Lady Haig's Poppy Factory

18/06/2026

Happy Birthday John

Today's birthday shout out goes to our Royal Naval veteran who you'll find working away in the Tin Room, John. We know you'll join us in wishing him all the best for his special day!
Have a good one John 🎉🎉🎉

18/06/2026

14/06/2026

44th Anniversary of the end of the Falklands War
Everyone at Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory wish to pay their respects in Remembrance of the Fallen and to those who returned, and to show their support in the commemoration of the 44th Anniversary of the end of the Falklands war.

On 2 April 1982, Argentine forces mounted amphibious landings of the Falkland Islands in an attempt to establish the sovereignty it had long claimed over them. On 5 April, the British Government dispatched a Naval Task Force to engage the Argentine Navy and Air Force before making an amphibious assault on the islands. The conflict lasted 74 days and ended with the Argentine surrender on 14 June 1982, returning the islands to British control. 649 Argentine military personnel, 255 British military and 3 Falkland Islanders died during the
We will remember them.

12/06/2026

LOSS OF THE 51ST HIGHLAND DIVISION June 1940

With the withdraw of Allied forces at Dunkirk the Germans turned their attention to the south. The 51st (Highland) Infantry Division and its Support Units of Engineers, Artillery, Anti-tank and Yeomanry, was tasked with holding a line four times longer than that which would normally be expected of a division. Sustained attacks over the 5-6 June 1940 caused heavy losses, particularly among the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders. Both the French and 51st Division pulled back into the coastal town of Saint Valery and waited for ships to come from Britain to evacuate them, but no ships came.
On the morning of 12 June French forces surrendered followed 30 minutes later by the 51st (Highland) Division. From the British point of view, the defeat of the 51st was the end of Allied resistance during the battle of France. More than 10,000 Scottish soldiers of the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division and Support Units were taken prisoner at Saint Valery. Under armed guard they were marched to Germany via Belgium, following the route over which the Germans had advanced against them. The fall of France in May/June 1940 and the lightning advance of the German forces dispelled the Allies' illusions of another static trench war.

10/06/2026

World Cup Additional Holiday Scotland - Factory Closed Monday 15th June

The factory will remain closed on Monday 15th June for the one-off national Bank Holiday to celebrate the national team playing in its first World Cup since 1998. Our veterans got the flags out today. For Scottish football fans and the Tartan Army, this is a dream come true, even before a ball is kicked! We hope all our supporters enjoy all the fun and excitement of the World Cup and that their teams do them proud.

The factory will re-open on Tuesday 16th June for business as usual and our online shop remains open for the convenience of our customers. All orders placed over the holiday weekend will be processed on Tuesday 16th June.

Shop online: www.ladyhaigspoppyfactory.org.uk

09/06/2026

The Ground Battle for Normandy 1944 - 51st Highland Division

Most of the 51st (Highland) division arrived in Normandy on 7 June 1944 (D-Day + 1) and was immediately ordered to hold a position known as the Triangle. It was a ghastly area because anyone defending this area would be surrounded on three sides and would be subjected to regular artillery bombardment and counter-attacks by the German army. Conditions here resembled the First World War. It is a matter of fact that during this period, the normal high morale of the (Highland) division fell to a low. The division had been ordered for weeks on end to play a defensive role in thick woods, when it was used to the open spaces of North Africa and Sicily in an attacking role under the command of the British 8th Army (the Desert Rats). By July 1944 the division had totally lost its combat effectiveness.
The 51st had fought in the North African desert and later in Sicily and Italy and had established a brilliant fighting reputation for themselves. Thus for the fighting man the division and his own regiment became the two focal points of his loyalty. However, the 51st (Highland) Division's performance in Normandy was, overall, considered disappointing, particularly by the new Commander-in-Chief of the Allied land forces in Normandy General Montgomery who blamed the Divisional Commander for its failure and relieved him of his command.
On 1 August 1944 the division, along with the rest of British I Corps, became part of the newly activated Canadian First Army. The division fought alongside this army. It then continued east over the River Seine and headed, on General Montgomery's orders for Saint-Valéry-en-Caux, the scene of the division's surrender in June 1940. The Scottish 51st (Highland) Infantry Division liberated the town on 11 September 1944.

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08/06/2026

Tragedy at Bluff Cove

On the 8th June 1982, RFA Sir Tristam & RFA Sir Galahad dropped anchor at Fitzroy to disembark reinforcements and supplies for a final assault on the Falkland Islands capital, Stanley. Shortly after 14:00 RFA Sir Galahad and RFA Sir Tristam were struck by bombs from Argentine A-4 Skyhawks.
48 men were killed on RFA Sir Galahad, including 32 Welsh Guardsmen, 11 other army personnel and 5 civilian crew members. Over 100 were injured.
8 men were killed aboard RFA Sir Tristam including 2 Hong Kong chinese crewmen. Dozens were injured.
Subsequent attacks on HMS Plymouth injured 5 crewmen and Landing Craft Utility Foxtrot Four resulted in the death of 6 crew members, with only 2 crew members surviving.
RFA Sir Galahad was scuttled on 21st June 1982 and thereafter declared as a war grave.
Today we remember those who died in the single largest loss of British life in a single day during the Falklands War.

We will remember them.

06/06/2026

D-Day Landings in Normandy 6th June 1944

Today marks the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day landings and the veterans and staff of Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory join with everyone to remember the incredible sacrifice and bravery of those who landed in Normandy as one of the most remarkable Allied wartime operations of World War II.
The Normandy landings (codenamed Operation Neptune) were the landing operations on 6 June 1944 (termed D-Day) of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. The largest seaborne invasion in history, the operation began the invasion of German-occupied Western Europe, led to the liberation of France from N**i control, and contributed to an Allied victory in the war.
The success of the amphibious landings depended on the establishment of a secure lodgment from which to expand the beachhead to allow the buildup of a well-supplied force capable of breaking out. The amphibious forces were especially vulnerable to strong enemy counter-attacks before the buildup of sufficient forces in the beachhead could be accomplished.
June 5, 1944 - Between 11 pm and 3 am, 13,000 allied paratroopers and gliders carrying heavy equipment leave England to begin the invasion of France by air.
In a broadcast message to the troops, delivered before they leave, Eisenhower says, "The tide has turned! The freemen of the world are marching together to victory.... We will accept nothing less than full victory!"
June 6, 1944 - Overnight, a military armada including 6,939 vessels and more than 156,000 troops cross the English Channel. Minesweepers go ahead to clear the waters in preparation for more than 4,126 landing ships and craft that will be carrying men, vehicles and supplies.
Between midnight and 8 am, Allied forces of more than 11,000 aircraft, fly 14,674 sorties.
At 6:30am - Troops begin coming ashore on a 60-mile front.
In a broadcast to the people of occupied Europe, Eisenhower says, "Although the initial assault may not have been in your own country, the hour of your liberation is approaching!"

05/06/2026

WW2 PARACHUTE DROP OVER NORMANDY 1944

On the evening of the 5th of June 1944 up to 1,500 aircraft flew from 24 different airfields from Britain, 13,000 soldiers from the American 82nd and 101st Parachute Divisions alongside 7,000 British Airborne paratroopers and 3,937 glider troops from the 6th Glider Force with Fighter cover flew into the night skies over Normandy. That same day, 1,000 British bombers dropped 5,000 tons of munitions on N**i gun batteries along the Normandy coast to cripple Germany’s defences before the imminent invasion.
When a plane neared its drop zone the pilot turned on a red light near the open back door. At the order “Stand up, Hook up, Equipment Check,” the paratroopers stood up, hooked their static lines to the anchor cable running down the length of the cabin, and checked the gear of the man in front of them. They then waited for the red light to turn green. When the light flashed green the jumpmaster shouted “Go!” and the men pushed out the open door.


(Source): Normandy (Operation Overlord) | ParaData