After the First World War, bright red poppies began to bloom across the battlefields of Flanders and northern France, places torn apart by shellfire and loss. These delicate flowers grew among the soldiers’ graves, symbolising both sacrifice and renewal.
The image was immortalised by Canadian army doctor Lt. Col. John McCrae, whose famous 1915 poem “In Flanders Fields” described poppies growing between the crosses marking the fallen. Inspired by his words, Moina Michael in America began wearing a poppy to remember the dead, and Madame Anna Guérin later organised the making of poppies to raise funds for veterans.
In 1921, the Royal British Legion adopted the poppy as its emblem, launching the first Poppy Appeal that November, a tradition still going strong over a century later.
Each November, as we wear our poppies with pride, we honour those who gave everything for our freedom. ❤️Pictured are poppies in our own garden, back in summertime.
Do you wear a poppy each year for Remembrance Day?
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My own choice is a white poppy to remember all the dead in all wars