Lest We Forget

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.

We wear poppies on November 11th to commemorate Remembrance Day (also known as Armistice Day or Veterans Day), honoring the soldiers who died in military service, particularly during World War I. The tradition originates from the poem "In Flanders Fields" by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, written in 1915, which describes the poppies growing amidst the graves of soldiers in the battlefields of Flanders, a region heavily affected by the war.

The red poppy became a symbol of remembrance and hope for a peaceful future after Moina Michael, inspired by McCrae's poem, conceived the idea of wearing poppies to honour the war dead. She campaigned to make the poppy a symbol of remembrance, and in 1920, the American Legion adopted it as their official emblem of remembrance. The tradition spread to other countries, notably the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, where people wear poppies on their lapels in the days leading up to November 11th to honour and remember those who have sacrificed their lives in conflicts.

Source: Some or all of the content was generated using an AI language model