The Story of the Flower of Remembrance

The story of the Poppy being the Flower of Remembrance, started in the Great War.

In 1915, a Canadian, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, after witness his death in battle of his friend. Lieutenant Alex Helmer, wrote the now famous poem, `In Flanders Field` .

The poem was first published in the Magazine, Punch.

The first mention of a Poppy as the `Flower of Remembrance` was in America.

An American, Professor Moina Belle Michel, was teaching disabled Veterans from the Great War in New York, when she discovered the Poem.

She decided she would always wear a Red Poppy `in Remembrance`.

She attended the 1918 Conference of Overseas YMCA and handed out Ten Silk Poppies in return for a donation.

Later she wrote the Book `The Miracle Flower`, the story of the Flanders Field Memorial Poppy.

One of the Delegation at the Conference, who received one of the Poppies, was Anna Gurein, who was a French Socialite .

She then spent the next two years travelling to various Veteran Organisation around the World, encouraging the use of the Poppy as the ` Flower of Remembrance`.

In 1921 she met Earl Haigh who was the President of the newly formed British Legion, and made him aware of her idea about the Poppy.

The first large amount of Poppies were made in France for the new `Poppy Day` in 1921.

In 1920, Major George Howson MC, set up, along with Disabled MP Jack Cohen, the `Disabled Society` to give support to the many Thousands of Wounded, Inured and Sick ex-servicemen from the Great War who's situation was not helped by the high Unemployment in General.

After discussions between Earl Haigh and Major Howson, the first Poppy Factory was set up in 1922 to create employment for Disabled Ex-Servicemen and to produce Poppies for the British Legion. (the Legion became Royal in 1971, granted by H.M. Queen Elizabeth on their Golden Jubilee).

The need to produce Poppies grew, so in 1925 it moved to Richmond which is its current home.

By 1935, the Poppy, now recognised as the Flower of Remembrance had become so popular that over 350 ex-servicemen were employed there.

In 1928, two Crosses were place on the green outside Westminster Abbey, with just one man with a tray of Poppies and a Collection tin, outside the front gate, the forerunner of today's Poppy Sellers.

Poppies are still `hand-made` and in 2017, 7.5 Million Poppies were made, along with 136,00 Wreaths and 950,000 Remembrance Symbols.

The first `Royal ` Wreath of Remembrance to be placed at the Cenotaph was requested by HRH the Prince of Wales, (later to become King Edward VIII) in 1924 and ever since a special wreath has been produced for the Monarch, with the design changing slightly for the wreaths for leading members of the Royal Family.

The small poppy which is worn by many at Remembrance time is known as Poppy No.1

The Poppy of the Scottish Royal British Legion has a slightly different design.

Thanks to the Poppy Factory for the Information.