He noticed how poppies magically sprung up in the disturbed ground of the graves of this artillery position. The sight of these delicate, vibrant red flowers growing on the shattered ground caught the attention of a Canadian soldier by the name of Major John McCrae. In the Belgian region of Flanders, the spring of 1915 was unusually warm for the millions of soldiers huddled in trenches and tunnels after the cold winter and growing in clusters here and there around the battle zones was the red poppy. Soldiers spoke of birds, particularly the lark, heard twittering high in the sky even during the fury of an artillery bombardment. However, sometimes the sights and sounds of nature could be seen and heard through the fog of battle. The only living things they would see on the front lines were scavenging rats, mice, and lice. Few elements of the natural world could survive except the soldiers who lived in an underground network of holes, tunnels and trenches. World War I created a wasteland of churned soil, smashed woods, fields and streams. It was the inspiration and dedication of women who promoted the “Memorial Flower” as a way to raise funds to support those in need of help, most especially service members and civilians suffering from physical and mental hardship as a result of war.

Yet the scope of the poppy and its connection with the memory of those who have died in war has been expanded to help the living too.

From its association with the poppies flowering in the spring of 1915 on the battlefields of Belgium, France, and Gallipoli this vivid red flower has become synonymous with great loss of life in war. This is the story of how the red field poppy became the international symbol of Remembrance.

The story behind the remembrance poppy