Why do veterans sell poppies on veterans?

In the years following World War One, Governments and society in general, had not yet accepted responsibility for those maimed and bereaved as a result of the Great War. Massive unemployment in Britain made the problem much worse.

Earl Haig, the Commander in Chief of the British Army undertook the mighty task of organising the British Legion as a means of helping with the problems of hundreds and thousands of men who had served under him.

In 1921, a group of French widows visited him at the British Legion Headquarters. they had brought with them some poppies they had made, and suggested selling them as a means of raising money.

The rest is History as they say.

1921, Britain and Australia start selling Poppies.

1922 First Poppy Day in New Zealand.

1925 First Poppy Day Canada

; In Flanders Fields the poppies blow ; Between the crosses, row on row ; That mark our place; and in the sky ; The larks, still bravely singing, fly ; Scarce heard amid the guns below.

; We are the Dead. Short days ago ; We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, ; Loved and were loved, and now we lie, : In Flanders Fields. ; Take up our quarrel with the foe ; To you from failing hands we throw ; The torch; be yours to hold it high. ; If ye break faith with us who die ; We shall not sleep, though poppies grow : In Flanders Fields. ; John McCrae 1915

The most recent and enduring tradition began in WWI when John McCrae wrote the poem that appears above. McCrae was a Canadian who enlisted to help the allies in the war. He was made Medical Officer upon landing in Europe. During a lull in the battle with the nub of a pencil he scratched on a page from his dispatch book. The poem found its way into the pages of Punch magazine. By 1918 the poem was well known throughout the allied world. Moina Michael, an American woman, wrote these lines in reply. We cherish too, the Poppy red

That grows on fields where valor led,

It seems to signal to the skies

That blood of heroes never dies She then adopted the custom of wearing a red poppy in memory of the sacrifices of war and also as a symbol of keeping the faith. A French women, Madam Guerin, visiting the United States, learned of the custom and took it one step further. When she returned to France she decided to hand make the red poppies and sell them to raise money for the benefit of the orphaned and destitute women and children in war torn areas of France. This tradition spread to Canada, The United States and Australia and is still followed today. The money collected from the sale of poppies goes to fund various veterans programs.