HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1989-11-08, Page 9Poppies symbolize true remembrance
Each November over 14 million poppies
bloom in Canada. Dotting the lapels of
half of Canada's population, this symbol
of remembrance makes its annual ap-
pearance as it has done every year since
1926.
Although everybody knows what the
poppy means, no one is certain of how it
all began; how the poppy became so
closely associated with remembrance of
the war dead.
The association was certainly not new
when the poppy was adopted in Canada
in 1921. At least 110 years before that
time, a correspondent wrote of how thick-
ly poppies grew over the graves of the
dead. He was speaking of the Napoleonic
War and its cornpaigns in Flanders.
But a Canadian medical officer was
chiefly responsible for this association,
more so than any other single know
factor.
John McCrae was a tall, boyish
43 -year-old member of the Canadian
Medical Corps from Guelph, Ontario. An
artillery veteran of the Boer War, he had
the eye of a gunner, the hand of a
surgeon and the soul of a poet when he
went into the line at Ypres on April 22,
1915.
That was the afternoon the enemy first
used poison gas.
The first attack failed. So did the next
and the next. For 17 days and nights the
allies repulsed wave after wave of
attackers.
During this period McCrae wrote "One
can see the dead lying there on the front
field. And in places where the enemy
threw in an attack, they lie very thick on
the slopes of the German trenches."
Working from a dressing station on the
bank of the Yser Canal, Lt. -Col. McCrae
dressed hundreds of wounded, never tak-
ing off his clothes for the entire 17 days.
Sometimes the dead or wounded actual-
ly rolled down the bank from above into
his dugout. While awaiting the arrival of
batches of wounded, he would watch the
men at work in the burial plots which
•were quickly filling up.
Then McCraie ,and his unit were reliev-
ed. "We are weary in body and wearier
in mind. The general impression in my
Poppy campaign to assist ex -serve
Every year for approximately three
weeks prior to November 11 - Remem-
brance Day - The Royal Canadian Legion
conducts its annual Poppy Campaign. The
Poppy Campaign raises money, which is
placed in trust accounts and used
the i)e
Citjt
( 1 be sr
mind is one of a nightmare," he wrote
home.
But McCrae came out of Ypres with 13
lines scrawled on a scrap of paper. The
lines were the poem which started: "In
Flanders field the poppies blow..."
These were the lines which are enshrin-
ed in the hearts of all soldiers who heard
in them their innermost thoughts. McCrae
was their voice. The poem circulated as
does a folk song, by living word of
mouth. Men learned it with their hearts.
In the United States, the poem inspired
the American Legion to adopt the poppy
as the symbol of Remembrance.
In Canada the poppy was officially
adopted by the Great War Veterans
Association in 1921 on the suggestion of a
Mrs. E. Guerin of France. But there is
little doubt that the impact of McCrae's
poem influenced this decision.
The poem speaks of Flanders fields.
But the subject is universal: the fear that
in death we will be forgotten, that death
will have been in vain.
The spirit of true Remembrance, as
symbolized by the poppy, must be our
eternal answer which belies those fears.
ce personnel
throughout the year to assist needy Cana-
dian ex -service personnel and their
dependents. Former members of the Com-
monwealth and allied military services
may also be eligible to receive benefits
from these funds.
For every donation received, a symbol of
remembrance is provided either for per-
sonal or public display. These symbols in-
clude the lapel poppy, worn by individuals,
and the wreaths, crosses and sprays which
are appropriately displayed, or laid at
cenotaphs and other memorials across the
country and overseas. In some instances,
such as in the case of school children, pop-
pies are distributed free of charge in the
interest of perpetuating remembrance.
These symbols provide a fitting tribute to
the 114,000 servicemen and women who
died while serving with Canada's armed
forces during two World Wars and the
Korean Conflict.
Poppy material is manufactured by
disabled veterans or their dependents. Pro-
duction of these items provides them with
a small source of income and allows them
to take an active part in the tradition of
remembrance.
During the 1988 Poppy Campaign, over
14 million poppies and some 68,600
wreaths, crosses and sprays - were
distributed across Canada. Cost of
manufacturing poppy material in 1998888 was
$1.9 million and the average campaign ex-'
pense for each of the 1,503 participating
Legion Branches was $1,965:
In 1988 over $4 million in Poppy Cam-
paign funds were distributed in accordance
with the General Bylaws of the Royal
Canadian Legion. Some of the activities
supported through these funds..are:
-Assistance to needy veterans and their
dependents;
-Community medical appliances and
medical research;
Turas to page 15 •
THE HURON EXPOSITOR, NOVEMBER 8, 1989 — 9A
A TIME
TO REMEMBER
SUN., MON 11:00 - 11 00 pm
TOES. WED , THURS 11-00 - 12'00 mid Seaforth
FRI., SAT 11.0 • 1:00 am
527-0180
They Fought
For
Our Freedom
SEAFORTH INSURANCE
BROKER LTD.
Seaforth
527-1610
A Moment's
Silence
For A Lifetime
Of Freedom
Town of Seaforth
MAYOR. — Hazel Hildebrand
REMEM ER9NG
THE VETERANS ...
ROSS RIBEY, DIRECTOR
WHITNEY -RI -BEY
FUNERAL HOME
Goderich St. W., Seaforth 527-1390
It takes but
a moment to
remember.
Wear a
poppy in
remembrance
NOVEMBER 11
Take time
to pause
and remember
3
Flower J2agili'
by Joon
527-1110
FLOWERS FOR
ALL OCCASIONS
36 Main St. 5., 6.610,th
WORKMAN
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REPRESENTATIVE
HENRY MERO
527-0430
SEAFORTH VETERINARY
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Main Street North
527.1760
THEIR SACRIFICE
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In Flander's Field.
The Poppies
Blow ...
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Main St.
Seaforth
527-0720
TREMEER COMMERCIAL
PRINTERS
AND OFFICE SUPPLY
Seaforth 527-1640
May We
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Jildebrand
Main St.
alowers
Seaforth
527-0555
THEY WILL
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IAC
96 Main St., Seaforth, 527-0810
AT THE GOING
DOWN OF THE
SUN ...
AND IN THE
MORNING WE SHALL
REMEMBER THEM ...
A Moment
To Remember
A Lifetime
Of Freedom
Alagi
Main St.
Hildebrand
Paint and Paper
Seaforth 527-1880