Two separate charity collections for war veterans took place yesterday, due to an ongoing dispute between the Bermuda War Veterans Association (BWVA) and the Royal British Legion (RBL).

The BWVA broke with decades-old tradition and sold stickers instead of poppies, because the RBL — a global charity for veterans based in London — withdrew support from it in September and banned it from selling RBL poppies and keeping the funds as it had done for decades.

The RBL told the BWVA it is unhappy that it does not help soldiers who served on the home front rather than overseas and 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 and chose to sell stickers instead of poppies to raise funds.

The news came after pension benefits for war veterans were extended by Government to those who served on the home front as well as overseas earlier this year. However, the BWVA has defended its policy of only supporting the minority of surviving veterans who saw foreign action, saying they suffered more trauma.

It ran newspaper advertisements ahead of yesterday's tag day urging the public to continue to support it.

BWVA trustee Jack Lightbourn took part in the collection yesterday — telling The Royal Gazette it went "fairly well" and that the only comments he'd heard from members of the public about the dispute had been supportive ones.

"I've had quite a few people decrying what's happened. I think many of them miss the poppies," said the 81-year-old who served with the Royal Navy during World War Two.

Bermuda's RBL caseworker Carol Everson organised a poppy appeal this week for that organisation.

In an advertisement 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.

Taxi driver Judithann Furbert-Hunt, 60, chose to support the RBL poppy campaign.

She explained: "My grandfather, William (Lanky) Furbert, went overseas in World War One and my father, Sinclair Furbert, was with the Bermuda Militia Artillery here in Bermuda from 1943 to 1945.

"It's a pleasure for me to sell these poppies for my father and my grandfather. My father died last October and he knew about this 63 years its taken (to extend benefits). He's up in Heaven pleased its come to light."

She said she supported the RBL because she believes those who stayed in Bermuda should have equal access to help.

"I think it's a sad situation. It's just so sad. These men deserve better — they served for their country and protected Bermuda. To think what could have happened if the Germans had invaded us and what could have happened to this Island then," she said.

Miss Furbert-Hunt added that although her 84-year-old mother began to receive her late father's $800 per month pension entitlement last week, she wished it had been available before his death.