Poppy campaigns will be taking place in Dresden and Wallaceburg this week, in preparation of Remembrance Day next Wednesday.
Members of the Royal Canadian Legion Br. 113 in Dresden will be conducting a a door-to-door campaign on Thursday evening, Nov. 5.
In Wallaceburg, members of Br. 18 will be at various locations around town on November 6 and 7.
Every year, the Legion conducts the Poppy Campaign to honour those who serve, and to raise funds in support of Veterans and their families.
All funds collected during this National Poppy Campaign are held in trust at every level of the Legion and the use of these trust funds are strictly controlled.
Through these Poppy Fund donations, the Legion provides financial assistance to serving and former Canadian Armed Forces and their families who are in need. Portions of the funds also go towards various other community initiatives and Legion events as well.
In Canada, the Poppy has stood as a visual symbol of our Remembrance since 1921. However, its presence over the graves of soldiers, and in the fields of honour, was noted as early as the 19th century after the Napoleonic Wars. The reason for its adoption over 100 years later in Canada was due to, in no small part, Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae and his now famous poem, “In Flanders Fields”.
This poem, written in May, 1915 on the day following the death of a fellow soldier, would serve as inspiration three years later for an American teacher, Moina Michael, who made a personal pledge after reading the poem to always wear a Poppy as a sign of Remembrance.
In 1920, during a visit to the United States, a French woman, Madame Guerin, learned of the custom and decided to sell handmade Poppies to raise money for the children in war-torn areas of the country. Following her example, the Poppy was officially adopted by the Great War Veteran’s Association in Canada (our predecessor) as its Flower of Remembrance on July 5, 1921.
– With files from http://www.legion.ca/
– Photo from Facebook
