Sir, - In 1995 The Royal British Legion was instrumental in launching the restoration of the Two Minutes Silence to commemorate the sacrifices made by the men and women of our forces, in two world wars and many other conflicts.
The motivation was to ask the public to recognise, by this simple ceremony, the part played and sacrifices made by these ordinary men and women for their country and for the cause of world peace.
The campaign was welcomed and the Two Minutes Silence will happen again this year.
Surrey County Council will be holding a short service of Remembrance for staff and councillors at Country Hall on Thursday, November 9.
As a charity, the Poppy Appeal is entirely reliant upon the public for its funding to help provide support for over 100,000 ex-Service men and women, veterans of the World Wars, the Gulf, the Falklands and more recent hostilities.
On October 28 the first Poppy Appeal for the new Millennium will be launched, the climax of which will be a special event at the Millennium Dome on Armistice Day, November 11.
May I ask you, through the columns of your newspaper, to urge the community to support the Poppy Appeal and Two Minutes Silence this year.
The Poppy Appeal is the principle source of funding which directly supports the Legion's welfare and benevolent work.
The calls upon the Legion's services are growing with each passing year and they expect the need for Poppy Appeal funds to continue well into the next Millennium.
Dr Brian Coffin
Chairman, Surrey County Council