History of the Poppy
More than 13 million poppies will decorate the clothes and homes of
Canadians on November 11 to show respect and remembrance of those who were
killed in wars and peacekeeping missions. But this tradition has
international origins and was associated with soldiers killed in battle for
nearly 110 years before the scarlet flower appeared in North America.
During the Napoleonic War, a correspondent wrote about
poppies thickly growing in the fields where soldiers had died in Flanders,
France. Years later, during the First World War, Lieutenant Colonel John
McCrae, a Canadian doctor, documented this phenomenon
in
his poem In Flanders Fields, generating widespread
use of the poppy as a symbol of remembrance. Before the First World War, few
poppies grew in Flanders. During battle, the soil became rich with lime from
the rubble, which gave way to fields of beautiful red poppies.
Three years later, an American woman working at a YMCA canteen in New York City began wearing a poppy to remember the millions who had died on the battlefield. In 1920, a French woman learned of the custom and began using handmade poppies to raise money for the children in war-torn areas of the country. In November 1921, Canada officially adopted the poppy as a symbol of remembrance.
Today, the Poppy Campaign is one of the Royal Canadian Legion's most important programs. The money raised from the sale of poppies provides assistance for ex-service men and women, as well as funding for medical appliances, research, care facilities, and home services.
A Living Memory
McCrae's touching poem echoes the hope of slain soldiers that their death
will not be in vain and they will not be forgotten. By wearing poppies this
November, we assure them that their memory lives on and show our thanks for
the many freedoms we enjoy.
In Flanders Fields
In Flanders fields the
poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amidst the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short
days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel
with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
