Don’t Forget to Wear the Poppy

PoppyNovember 11th, Remembrance Day, will be different this year – no large gatherings at cenotaphs or school assemblies to mark the date. Due to Covid-19, many of us will be working alone from home offices or trying our very best to physically distance when out in the community. And as the pandemic red zone restrictions continue on, the resulting social isolation takes it toll on everyone – including our veterans. So, show your support for the the men and women who served and sacrificed for the peace and freedom that we have today. Donations to the annual Poppy campaign go to support Veterans and their families. Whether you will be out and about or home alone on November 11th don’t forget to wear the Poppy. And at 11:00am take a moment to stop and remember.

Don’t know where to find a poppy? Visit: https://legion.ca/remembrance/the-poppy-campaign   #GetYourPoppy

digital poppyThe Digital Poppy
What to show your support online? Visit www.MyPoppy.ca and download their Digital Poppy to complement the traditional lapel poppy that’s synonymous with honouring the service and sacrifice of our veterans.

All funds raised through MyPoppy.ca are directed to the Legion National Foundation, which supports initiatives that further Veterans’ health and wellness, connect youth and children to the contributions of Veterans, and provide students with scholarships and bursaries to pursue their education.

The History of “In Flanders Fields”
The person who first introduced the Poppy to Canada and the Commonwealth was Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae of Guelph, Ontario, a Canadian Medical Officer during the First World War. John McCrae penned the Poem “In Flanders Fields” on a scrap of paper in May, 1915 on the day following the death of a fellow soldier. Little did he know then that those 13 lines would become enshrined in the hearts and minds of all who would wear them. McCrae’s poem was published in Punch Magazine in December of that same year.

Thanks to the millions of Canadians who wear the Legion’s lapel Poppy each November, the little red flower has never died, and the memories of those who fell in battle remain strong.

In Flanders Fields
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.

Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae
~ May 3, 1915
(As published in Punch Magazine, December 8, 1915)

To learn more about the Poppy (including how to wear it), Remembrance Day, and the Canadian Legion, visit: https://legion.ca/remembrance

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