Lyth animal activist wears her purple poppy with pride
Highland PETA representative Natalie Oag explained why she wears a purple poppy for Remembrance Day.
Natalie Oag, who also runs a riding stable near her home, urges people to wear a purple poppy with pride on Armistice Day and "spare a thought for the countless animal lives lost alongside the human lives" during wartime conflicts.
"The purple poppy was created in 2006 by the charity Animal Aid as a way to commemorate animals which served during conflicts as the charity viewed that they had been the forgotten victims of war. Approximately eight million horses and donkeys died during the First World War," said Natalie.
She pointed out how during World War I and World War II, carrier pigeons were used to transport messages back to their home coop behind the lines. When they landed, wires in the coop would sound a bell or buzzer and they would know a message had arrived.
"The soldier would remove the message from the canister, and send it to its destination by telegraph, field phone, or personal messenger. Some of the soldiers formed a bond with pigeons and this gave them some comfort in the darkest hours."
Natalie said that one of the most famous of these wartime pigeons was called Spike who "flew 52 amazing missions without as little as one wound".
"Another famous pigeon was Cher Ami [Dear Friend], a brave warrior that lost one eye and foot. However, he soldiered on and delivered his message resulting in this little hero saving a large group of surrounded American infantrymen."
She added: "I will be wearing my red and purple poppies this November in memory for all the lives lost of these beloved heroes – both human and animal."