War veteran who sold 50,000 poppies honoured

A proud war veteran who is estimated to have sold as many as 50,000 poppies has been honoured for his amazing achievement.

Henry Gordon, 94, was surprised by the Royal British Legion with a medal and certificate for ‘years of loyal and dedicated assistance to the Poppy Appeal’.

He’s believed to be one of the longest serving poppy sellers in the country after starting in the sixties.

Henry, who joined the British Army as a teenager, has been selling poppies for 50 years.

The Morrisons supermarket in Cheadle Health, Stockport, is now his regular patch.

The widower, from Edgeley, served as a field gun shell loader during the Second World War with the Royal Artillery.

He landed on the Normandy coastline with Allied soldiers after the D-Day invasion of occupied France and also served in Gibraltar and Greece.

Henry, who has eight great-grandchildren, has now put down his poppy collecting box and metal pins, although his family believe he could be coaxed out of retirement this year with their help.

Granddaughter Karen Broadbent, from Great Moor in Stockport, said he would collect every day every year for a three-week period in the run up to Remembrance Sunday in November.

She said:

Henry lives in sheltered accommodation at Equity Housing Group’s Runnymede Court.

He accepted the award in front of friends, family, civic dignitaries and representatives of the Royal British Legion.

Henry said the award came as a complete surprise. He said:

Collette King, Equity Housing Group’s chief executive, said:

• A national £43m fundraising drive, the annual Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal aims to raise money for soldiers past and present and their families.