The Peace Pledge Union has welcomed a decision by the British Legion to remove a grenade-themed bottle of rum from their online Poppy Shop.

The “Pull the Pin” spiced rum, sold at £39.99 per bottle, was one of many items designed to raise funds for the Royal British Legion in the run-up to Remembrance Sunday. The handle to the bottle is shaped like a grenade pin.

The Legion are the producers of red poppies, which they say remember British and allied armed forces personnel.

But the product received widespread criticism on social media, not least from armed forces veterans. The Peace Pledge Union (PPU) said that the grenade-themed rum undermined the Legion’s assertion that they do not celebrate war. They described the product as an example of everyday militarism.

One veteran wrote on Facebook, “Speaking as a veteran, I wouldn’t insult those I knew who lost their lives by producing such a product.”

Late in the day yesterday (Wednesday 10 November), the Legion told the Daily Telegraph that they were reviewing their sale of the product. It was removed from their website.

The Peace Pledge Union welcomed the decision and urged the Legion to withdraw it from sale permanently, along with other products that imply that Remembrance Day is a celebration, including remembrance-themed alcoholic drinks.

The Peace Pledge Union, Britain’s leading pacifist group, produce white poppies to remember all victims of war of all nationalities and to demonstrate a commitment to peace and rejection of militarism.

The “Pull the Pin” rum is produced by a private company set up by military veteran Thomas Foster. The Legion were selling it for fundraising purposes in the run-up to Remembrance Day and Remembrance Sunday.

You can find a local white poppy outlet here, or order them online.