The Bermuda War Veterans Association (BWVA) will sell stickers rather than poppies ahead of Remembrance Day, due to a dispute with the Royal British Legion (RBL).

Charity trustee H. Francis Stephens, 85, said of the situation: "My personal view is that today is a sad day for the Bermuda War Veterans Association. After 84 years of support, with a poppy being our emblem, it's now been snatched away from us. As a Bermudian I feel a little bitter, but we will go forward and we will not forget."

The BWVA also revealed plans to boycott a Remembrance Day luncheon, traditionally supplied by the Bermuda Regiment.

Trustee Jack Lightbourn, 81, said the organisation is disappointed at what it views as a lack of support from Regiment Commanding Officer Lt. Col. William White for their cause.

As previously reported, the RBL – a global charity for veterans based in London – withdrew support from the BWVA in September, banning it from selling RBL poppies and keeping the funds as it had done for decades.

Letters obtained by The Royal Gazette revealed how the RBL told the BWVA it is unhappy that it does not help soldiers who served on the home front rather than overseas. It also told the BWVA it believes it has "seriously misled" donors and accumulated funds using the poppy appeal which were not distributed as they should have been.

The BWVA was told by the RBL that in future, all monies from the Bermuda poppy appeal must be passed back to the RBL to be used for "welfare work for the whole of the qualifying community in accordance with the Legion's welfare policies".

The BWVA, which denies any wrongdoing, declined to comply with this.

The clash between the organisations meant two separate poppy appeals were due to be mounted this year, with the BWVA selling poppies obtained instead from the Royal Canadian Legion. It said the Canadian organisation had given its blessing for the BWVA to keep the money for its own work. However, after the Royal Canadian Legion was apprised of the RBL position, it told the BWVA last week that it would not supply it with any poppies in addition to those already ordered.

BWVA trustees explained yesterday that plans to conduct an street appeal on Friday using Canadian poppies have now been abolished because it fears causing embarrassment to the Royal Canadian Legion over the affair.

Instead, tag day – which runs from 8 a.m to 3 p.m – will see the veterans handing out stickers instead of poppies in Hamilton City, Somerset, Warwick and Smith's in return for donations.

"I would like to point out that the Royal British Legion over a period of 80 years have given Bermudians nothing," said Mr. Stephens. He also pledged: "This is not the end, and we hope that some time in the future, with some sort of diplomacy, we can get our poppy emblem back again."

Bermuda's RBL caseworker Carol Everson plans to conduct an appeal leading up to Remembrance Day for the RBL, using British-sourced poppies. In an advert in this newspaper last month, the RBL told the public its aim was to offer practical assistance and emotional support to ex-service men and women and their dependents. It said all funds raised through its poppy appeal locally would be kept in Bermuda for the Island's needy veterans.

Ms Everson said yesterday: "For 80 years the Royal British Legion has assisted Bermuda by supplying poppies for an appeal by the BWVA in the belief that the proceeds would be shared equitably among all the veterans community. Unfortunately, this has not been the case, but at last this issue is being resolved and we look forward to a Remembrance Day where respect and remembrance and a sense of Bermuda's great contribution to both World Wars will be the most important issue."

In further news yesterday, Mr. Lightbourn revealed that the BWVA plans to boycott the annual luncheon which it usually hosts for the Regiment, and which is traditionally supplied by the Regiment, after the Remembrance Day parade. He claimed this was sparked by Lt. Col. White failing to respond to seven messages and a letter asking him to contact the organisation over the last month.

"We're feeling very distressed with the Bermuda Regiment," said Mr. Lightbourn. "We've been completely unable to have any dialogue with Lt. Col. White. As a consequence, I sent him another letter today, which I hand delivered to Warwick Camp, to tell him that we are very sorry, but this year we will not be accepting lunch from them."

Mr. Lightbourn said the BWVA had hoped Lt. Col. White would acknowledge the difficulties the organisation is facing.

A Regiment spokesman subsequently told The Royal Gazette that Lt. Col. White has arranged a meeting with Mr. Stephens and Mr. Lightbourn for this morning.