The Weight of Glory – C. S. Lewis
Poppies are now available in the UK.
In 2011 Poppy Scotland merged with The Royal British Legion to undertake the annual poppy appeal in the lead up to Remembrance Day (11th November each year). The artificial flower has been used since 1921 to commemorate all military personnel that died in war. It is now the largest charity group raising money to help provide vital assistance and support to veterans, service personnel and their families.
The WW1 poem, In Flanders Fields, written by Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, a Canadian physician in 1915 was the inspiration behind the poppy as the chosen symbol as the opening lines refer to the flower as being the first to grow on the soldier’s graves in Flanders, Belgium.
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.
Through the years there have been controversies over the wearing of the poppy. Some argue that it has now become a fashion accessory, with lavish ones of metal and precious stones being flaunted by the rich and therefore has nothing to do with the main fund raising aims of the charity. It is also often considered as a token worn simply to make people seem patriotic, especially by celebrities and those in the media.
In 1933, the Co-operative Women’s Guild introduced the white poppy to be worn as an alternative to the red one to promote peace. Animal Aid produced a purple one to be worn alongside the red ones as a reminder that animals were also victims of war which was subsequently misrepresented to promote them as heroes. The original aim was to demonstrate that animals that died in war were innocent victims and so the purple poppy has been replaced with a purple paw which is worn all year around.