Poppies symbolise remembrance and hope. They are worn as a sign of support for the Armed Forces and all that they do for the country.
Poppies were the first wildflower to bloom and grow amongst the chaos and destruction of the battlefields of World War One, with its bright red petals offering a reminder of those who had given their lives for the cause.
The flowers are also symbols of peace and death because of their blood-red colour.
The history of Poppy Day
In 1915 John McCrae, a Canadian doctor serving in the war, wrote the poem 'In Flanders Fields' all about the poppy and the war. The poem was published and the poppy became an official symbol of hope and remembrance.
"In Flanders Fields the poppies grow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place. While in the Sky
The larks still bravely singing, fly
Unheard, amid the guns below.
We are the dead, Short days ago
We lived, felt dawns, saw sunsets glow;
Loved and were loved – but now we lie
In Flanders Field."
John McCrae, 1915
Later, in 1918, an American poet called Moira Michael, wrote 'We Shall Keep the Faith' and urged people to wear a poppy 'in honour of the dead'. She then started selling poppies to raise money for the ex-service community.
In 1920, the National American Legion adopted poppies as their official symbol of remembrance and Frenchwoman Anna E. Guérin started manufacturing the artificial poppies we see today.
In 1921, poppies were sold in the UK for the first time by the British Legion raising an impressive £106,000 (that's the equivalent of nearly £3 million today!) and the following year Major George Howson formed the Disabled Society and encouraged disabled ex-servicemen and women from the First World War to make poppies at the new Poppy Factory.
Who makes poppies today?
Today poppies in the UK are distributed by the British Legion and the Haig Fund, two charities which support those who have served, or who are currently serving, in the British Armed Forces, and their families.
The Poppy Appeal is the British Legion’s biggest fundraising campaign and people can buy poppies in shops, supermarkets, pubs and workplaces and on the street from the last week of October until November 11th, or Remembrance Sunday – whichever comes later.
According to the Legion, 40 million Remembrance poppies, 500,000 poppies of other types, five million Remembrance petals, 100,000 wreaths and sprays, 750,000 Remembrance Crosses and a variety of other Remembrance items are made each year! That's a lot of flowers.
How to wear a poppy on Remembrance Day
It's traditional to wear your poppy on your left shoulder. This is because it is close to your heart and is also the spot where military medals are worn by soldiers. Some people believe women should wear poppies on their right side but the Queen wears hers on the left and we reckon the best rule is to copy Her Majesty.
While millions of the traditional paper poppies are still worn every year there are now a number of other ways people can mark Remembrance Day, such as brooches and other jewellery, as well as homeware, clothing and tote bags adorned with the iconic red poppy.
