buy them, she considered that she made the first sale of the
Flanders Fields Memorial Poppy on 9th November 1918.
Her religious upbringing inspired her to believe that the
Flanders Memorial Poppy was indeed a spiritual symbol with
more meaning behind it than pure sentimentalism.
In 1921, a lady called Madame Anna Guerin made
arrangements for the first nationwide distribution across
America of poppies, made in France by the American and
French Childrens’ League. The funds raised from this
venture went directly to the League to help with rehabilitation
and resettlement of the areas of France devastated by the
First World War. Millions of these French-made artificial
poppies were sold in America between 1920 and 1924.
Anna Guerin also introduced the poppy to Canada, who later
adopted the poppy as its National Flower of Remembrance
on 5th July 1921.
In 1921, Anna Guerin sent some French Women to
London to sell their artificial red poppies. This was the first
introduction, to the British people, of Moina Michael’s idea
of the Memorial Poppy. Anna Guerin went in person to visit
Field Marshall, Earl Douglas Haig, founder and President
of The British Legion. She persuaded him to adopt the
Flanders Poppy as an emblem for The Legion. This was
formalized in the autumn of 1921.
The first British Poppy Day Appeal was launched that
year, in the run up to 11th November 1921. It was the third
anniversary of the Armistice to end the Great War. Proceeds
from the sale of the artificial French-made poppies were
given to ex-servicemen in need of welfare and financial
support.
Since that time the red poppy has been sold each year
by The British Legion from mid October to raise funds in
support of the organisation’s charitable work.
I expect you will remember last year, the magnificent display
entitled ‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red’ at the Tower
of London’s famous dry moat, with over 800,000 ceramic
poppies, creating a powerful visual commemoration for the
First World War Centenary.
I hope you have enjoyed this and found it interesting to read.
Things are sometimes meant to be, from one young soldier
who died to another seeing the fields of poppies growing and
on remembering his FV"g&