Why Poppies?

It’s the time of year where we start to see plenty of poppies about! The significance of course being remembrance but even to this day some people aren’t totally sure why we wear poppies.

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Quite simply, the poppy is the symbol of remembrance of the First World War and the wars that followed. The churned earth in the French fields that saw most of the fighting was the perfect place for poppies to grow and flourish. From tragedy came beauty as fields of red poppies filled the French countryside.

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The artificial red poppy was first created in France by Anna Guérin in 1921 to raise money for French war orphans. Some were taken over to sell for the Earl Haig Fund, which supported in support of ex-servicemen and the families of those who had died in the conflict.

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This, as you can imagine, proved to be very popular. From 1922 poppies became a mainstay all over the UK. However not just red poppies exist, many other charities have expanded upon the idea and have different coloured poppies. Here’s some of the others and what they symbolise!

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The Purple Poppy is worn to remember the animal victims of war. The First World War in particular had a heavy animal casualty rate. Dogs, pigeons and a huge amount of horses, as well as plenty other animals, served all sides of the war because mechanised warfare wasn’t as full blown as it was only years later. Any donations to the Purple Poppy Appeal, which is organised by the War Horse Memorial, will go to charities like World Horse Welfare and the animal charity, Blue Cross.

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The Black Poppy is worn to commemorate Black, African and Caribbean contribution to the war effort. Not just fallen soldiers, but civilians who were active on the home front filling in jobs left vacant and working in factories creating munitions and other vital war equipment.

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Finally there is The White Poppy. This poppy promotes all who died in the war but the serene white colour also emphasises a wish for a peaceful world and an end to all war.

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Whatever colour you wear, the significance of the poppy is not lost and the symbol will not be forgotten.

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