11/11/11

Why the poppy?

Scarlet corn poppies (papaver rhoeas) grow naturally in disturbed earth throughout Western Europe and were the only plants that grew in the battle-scarred fields of Northern France and Flanders during and after WW1 

In May 1915, John McCrae wrote a poem to commemorate his fallen comrades Click Here

In Flanders Field

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 amid 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

In 1918, this poem inspired an American professor and humanitarian, Moina Michael to write a poetic response and to start raising funds for ex-soldiers by selling silk poppies. 

We Shall keep the faith

Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,

Sleep sweet - to rise anew!

We caught the torch you threw

And holding high, we keep the Faith

With All who died.

We cherish, too, the poppy red

That grows on fields where valor led;

It seems to signal to the skies

That blood of heroes never dies,

But lends a lustre to the red

Of the flower that blooms above the dead

In Flanders Fields.

And now the Torch and Poppy Red

We wear in honor of our dead.

Fear not that ye have died for naught;

We'll teach the lesson that ye wroughtIn Flanders Fields.

In Flanders Fields we fought

by Moina Michael, November 1918 Click Here

The poppy became the US national emblem of remembrance in 1920, and 1921 in the UK. 
In the UK, "The Poppy Appeal" is run by The Royal British Legion http://www.poppy.org.uk/

Last year the appeal raised £36million.  This year the target is £40million

"Well you can criticise your country but you should at least be grateful that you live in a country that allows you to do so. Buy a poppy".....Ricky Gervais (Twitter 6th Nov 2011)

Show your gratitude, show some respect. Buy a Poppy, it's not going to kill you