WHY THE POPPY?

Why the Poppy?
A writer first made the connection
between the poppy and battlefield
deaths during the Napoleonic wars
of the early 19th century,
remarking that fields that were
barren before battle exploded with
the blood-red flowers after the
fighting ended.
During the tremendous
bombardments of the First World
War the chalk soils became rich in
lime from rubble, allowing
'popaver rhoeas' to thrive.
When the war ended the lime was
quickly absorbed, and the poppy
began to disappear again. After
John McCrae's poem
In Flanders Fields was published
in 1915 the poppy became a
popular symbol for soldiers who
died in battle. Three years later an
American, Moina Michael,
was working in a New York City
YMCA canteen when she started
wearing a poppy in memory of the
millions who died on the battlefield.
During a 1920 visit to the United
States a French woman, Madame
Guerin, learned of the custom.
On her return to France she decided
to use handmade poppies to raise
money for the destitute children in
war-torn areas of the country.
In November, 1921, the first poppies
were distributed in Canada.
Thanks to the millions of Canadians
who wear flowers each November,
the little red plant has never died.
And neither have Canadian's
memories for 116,031 of their
countrymen who died in battle.
LINK:
http://www.canoe.ca/RemembranceDay/poppy.html