Parts of the remembrance poppy5/5/2023 ![]() ![]() “When funds are raised, for example, during the national poppy campaign each year, this symbol helps us raise those funds and provide the support that we do to veterans across the country.” “This symbol also means support,” said Bond. This was part of her pitch to the Great War Veterans’ Association in 1921, and raising money for veterans’ needs is something to still continues today. She would create poppies out of fabric and sell them to raise funds for those most impacted by the war. In the aftermath of the First World War, Guerin founded a charity to help rebuild war-torn regions of France. “The second element, which I think is equally important, was that it was a fundraiser that was meant to raise money for wounded veterans and their family members.” “The poppy really had two important functions – the first was as a symbol of remembrance, a wearable icon…to show the act of remembrance, commemoration, or bearing witness to the loss,” he said. (GEORGE METCALF ARCHIVAL COLLECTION, CANADIAN WAR MUSEUM / ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION)Īs Cook explains, the poppy has always served as more than just a symbol. “That original image was used to help design what today's anniversary poppy looks like.”Ī Canadian Remembrance Day poppy from 1921 (left) and the commemorative poppy celebrating its 100th year in Canada (right). “It really is very similar to the original ,” said Bond. The centre was at one time green, and has since changed to the black centre that we see today,” said Bond, pointing out that the black centre is more consistent with what red poppies actually look like.Īlong with the red fabric, this year’s commemorative poppy features a rigid stem and a ribbon attached that reads “100 years, The Symbol of Remembrance.” “What we have today a little bit more of a rigid poppy. Over time, they developed into the design most Canadians are used to seeing today. The original poppies distributed in 1921 were handmade using fabric, Bond notes, similar to the commemorative poppy released this year. “Now, here we are, a hundred years later with the poppy still as a very central and symbolic means of remembrance.” “In 1921, she took her idea to the precursor to the Royal Canadian Legion, which was the Great War Veterans’ Association and it was accepted,” Bond explained. The references to poppies inspired a French woman named Anna Guerin to adopt the flower as an emblem of remembrance in honour of those who fought and died in the First World War. The poppy’s origins stem from the famous wartime poem “ In Flanders Fields,” written by Canadian John McCrae. “But the poppy is certainly the most prevalent and long-lasting of these wearable symbols.”Īn example of a handmade poppy. “We live in an age now where we often see wearable acts of commemoration, think of pink ribbons and yellow ribbons and red ribbons, and they all have specific meaning,” he said to CTVNews.ca over the phone. This is a large part of the reason why it continues to be so recognizable today, he says. The iconic red flower has always represented remembrance, even with subtle changes to its design, explains Tim Cook, a historian at the Canadian War Museum. “We know it represents our fallen veterans and the sacrifices that they made so that we can enjoy the freedoms that we enjoy in Canada today.” “The poppy itself as a symbol of remembrance has been with us for so long now, for several generations…so it has come to have great meaning,” Bond told CTVNews.ca over the phone. Nujma Bond, communications manager for the legion’s national headquarters, says this is likely due to the poppy’s longstanding status as a symbol of remembrance, and all the significance it holds. While there are notable differences between the older poppy design and newer ones most Canadians are familiar with, the concept has remained largely the same, even after all these years. ![]() To commemorate the occasion, the Royal Canadian Legion has unveiled a special edition of the poppy that replicates the original version. ![]() For a century now, the small red flower has been a symbol of remembrance for those across the country. This year marks the poppy’s 100th anniversary in Canada. ![]()
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