In Flanders Fields the Poppies Grow

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly 
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie 
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die 
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow 
In Flanders fields.

John McCrae, 1915

I realised yesterday whilst sitting in my World War 1 Literature class that I'm not wearing a poppy. As an army brat myself it feels strange to think that I will not sit through a service this weekend and hear the harrowing tones of "the Last Post" ripple through me. I will not watch army and navy displays and parades and hear prayers and poems in remembrance of those who fell and those who are still falling.

I'm sure my English readers all know the significance of wearing the poppy but having spoken to some American friends on my corridor and asked them whether they were familiar with it at all I was met with blank faces. I have to stay I was a tad shocked. Particularly after learning from the BBC this week that the Poppy Appeal began in America and that the poppy became a national symbol for remembrance in America in 1920, a year before Britain.

So for my American readers who have never come across this concept before here is a brief overview:

In the aftermath of the First World War, the fields of war torn France suddenly turned red as poppies began to flourish in the battle-scarred earth. With the publication of John McCrae's poem In Flanders Fields (shown above) in 1915 the poppy gained recognition as a symbol of loss and remembrance after the war. It represented those who had fallen through its startling red blaze but also highlighted the potential for new life and growth in the aftermath of such destruction. In 1918, two days before peace, an American secretary began selling poppies to raise funds for ex-soldiers. Two years later the poppy became the national symbol for remembrance. Today in Britain everyone wears poppies: The judges on x-factor will be wearing poppies, all the news reporters will be wearing poppies and all the politicians and so on. On Friday November 11th, the day of the armistice, the Queen will lay a wreath of poppies below the war memorial in London and the same thing will be done at all the memorials in the towns and cities across England. Last year, 45 million poppies were distributed across the UK and 3 million are sent to countries outside the UK including Cyprus, Argentina and Sri Lanka*.

Here in America the armistice anniversary has been replaced with Veterans Day where Americans pay their respects to all those who were in the services and who still are - much the same as in England -  but the symbol of the poppy has been lost. America wasn't involved in the First World War nearly as much as England and the other Allied forces, as they only joined in 1917 so I can understand why they choose to commemorate Veterans Day instead. However, I think it's a shame that what could have been such a world (well, almost-world) unifying symbol seems to have merely died out.

So for now, youtube will have to suffice. This is The Last Post...

*http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15637074