11th November 1918 an Armistice was signed at the 11th hour of the 11th day on the 11th month; ending the Great War (WWI). Every year since; Armistice Day renamed Remembrance Day after WWII in 1945, is a time to reflect and remember the fallen. As well as those who still serve in our Armed Forces, at home and overseas. So why use a poppy to symbolise this day? The Flanders Poppy was amongst the first plants to rise from the battlefields of the Western Front. They held the soldiers’ folklore; the vivid red of the poppy came from the blood of their fallen soaking the ground, sacrifice of bloodshed. In 1921, it became the symbol of Armistice, and sold for a shilling. Made from silk by children in a French Orphanage; for each one sold five pence went to their charity, six pence to League’s (RSL) welfare work, one penny League’s national coffers. Today, the RSL still sell poppies on Remembrance Day to help raise funds to aid their welfare work. Lest we Forget.
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