Taking no sides: Richard Pashley on Remembrance Sunday

‘There was no single Quaker response to Nazism that embodied a monopoly of virtue.’

by Richard Pashley 6th November 2026

Remembrance Sunday holds mixed emotions for me. We should remember all those who have died in war, including civilians and members of the military. I think of military personnel and their families as victims of war. I therefore contribute to the British Legion’s Poppy Appeal. But I feel uneasy about the way in which remembrance commemorations minimise the horror of war. I also contribute to the White Poppy Appeal. But I cannot fully endorse the Peace Pledge Union stance because I am not clear how nonviolence could have overcome Nazism.