Editor: It is the time of year again where we pin those plastic blood red poppies above our hearts in remembrance of those who fought and died for us. Most of us probably do not know that the custom was first started by an American named Moina Michael. She wrote a poem in response to the now iconic “In Flanders Fields” titled “We Shall Keep the Faith,” in which she pledges to wear a poppy in remembrance of those who fought in war. She first wore it in 1918 and in 1920 the American Legion began to use it as their symbol of remembrance. In 1921, the Royal Canadian Legion adopted it and ever since Canadians have pinned that little flower above our hearts in the weeks leading up to Remembrance Day.
It was May 3, 1915, during the second battle of Ypres. Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae noticed as he buried his close friend that poppies grew around the graves of the dead soldiers. This inspired him to write “In Flanders Fields,” which he wrote while sitting in the back of an field ambulance. Not being satisfied with the poem, he crumpled it up and threw it away.
If not for his fellow soldiers convincing him to publish it, we may never have worn the poppies we wear today. The poem was published in a weekly magazine named Punch on Dec. 8, 1915 and today is one of the most popular poems of the First World War. John McCrae died of pneumonia on Jan. 28, 1918, at the age of 45.
The corn or field poppy is an agricultural weed in Europe. Its seeds lie dormant under the soil waiting to be disturbed so they can germinate. Perhaps the millions of high explosive rounds detonated in the desolate, muddy, crater-riddled ‘no mans land,’ separating opposing trench lines, disturbed the seeds. This woke them from their slumber to bring some colour and beauty to the mud and destruction trench warfare brought to once-green fields.
Imagine a world of mud and blood, a landscape resembling a distant, barren, alien world, not a once-green field. This little red flower pokes up from the mud — small, delicate and beautiful in a world of horror and ugliness. What must it have been like to be a young man — cold, wet, feet rotting from trench foot, terrified, tired and longing for something that does not look like mud? To see these little flowers blooming amongst the death must have been quite a sight.
Even during the Napoleonic wars, it was noted that red poppies would grow around the graves of soldiers as if drawn to those who have fallen in battle. These little red flowers stood guard over the bodies of our brave soldiers, and now they are over our hearts because that is where our fallen are, in the hearts of all Canadians. Our soldiers have fought, died, bled, sacrificed and suffered so the rest of us wouldn’t have to. We exist because of them and we owe our way of life to them.
When I pin a poppy to my shirt, I am reminded that there is a legacy behind me of brave soldiers who answered the call. They stood up and fought for us and each other, not for politics or religion, not because they liked it or wanted to. They took up arms because they believed it was right thing to do. I am reminded of why I volunteered to be a peacekeeper in Bosnia. It was because I felt it was the right thing to do.
Now I am a veteran and I wear my poppy faithfully because I can not bear to “break faith with us who die.” I look at the young men and women who now wear our nation’s uniform, and I’m glad there is still enough warriors to stand between us and evil so we can all sleep soundly in the night.
Pin a poppy above your heart, read “In Flanders Fields” and never forget what it represents.
Michael Major,
Former Corporal and NATO Peacekeeper,
Langley
