British style poppy for November 11.

[Lallans]

I really appreciate the several offers to mail me (and others) some British-version poppies, but after another day or two of chasing down local venues, I'm personally going to impose on my own UK family members for that. Being relatives, I trust they will feel obligated- and at least I can easily refund them or, failing that, stiff them for the cost- since they're family and all.

[Pleater]

In Flanders Fields

by John McCrae, May 1915

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.



Inspiration for the poem — In Flanders Fields

During the Second Battle of Ypres a Canadian artillery officer, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, was killed on 2 May, 1915 by an exploding shell. He was a friend of the Canadian military doctor Major John McCrae.
John was asked to conduct the burial service owing to the chaplain being called away on duty elsewhere. It is believed that later that evening John began the draft for his famous poem 'In Flanders Fields'.

[Stratherrick]

Glad to see you have family that can help out, Canuck!

And, Pleater, thanks for putting up the poem. I remember it being read out each November right through my school years in the 60s and 70s. I'm glad to see that many, if not all, school kids still wear poppies.

Slainte and in memoriam of fallen relatives...

Bruce

[JerseyLawyer]

Around here, poppies are always sold (well, offered for a donation that I am always glad to give) by the American Legion.

If anyone is interested, the poppies - including the poem - was famously discussed in "What Have We Learned, Charlie Brown?" The clip is here, with the relevant portion starting at 5:00 in the video. Say what you will, but that's where I first heard it as a child.

[Pleater]

My mother's father was wounded at a place he called Wipers.

It gave me quite a turn when I realised where it was.

When he was waiting to be moved back behind the lines there was a gas attack, and he survived because, although he was wounded in the upper right arm he was naturally left handed, and he got his gas mask on in time, whilst most of the men around him - (they used to group men with similar injuries together) - didn't.

The poppies which grew everywhere on the battlefields were not the large opium poppies shown, but the smaller four petalled corn poppy, a flower of broken ground.

Before the poppy it was the violet which was used as a symbol of the fallen soldier - it means both constancy and devotion. Tiny scented cards with violets printed on them and hand coloured were sold to raise funds for causes such as convalescent hospitals. I have one - it still smells of violets as it has been folded in a diary for a long time.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[Lallans]

In Flanders Fields

by John McCrae, May 1915

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.



Inspiration for the poem — In Flanders Fields

During the Second Battle of Ypres a Canadian artillery officer, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, was killed on 2 May, 1915 by an exploding shell. He was a friend of the Canadian military doctor Major John McCrae.
John was asked to conduct the burial service owing to the chaplain being called away on duty elsewhere. It is believed that later that evening John began the draft for his famous poem 'In Flanders Fields'.

And McCrae was himself killed, later in the same war. It was a good war for that.

Thanks for the very lovely post, Pleater. Should have thought of it myself but I wouldn't have found anything nearly as suitable.

[Woot22]

Where I grew up in Michigan wearing poppy's is done on Memorial Day at the end of May. It is actually quite well know there and you can find the VFW handing them out in front of many store fronts and asking for donations. Here is a link to the VFW info on the Poppy;
http://www.vfw.org/Community/Buddy-Poppy/

[English Bloke]

Cavscout's link is useful if you want lots of the metal lapel pins but if you just want the one this link is useful Same store, different page.

Interesting to note that these metal poppy badges with the leaf at 11 o'clock are sold for individual purchase only and the ones with the leaf at 1 o'clock are sold for bulk orders only.

I have one of each and bought my 1 o'clock variant at a CWWG memorial in France (36 Ulster Div). The Poppy seller at my local Sainsbury's this year suggested I was wearing a fake because the leaf wasn't at 11 and showed me that all of his were the same. I politely referred him to the poppy-shop website (I am a Royal British Legion member too so I wouldn't wear a fake.)

The poppy appeal do get more back from sales of the 11 o'clock poppies but if you want masses for distribution amongst your mates then the 1 o'clock is probably the way to go. Don't worry, they are both legal and have the added bonus you can wear them all year round (as many people in UK are doing now).

Good luck in your quest for paper poppies. Have a browse around the poppy-shop site, there's loads of good stuff to be had. Check out the umbrellas.

[Stratherrick]

My great-uncle, Alexander, died of abdominal wounds in WW1. He'd already been injured once before, but went back for a second go at it!

Brave men indeed...

Slainte to uncle Alex!

Bruce

[Mike_Oettle]

Years ago anarmy friend of mine had a part in a musical called Oh, What A Lovely War. He would sing songs from it in camp, and the one that always bought tears to my eyes was one called Far, far from Wipers (I recall it as Far Away from Wipers). It goes:

Far, far from Wipers I long to be.
Where German snipers can't get at me.
Dark is my dugout, cold are my feet.
Waiting for Whizzbangs to send me to sleep.

A footnote explains that Wipers is Ypres. This is the French spelling of the name. The town is in fact in Flanders, and its actual name is Ieper.
Regards,
Mike