Few things delight London’s fabled black taxi drivers more than asking passengers: “You’ll never guess who I had in the back of my cab?” Tomorrow, as an armada of Hackney carriages flood the capital, the answer will be the very best of British. As the country stops to honour the fallen on Remembrance Sunday hundreds of cabbies will give up their working day so veterans – many wheelchair bound and some more than 100-years-old – can attend the annual service at the Cenotaph.
It is a unique and moving mobilisation that reinforces the indelible link between those who served and those who remain eternally grateful for their selfless sacrifice. Across London, more than 1,000 free taxi journeys will be undertaken in just two hours for heroes going to and from Whitehall.
There is no single organisation that organises the Poppy Cab service with drivers providing their taxis and time free of charge.
Mike Hughes, who coordinates the cavalcade, said: “Funded entirely by the drivers themselves this is seen as one of the highlights of the taxi trade year when a special effort is made to pay back part of the debt owed to our military veterans.
“Although the Chelsea Pensioners, resplendent in their scarlet uniforms, are represented by a group that march in the general parade, a number of residents of the Royal Hospital that are unable to stand for any length of time are catered for by specially detailed Poppy Cabs that collect them from Chelsea and transport them to and from Westminster Bridge where they can mark the eleventh hour.
“All London taxis are wheelchair accessible, a feature much appreciated by many of those attending the service and parade at the Cenotaph.”
Mike is also a volunteer driver for the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans and was the regular driver for Major Ted Hunt, who was appointed the Queen’s Barge Master in 1978, the historical title of the head of the Royal Watermen, a position he held for 12 years until his 70th birthday.
In 1945 Maj Hunt helped design and built what became, at 1,222 metres, the longest floating Bailey bridge (portable, pre-fabricated, truss bridge) of the Second World War at Gennep in the Netherlands.
In 2022 the grateful Dutch people had constructed a memorial and the then 102-year-old hero returned as guest of honour.
Mike said: “Ted’s prostate cancer finally got to him. I could see him physically dying during the 12-days we were there.
“He had said on his 102nd birthday that he was only staying alive long enough to go to the Netherlands and Normandy.
“It goes to show just how great the human spirit is. Ted was so determined to make the Netherlands trip that nothing was going to stop him. I was on standby to take him to Normandy, but he was just too ill. He died in July of that year. I was with him just a few hours before he passed. I miss him terribly.”
He added: “We owe them so much. Not only Second World War Veterans, but to all who have served. That is why London’s taxi drivers come together as Poppy Cabs. It’s our way of saying thank you to them all.”
London cab driver Colin Mills, Chairman of the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans, said: “The Poppy Cabs service is nothing short of vital. For many of our veterans, especially those who are wheelchair users or have mobility challenges, attending the Remembrance Sunday service would be almost impossible without this remarkable show of support from London’s cab drivers.
“For over 15 years, these selfless men and women have given their time, their vehicles and their hearts to ensure our veterans can be present at the Cenotaph to honour their fallen comrades.
“Their kindness, respect and unwavering commitment exemplify the very best of our community, and the Taxi Charity is incredibly proud to stand alongside Poppy Cabs in supporting those who have served our country.”
The unbreakable bond between London taxi drivers and Britain’s veterans was formed by the Taxi Charity – then known as the London Taxi Benevolent Association for War Disabled – in 1948.
Run by volunteer taxi drivers it is the only forces charity that focuses on providing fun and entertainment, arranging free trips for heroes of all conflicts to commemorative events at home and abroad, including the Netherlands and France, and days out to museums, concerts, and social events.
It received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2021 and celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2023.
This year, during a trip to mark the 80th anniversary of Dutch Liberation, wartime heroine Queenie Hall visited the grave of her fiancé for the first time – 81 years after his death.
Queenie, 102, better known as Robbie, was engaged to RAF Flight Sergeant Frank Vincent when he and his Lancaster Bomber crew were killed on August 25, 1944.
Frank – a bomb aimer serving with 75 (NZ) Squadron – was killed with six mates when their plane suffered a catastrophic mid-air explosion during a nighttime raid over Germany.
For more than eight decades the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force veteran from Stowmarket, Suffolk, did not know where her sweetheart was buried. And until her visit to Rheinberg War Cemetery, she was unaware she was referenced on his headstone.
The inscription reads: “To our darling Frank. Treasured memories. Mum, Dad, Sister, and Queenie.”
Robbie was helped to his grave by Kaz Donald of The Taxi Charity and left a wooden poppy at his grave with a hand-written message that read: “To my darling Frank. Loved forever. Forgotten never. Queenie xx.”
She said: “Being taken there was like receiving a gift I have waited 81 years to receive. I am sure Frank would be so proud of me because I could do nothing wrong in his eyes. He was a very handsome young man and I loved him, what else can I say?”
