![]() Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland (which, together with England, make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain) use red remembrance poppies made of much the same materials as England’s but of slightly different styles. And in 2003, the British Royal Legion finally traded the sharp steel pin for a blunt green plastic stem, reportedly for fear of “compensation claims from ‘injured’ members of the public”. People in England have been pinning on a recyclable, embossed paper remembrance poppy for more than 15 years now. (I’m not clear if the black button is pressed paper or plastic.) British Royal Legion’s mostly-paper poppy. ![]() Not only is Canada’s decades-old poppy design environmentally irresponsible, it is notoriously accident prone-both to falling off the lapel (thanks to its smooth straight pin) and then to being a potential sharp pain in the foot (or paw), wherever it falls (again thanks to the straight pin).Īs I have written at length, I believe that Canadians should donate to the Royal Canadian Legion’s poppy fund but think about reusing their previous year’s poppy, or making a better one of their own (as many do) until the Legion replaces its plastic and steel poppy with a new design that is more respectful to everything and everyone. ![]() The remembrance poppy you remember depends on where you live The image that may come to mind when a Canadian thinks of Remembrance Day and “the fallen”.Ĭanada is alone in continuing to use a non-recyclable, flocked, rigid plastic red poppy, loosely fitted with a sharp steel stick pin. However, no two countries use the same style of red remembrance poppy. The United Kingdom and many of the former colonies of the U.K.-including here in Canada, Australia and the United States-have chosen, since the early 1920s, to use the red poppy as the national symbol of remembrance for the casualties of all wars since the First World War. It remembers those who have fallen victim to invasion, occupation, gender-based violence, starvation and poverty.Red, white, blue, purple and black poppies, white daisies, blue cornflowers, chrysanthemums and forget-me-nots-war remembrance flowers have come in many varieties and almost every colour-including the rainbow, if at least one academic has their way. It remembers dead soldiers, dead civilians, dead conscientious objectors. The black poppy is a symbol that commemorates all those who have died, and are still dying, due to war and its legacy. Like humans, animals living in war zones suffer from the effects of war – injury, stress, lack of food and water. Animals cannot volunteer and have no choice in becoming involved in war when they serve alongside human military personnel. The purple poppy remembers animal victims of war and human violence. Some people see it as an alternative to the red poppy, others see it as complementary some choose to wear both poppies, some one or the other, and some no poppy at all. The white poppy is an international symbol of remembrance for all the casualties of war - civilians and armed forces personnel - and of peace. In soldiers' folklore, the vivid red of the poppy came from the blood of their comrades soaking the ground. During the First World War, red poppies were among the first plants to spring up in the devastated battlefields of northern France and Belgium. The Flanders poppy has long been a part of Remembrance Day, the ritual that marks the Armistice of 11 November 1918, and is also increasingly being used as part of Anzac Day observances. ![]() Most people think there is only one poppy to be worn for remembrance, but, in reality, there are four Remembrance Poppies which can be worn: Red, White, Purple and Black.
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