbol of peace, not just of peace in a concept, pleasant a concept it is, but also to the hard won peace of hundreds of thousands of individuals who came at the great cost. The puppy is not a symbol of anyone's victory. Flags of a nation, a country or a military ensign, for example, all serve far more ably in that role. Neither is the puppy a symbol of military conquest or national glory. They are a natural reminder of all the reverges of war and conflict to deal with. To this end, none of us needs to be reminded as to why the red puppy was chosen as a symbol of remembrance. In Flanders fields, all of this is very poignant. Because of that, we must always remember and we will always remember them. I encourage any member who wishes to participate in the debate to press the request to speak buttons now or an R in the chat function if you are joining us online. I call on Kenneth Gibson, who will be followed by Douglas Ross, for our four minutes. I congratulate Alexander Stewart for securing debating time on this important anniversary. In 1915, while the second battle of a prey was raging, a Canadian medic, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, a grandson of Scottish immigrants from Cacodbrisha, noticed how bright red poppies grew amidst the war-torn Flemish landscapes. Despite the suffering around him, McCrae was inspired by the growing poppies to write in Flanders field, as Alexander Stewart pointed out. Today, that poem, most closely associated with appalling losses of the First World War, is renowned throughout the world. It first appeared in Punch Magazine and was quickly republished to become synonymous with sacrifices of fallen soldiers everywhere. Although an association between the poppy and conflict can be traced back to the appalling like wars, McCrae's poem greatly inspired the poppy's adoption as a flower of remembrance in Britain, France, Canada, across the Commonwealth and the United States. In World War I's aftermath, poppies came to symbolise the sacrifice of those who gave their lives in the conflict, including an estimated 147,000 Scots, representing 14 per cent of the British Empire's total war dead at a time when barely 1 per cent of the empire's population were Scots. Four of those who made the ultimate sacrifice were the mockery brothers James, Matthew, Robert and Andrew from Kilburnie in my constituency in the town where I live and where their family lives on. James, Matthew and Robert tragically all died while serving in different regiments on the opening day of the battle of Luce on 25 September 1915, where Scots made up almost half the 72 battalions deployed and where, in barely three weeks, British casualties numbered 60,000. The fourth brother Andrew died later on 9 June 1917 on the battlefield of Arras. While no graves of those men exist, all four brothers appear in bronze, along with 155 others on Kilburnie's war memorial. A fifth mockery brother who served in a minesweeper survived, as did their sister, a Red Cross nurse who sadly lost her own son on the hood in the Second World War. While so many soldiers lost their lives in the conflict, tens of thousands died subsequently from wounds, my material grandmother lost her uncle, captured in 1918 and sent to the Silesian mines. A guard hit him with a shovel. He died two years after returning home in 1921, age 23. His name appears on no memorial. My own maternal grandfather was mustard-gassed at age 18 a month before the end of the war. He died of emphysema at 41 years old of age when my mother was only a toddler, his life inevitably shortened by his time in the trenches. The mobbed soldiers often returned home struggling with psychological trauma as a result of the horrific scenes witnessed in the battlefields. Many also faced unemployment, poverty and homelessness. Red silk poppies were first worn 100 years ago not only to keep the memory alive of those service men and women who died. Their production offered employment to men disabled during World War I, while proceeds were used to help other veterans with employment and housing. Of course, the great war to end all wars, as it was known a century ago, was not the last in Scotland's Lady Hague poppy factory still there today, providing dignity through work to 34 mainland disabled veterans who, between them, have seen service from career to the Persian Gulf. Money Race provides invaluable assistance to Scotland's armed forces community, ranging from local signposting, housing, mental health, mobility, employment and financial support. While poppy Scotland's important advocacy work highlights the experience of serving personnel, veterans and their families. To go with the Royal British Legion poppy Scotland's long campaign for the UK Government to scrap fees for military personnel from the Commonwealth and their families who wish to stay in the UK once they leave service and I wish them success in that campaign. The 100th anniversary of the first poppy appeal makes us reflect and I remember those from Scotland and beyond to give their lives in World War I and in the many conflicts since. Behind each statistic lies a human story of a life taken often at a young age such as those of Kilburnney's own mockery brillers. We are all indebted to their sacrifice and it is our duty to ensure veterans and their families have access to services and support that they need. Therefore, I once again congratulate Alexander Stewart on bringing this important commemoration of poppy Scotland's 100th anniversary to the chamber. Thank you very much indeed Mr Gibson and I call Douglas Ross who will be followed by Martin Whitefield again four minutes Mr Ross. Thank you very much Deputy Presiding Officer and can I congratulate my friend Alexander Stewart for securing this important debate at this important time. We all reflect in the run-up to Remembrance Sunday just what has gone before us and the sacrifice made by so many servicemen and women in two world wars and conflicts around the globe and we wear our poppy with pride. I say that as someone who represents the Highlands and Islands region which has many strong military links including my own area of Murray. We are home to RAF Lossymouth and Kinloss Barracks and in communities like Murray and communities across Scotland we can see the support for our military personnel both current and the active role they play but the many veterans who are amongst us in our communities that we all represent. Earlier today I was at the Lothian Veterans Centre in Dalkeith to see the outstanding work Ian Stewart and his team do there. They've got a drop in centre in the high street that I know is extremely busy and I went along to one of their events earlier on today as well and it really is encouraging to see the support that is available to our veterans but there is more that we can do and I also want to pay tribute as Alexander Stewart and Kenny Gibson have done to the work of the Lady Hague factory and we are all seeing that with the poppies that we're wearing and the reese that we will lay later on this week and I want to congratulate everyone for the work that they do with the charity and Poppy Scotland but I also want to use my time today to speak about one individual in particular it's a Murray constituent of mine Sir Alistair Irwin because Sir Alistair Irwin has been president of Poppy Scotland now for 15 years and he was at the launch of the Poppy Scotland appeal here in the Scottish Parliament a couple of weeks ago and it will be his final appeal as president of Poppy Scotland and I think for someone who has given so much service over such a long period of time both to Poppy Scotland and the Royal British Legion I think it's right that we in this Parliament today say thank you to Sir Alistair for his efforts not just over not just over a few weeks or months or years but well over a decade and a half and that commitment to the armed forces started with his own career he joined the black watch in 1970 and retired from the army in 2005 but with people like Sir Alistair you never really retire and his contribution to the role in the armed forces and the work he does for veterans across Scotland and indeed across the United Kingdom has continued ever since as I say he has been president of the Royal British Legion in Scotland and Poppy Scotland since 2005 along with since 2006 along with the officers association in Scotland he'd also served between 2006 and 2011 as the president of veterans Scotland and he was vice chairman of the commonwealth war graves commission and whenever you meet Sir Alistair and you speak to Sir Alistair you can see the passion which he takes to the role it's a role many people only do for a year or two but for him to have done it now for 15 years just shows how important it is to him but I think it's also important for us to say what he has achieved over that time he has brought a lot of professionalism to the organisations that he has worked with he has changed those organizations significantly and we have all benefited from the work he has done over such a long period of time he is a regular volunteer selling poppies in Murray so not only is he at the top of the organization he wants to get out there with other volunteers helping to collect the funds as Alexander Stewart mentioned in his opening speech the millions of pounds that have been raised from communities who have been selling poppies right this time I want to finish deputy Presiding Officer by saying the Royal British Legion motto is service not self Sir Alistair Irwin embodies that motto as do every single volunteer who at this time of year sells these poppies that we all wear with pride and we thank Sir Alistair and every single one of them for the work they continue to do thank you thank you very much indeed Mr Ross and can I add my personal recognition of the contribution Sir Alistair Irwin has as you say rightly made Martin Whitfield to be followed by Stephen Kerr around four minutes Mr Whitfield I'm very grateful deputy Presiding Officer and I'd like to congratulate my colleague and I'm going to add friend Alexander Stewart for securing this member's debate and I do think it's fitting that it is indeed a member's debate and I'll come back to that and I would also like to echo the words of Douglas Ross and extend my thanks congratulations and possibly well deserved rest to Sir Alistair coming forward and also to the thanks obviously to the Lady Hague Poppy factory into the 34 veterans that it helps and the many many veterans it's helped over time and I would like to take this short time just to put on to the record the various poppy designs of the countries that have been referred to and why the poppy is so important to those countries from here in Scotland where we have four petals with the central black we used to have a leaf but it was removed to make it easier to post to England and Wales and Northern Ireland where they adopt the two petal with the black centre and some a leaf often said to reflect the addition of the events of world war two but to the USA where they wear their poppy on memorial day the last Monday in May theirs is a crepe paper style but has a green centre to Australia who celebrate or remember on Anzac day April the 25th where they have a single red corrugated petal and to New Zealand which is a very similar design to Australia but they choose to lose the corrugation and have it flat why do I raise this I raise this because at the heart the poppy reflects the thoughts of individuals it reflects differences but it also reminds people of a similarity a tragic loss a memory of generations a memory of individuals who have paid the ultimate sacrifice or indeed as Kenneth Gibson so rightly says those who have returned bearing scars some of which are invisible and I think one of the powerful images about the poppy is that it may look different to different people around the world but what is felt inside is the same and that is a thanks that is a gift that others they may not even know have given and I think to have the opportunity in this chamber to extend our thanks to those people to extend our thanks to the volunteers who stand in the rain selling the poppies my son who visited the cinema at the weekend said he and his friend rushed around trying to find a sea cadet who could sell them a poppy because they were on their lunch but a sea cadet did stand up put his burger to one side and offered them a poppy to wear and I think those individual acts of young people speak of such great hope going forward from such a tragedy that is moving further and further into the past and I would just like to say and this is really in response to the young people the opportunities that poppy Scotland give to the variety of fundraising methods so that everyone can take part they can challenge themselves I think of the poppy Scotland sportive which happens in September an ability to ride your bike of one of three distances around the beauty of East Lothian ending up in my hometown of Preston Pans or if you're feeling very brave you can take on 102 miles that takes you down into the borders and back I am utterly astounded at the ability of cyclists to do that but I am enormously proud that they do that to raise money for our veterans to raise money for the families of our veterans and through poppy Scotland we see that work day in day out and for that I say to them thank you thank you very much indeed mr workfield and our final speaker in the open debate Stephen Kerr again four minutes please mr Kerr. Thank you Mr President and it's a pleasure and privilege to follow Mark Woodfield to give an excellent speech and I want to congratulate my friend and colleague Alexander Stewart on securing this debate for 100 years the poppy has been our nation's symbol of gratitude and remembrance for our veterans and of those for whom it is rightly said for your tomorrow we gave our today as we all know the poppy is also a symbol of hope and life and freedom from the horrors and destruction of the first world war the war to end all wars it wasn't to be the first world war cost allies of over 800,000 british and commonwealth servicemen men and boys from these islands and from far flung parts of the then empire like many of you i have stood at the men and gay to eat and the tiet fal memorial and read the names of the thousands of men and boys sons brothers boyfriends fiance's husbands all of them missing with no known burial place it is humbling it is moving it is upsetting my family like many of yours has graves in Flanders and France where lie my great uncles there's something powerful and poignant about the rows of headstones in those immaculate war cemeteries in 1922 King George V visited Tyncott and looked out over the rows of thousands of wooden crosses planted in memory of the fallen he said i have many times asked myself whether there can be more potent advocates of peace upon earth to the years to come than this mass multitude of silent witnesses to the desolation of war after the fighting ended the poppy grew in the turned up barren battlegrounds with its blood red colour the poppy quickly came to represent the immeasurable sacrifice of a generation and was formally adopted as it's been said by the royal british legion in 1921 as the symbol of remembrance for all those who died in first world war and later conflicts i also believe there's another layer to the symbolism of the poppy after such horror after such a grand scale of death life reemerges that the sacrifice of the fallen and the loss and pain of their families should not be in vain therefore deputy president officer may i humbly on the record of our parliament expressed my personal gratitude and the feelings i'm sure of so many more people in central scotland for the work of poppy scotland those who make the annual scottish poppy appeal possible the service of the veterans at lady hags poppy factory making millions of poppies and thousands of wreaths and many hundreds of volunteers over the generation since 1921 to the present day who sell poppies make collections and to the many businesses organizations and individuals who see that each year the poppy continues to be prominently displayed and may i say to our veterans and their families and to those who continue to serve our country in the uniform of her majesty's armed forces at risk of life in limb thank you for your vigilance and your service because of what you do for us day in day out every single day we are free we need to remember we need to remember a hundred years of the poppy and a hundred years of caring and it must be it must never it can never end because remembrance and the poppy is a mark of who we are and the people we have become thank you very much indeed mr kerr and i call on keith brown to respond to the debate cabinet secretary around seven minutes please thank you sign officer and also thank you to alexander stew for securing this member's debate to mark the centenary of poppy scotland's iconic poppy appeal and what's clear from the contributions that we've heard is across the chamber we are i think unanimous in recognising the formidable work of poppy scotland over the last hundred years and their dedication and support to our armed forces community alexander stew mentioned of course the symbolism of the poppy and he was quite right to do so but he also mentioned the practical benefits of crew from people buying poppies and the work of poppy scotland which is the real point of poppy scotland obviously the remembrance period that we're currently in serves a vital purpose in allowing everybody in scotland a moment to pause to reflect and to be thankful to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country and it is very important that we continue to remember those who served and lost their lives in all conflicts not to glorify war again as alexander stew said but to recognise the sacrifice that was made to protect the freedoms and the way of life that we hold so dear and the poppies we were inspired as we've heard i think from Kenneth Gibson by Lieutenant Colonel John McRae's poem in Flanders Fields written during the first world war are a tangible symbol of remembrance and the enduring courage loyalty and commitment of our regulars and reservists and it shows that after 100 years no matter how much time we pass we will never forget their sacrifices or those made by their families and loved ones for my part i was delighted to attend the launch of the 2021 poppy appeal in parliament at the end of last month as mentioned by Douglas Ross to hear first hand how it has evolved over the last 100 years no more so than in the last 18 months of course with increasingly innovative approaches to raising funds and the absolute necessity of doing so in the face of the pandemic increasingly and indeed for many now exclusively payments are made digitally and so the move to digitise the poppy appeal which Sir Urban had some problems with i have to say i'm only sure that digitisation will strengthen the poppy appeal going forward and the scottish poppy appeal is poppy scotland's largest fundraising event and all money raised goes to the armed forces community here in scotland to provide support in six key areas financial support advice employment mobility housing and mental health and the appeal success relies on the dedication and hard work of the 10,000 volunteers across scotland and without them it would be impossible to raise the vital funds used to deliver support to former service personnel and their families so for that reason and many others i'd like to give my personal thanks to those dedicated poppy scotland staff and volunteers against something that Sir Alasr did when he was speaking at the event that's being mentioned to thank them for all that they do and one or two of the people who i think on that night received the words i know Steven Kerr was there as well some of the work done by some individuals is absolutely phenomenal it includes of course the devoted team of 34 disabled veterans based at new hake house who have produced more than 2 million poppies and 10,000 wreaths every year representing also the poppy appeal and commemorative events have a vital purpose to the people of scotland in allowing time for reflection on the sacrifices that have been made to protect their freedoms and scotland as we all know has a large and vibrant armed forces community and the role of the charity sector is essential in delivering valuable support to veterans right across scotland i'm sure that i can speak for all in a chamber today when i extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who supports these charities whichever way they can and since i first took responsibility for the veterans portfolio in previous ministerial roles and more recently since being appointed cabinet secretary for justice and veterans i've been very fortunate and humble to hear directly the experience of our veterans in our community including the vital assistance veterans received from third sector organisations so for our part in the scotland government we remain committed to supporting our veterans community we recognise that veterans and their families are true assets to their communities to their employers and the wider society and that includes those such as war widows who have given so much i'm honoured to be representing the scotland's government at the war widows association annual service of remembrance at the cenotaph in london this weekend i won't be able to stay for the festival of remembrance which i think is also another hundredth year anniversary because i'm returning to glasgo to go to the remembrance event there on the sunday so we remain committed to those remembrance events i should also say that i will be providing parliament with an update on the scotland's government's continued support for veterans and armed forces community in scotland in the chamber tomorrow which will also include a focus on remembrance commemorations and just a final couple of words that i've acued to Presiding Officer on some of the points which have been made a very interesting account as we've heard from alexander stewart from Kenneth Gibson and from martin woodfield on the origins of the poppy as a symbol. Kenneth Gibson i think mentioned incredibly and the stories that you can hear i think four brothers called mockery from airshire to think four brothers from the same family all killed in the war the sacrifice was truly astonishing i was interested to hear Douglas Ross talk about Lothian's veteran centre mainly because subcentre i visited before but he mentioned ian stewart i think ian stewart is a friend of mine i think that because he's involved in the veterans centre just down the road from the parliament and we both served in four five commando and during the falcons war together and also a former editor of the scotsman i should mention as well he's in some fantastic work with veterans i'd also want to associate myself with the comments about seralser urwin and the contribution that he's made over many years i've stood at many remembrance events with him but the work that he has done has been tremendous and we should remember that and like Douglas Ross i'm fairly certain he will still be seen at remembrance events in moray and elsewhere when he has a chance to do that i think it will leave something of a hole in his life and he admitted as much to me when i spoke with him at the remembrance event in prince of street gardens recently i think martin wittfield raises a really important point about differences in poppies and i wrote an article about this some time ago could be construed as being contentious and the point of it was to say it really doesn't matter what colour poppy what poppy what design of poppy people wear they have the same intent when they do that but i'd also make the point perhaps more contentiously that it's also true if somebody doesn't wear a poppy i always wear a red poppy because i know that the money is going to a cause which i'm very keen to see supported but others don't want it and we have to remember that the people that we are commemorating fought those wars so that people had choices about what they're doing and that includes if they don't want to wear a poppy i would encourage everyone to wear a poppy but i want to respect the rights of those that don't for whatever reason and i think martin wittfield did draw out some of the differences that we have and i think he also said that we all feel the same in our hearts in relation to what we're trying to commemorate so i would just say as well to um steven ker that i think we've attended a number of events and with alexander stewart and bridger vallon and elsewhere together in the past and i've visited many of the places he talked about the many gates and eap, control maze on our ass and so on and i also mentioned the um poignancy of some of the graveyards which are incredible when you witness them really good to see so many schools over the years now having battlefield tours which really drives at home to young people they're very interested in particular in people that they can see who were 17 or 18 years old when they died but my personal inclination when going to these is to go to the furthest points of the cemetery and find those ones which often say a soldier known only unto god which i think is really poignant the fact that the families of the people involved don't have a physical place to go to remember those people like Kenny Gibson was saying about the mockery brothers earlier on and the point of that is to say that we of course should continue to remember we should never forget not least because we should not allow that kind of event to happen again so presenters i'd like to close today's members debate by offering my congratulations to poppy scotland as they mark the centenary centenary of the poppy appeal they deserve every plaudit they received tonight in the chamber and have every reason like others to be proud of their achievements thank you thank you very much indeed cabinet secretary that concludes the debate and i closed this meeting of parliament