From the last Friday in October to Remembrance Day, millions of Canadians wear a Poppy as a visual pledge to never forget those who served and sacrificed.

The red flower also is the symbol of the Legion’s Poppy Campaign, raising funds to support Veterans and their families in need.

We invite everyone across the country to show their recognition by proudly wearing this symbol of Remembrance.

The significance of the Poppy can be traced back to the Napoleonic Wars in the 19th century, over 110 years before being adopted in Canada.

Records from that time indicate that thick Poppies grew over the graves of soldiers in Flanders, France.

Fields that had been barren before battle exploded with the blood-red flowers after the fighting ended.

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 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.

In Flanders Fields
_{by Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae

May 3, 1915}

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.

(As published in Punch Magazine, December 8, 1915)

The idea for the Remembrance Poppy was imagined by Madame Anna Guérin of France. She was inspired by John McCrae’s poem “In Flanders Fields.”

Anna had originally founded a charity to help rebuild regions of France after the First World War, and created poppies made of fabric to raise funds. Later, Anna presented her concept to France’s allies, including the precursor to The Royal Canadian Legion, The Great War Veterans Association.

The idea was considered at a meeting in Port Arthur, Ontario (now Thunder Bay) and was adopted on July 6, 1921.

The Poppy is worn each year during the Remembrance period to honour Canada’s Fallen. The Legion also encourages the wearing of a Poppy for the funeral of a Veteran and for any commemorative event honouring Fallen Veterans.

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.