Remembrance?

Fill me in on the significance of this day, and the meaning behind the red poppy...

It's Veterans' Day today in the U.S., to honor those who have served our country. Same thing?

broadly speaking, yes.

I think the red poppy is a reference to the poppys which grew on Flanders fields after WWI. The date is also to mark the signing of the armastice at the end of WWI (11 am on 11/11/18 ), although all those who have fallen serving crown and country are remembered today.

PS I read somewhere recently that the red poppys actually started in the US, so perhaps it is we who should ask you what they reference

Slightly off topic i know; I was in a small town in North Virgian last independance day, was particularly impressed by the reverance being paid to the American troops abroad, living and dead.

davex.

The poem "In Flanders Fields" starts:

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.

The poem was written by a Canadian, John McCrae, but inspired Moina Michael, an American, to make 25 silk poppies for a conference which in turn inspired a French lady, Anna E. Guérin, to sell poppies. In 1921 she sent poppy sellers to London where the symbol was then adopted by Haig.

K.

I attended the Remembrance Day Service in Durham along with three other members of Durham PS. Here is one photo from inside the Cathedral.



Link to all my Photos.(Samsung GX20 + Pentax 16-45)

John

Strange to think that poppies were been sold in remembrance of WW1 and yet we learned nothing from it, at least a minority of Germans didn't.

EDIT, PS not forgetting that Austrian nutter.

Poppies are quite amazing plants; their seeds can lay dormant deep underground for huge lengths of time (over 100 years!) until activated by the soil they lie in being churned and their subsequent exposure to light. Normally this is as a result of ploughing a field, however, it also happens after a tract of land has been heavily shelled in battle.

This is why poppies (or at least the red flowered Corn poppy - a common weed in Europe) tend to appear when the fighting stops and are associated with war. This has been noted for thousands of years and the poppy was widely used as a symbol of death and resurrection in Greco-Roman mythology. Poppies also have a habit of popping up on freshly dug graves and around building sites for the same reasons.

The current Remembrance Day poppies may have their roots (excuse the pun) in Flanders Fields but the symbology predates those events by quite a lot longer...

IIRC, there was more than a minority of Germans involved in the second disagreement.

hefty1 wrote:
Thanks for that hefty - some info new to me there!
Andy

Ah but it only takes a Minority to stir up trouble and incite others, the German people were one of the biggest victims of Nazi Propoganda, the Hitler Youth were a classic example.

A bit off topic, but an interesting image.

http://s934.photobucket.com/albums/ad189/Sdeve/Misc/?action=view¤t=18000men.jpg

thanks for that hefty, facinating! I always wondered how the poppys came to grow on Flanders and other battlefields.

Poppies are also known for producing opium. I often wondered why Mcrae was lying in the middle of a battle torn cemetary, picking flowers and writing poems.... but humor aside..

My family served in many conflicts and Remembrance Day is a small reminder that we "Never Forget" their sacrifices.

"Paschendale" is an excellent Canadian film for those looking for something to watch tonite!

Thanks for all this interesting information!

Here's to all who serve and have served their beloved country, whatever country that may be.