Dunfermline Athletic and Poppyscotland

The vagaries of the fixture list meant that the game against Greenock Morton, on 25th October, was the closest home game to Remembrance Day (November 11th).

Therefore this was the day selected for Dunfermline Athletic to wear specially designed ‘Poppy’ shirts, which would then be auctioned for the benefit of Poppyscotland. These shirts bore both the Poppyscotland logo (a four leaf poppy emblem in contrast to the English two leaf poppy), and the motto “Lest We Forget” under the Club badge.

The idea developed from the planning for the successful DAFC World War I Day organised by Kenny McLachlan and Donald Adamson, held on August 11th. In the course of this, the Club had formed a relationship with Poppyscotland, and at the prompting of Club Chairman, Bob Garmory, wanted to develop this further.

A presentation of £500 was made, as part of the day, from the sale of ‘DAFC ‘Lest We Forget’ beer and badges. With the full support of the Board, it was decided to commission a special shirt, and then auction the shirts worn at a league match, plus a limited number of shirts which would be signed by Dunfermline Legends of the past.

The shirt was designed by Mikey Mlotkiewicz. Margaret Ross was instrumental in asking some of the past Legends who played for Dunfermline Athletic over the past sixty years to sign shirts, and her requests were swiftly answered from as far away as Lithuania (Andrius Skerla) and Hungary (Istvan Kozma), as well as by Sir Alex Ferguson. The embroidery for the shirts was sponsored by Purvis Group.

The on-line auction, run by Kenny McLachlan, closed on Friday 24 August at 8pm and monies are now flowing in. There will also be two of these shirts sold by forthcoming raffles in order to ensure that all Pars fans have a chance to own one of these very special shirts. Whilst the final total will be announced once all monies are collected, it looks as if this will have raised in excess of £8,000 for Poppyscotland.

Kenny McLachlan and Donald Adamson obtained the support of the Board to mark the wearing of the shirts by the pre-match playing of ‘The Last Post’ and a minutes silence in remembrance of those killed from the communities of West Fife in conflicts since the Great War (1914-1918).

The bugler was Colour-Sergeant Jim Thomson of 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland (The Royal Highland Fusiliers). Jim also brought along a special Poppyscotland motorbike which he had built himself and which he used to promote the Poppyscotland bucket collections outside the ground before kick-off. This raised £802.70.

It was organised by Christine Evans of Poppyscotland and with the assistance of local Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force Cadets. Jim, a veteran of over twenty years’ service, also comes from the same regiment with which DAFC Board Member, Ian Hunter’s grandfather, David Hunter, a staunch Pars supporter, won the VC in 1918.

In facilitating this, Dunfermline Athletic Football Club pays tribute to the service of thousands of Pars Supporters stretching back over one hundred years.

Watch and hear Bugler:-
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sv0Bi5vKl8A&feature=youtu.be

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