The Yorkshire Post says: A modest hero. 103-year-old poppy seller's lifetime of service

THERE WILL be countless war veterans who owe a debt of gratitude to Ernest Carr, Britain's oldest poppy seller, who has died at the venerable age of 103. Born during the Great War, he was a modest hero who was honoured with the French Légion d'Honneur for his role in the D-Day landings.
Ernest Carr, who has deid this week, was reputed to be Britain's oldest poppy seller.Ernest Carr, who has deid this week, was reputed to be Britain's oldest poppy seller.
Ernest Carr, who has deid this week, was reputed to be Britain's oldest poppy seller.

Yet he never forgot the horrors of war. His outlook was shaped by the sight of Great War veterans selling matches on the streets of Leeds in the 1920s to make ends meet. “I thought if that’s all they think of them, they mustn’t give a damn,” he once said.

A stalwart of the Guiseley branch of the Royal British Legion, he devoted his latter years to selling poppies at the Yeadon branch of Morrisons supermarket where he was held in such high esteem. However it is so typical of veterans, like Mr Carr, that they always put the welfare of others before their own needs – even many decades after their military service ended.

They’re a rare breed whose sacrifice and example must never be forgotten.