The Story of the Flanders Poppy

10 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment

by Paulette in Uncategorized Tags: flanders, military, Poppy, war

On 3rd May, 1915, an exhausted Canadian doctor, Colonel John McCrae, was doing all he could for the wounded and dying on the battlefields of Flanders. The unimaginable carnage he witnessed at the front is captured in the moving words of a poem he wrote that day.

Some months later, his poem ‘In Flanders Fields’ was reproduced in Punch and Moina Michael, an American war secretary with the YMCA, was deeply moved by McCrae’s work. She bought some poppies, and wore one herself to ‘keep the faith’ and sold the remainder to friends, giving the money to Servicemen in need. Her colleague, Madame Guerin, inspired by this idea, decided to visit different countries to suggest that artificial poppies should be made and sold to help ex-Servicemen and their dependents.
From that point on, the Poppy became the emblem of remembrance.

On 11th November, 1918, the guns fell silent in Europe. For the millions who had fought in the Great War, and for their families, the ‘land fit for heroes’ turned out to be an illusion. Instead there was suffering and deprivation, homelessness and unemployment. Out of this was born a voice to fight for the justice and rights of the ex-Service community – the British Legion.

Wear your poppy with pride and remember those, particularly in your own community who never returned