Why wear a poppy?

ObjectivesCurriculum Expectations• explain how democratic beliefs and values are reflected in citizen

actions (e.g., Remembrance Day services, Montreal unity rally, National Aboriginal Day, December 6 commemorations of the Montreal Massacre, White Ribbon campaign)

By the end of this presentations, you should be able to:Identify when Remembrance Day isIdentify the famous anniversary that happened on the same dayIdentify the meaning of the PoppyIdentify who wrote In Flanders FieldsExplain why the author wrote In Flanders FieldsIdentify how long it took to write In Flanders FieldsExplain one fear the soldiers had In Flanders FieldsIdentify how many Canadian soldiers died in major global conflictsExplain what might happen if society forgets about the sacrifices

soldiers madeCommunicate the relative importance of collecting stories from our

aging soldiers

Remembrance Day

• On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, Canadians are asked to pause in memory of the thousands of men and women who sacrificed their lives in military service.

First Anniversary of WWI

• Remembrance Day was first held throughout the Commonwealth in 1919

• It marks the armistice (or peace) to end the First World War, which came into effect at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, 1918

The Poppy’s Meaning

• Since 1921, the Poppy has stood as a symbol of Remembrance

• It is our visual pledge to never forget all those Canadians who have fallen in war and military operations

The Poppy and War

• The association of the Poppy to those who had been killed in war has existed since the Napoleonic Wars in the 19th century

• There exists a record from that time of how thickly Poppies grew over the graves of soldiers in the area of Flanders, France

• This early connection between the Poppy and battlefield deaths described how fields that were barren before the battles exploded with the blood-red flowers after the fighting ended

The Poppy and War

• Just prior to the First World War, few Poppies grew in Flanders

• Large explosions from artillery shells disturbed the soil, allowing the Poppy seeds to sprout and grow

John McCrae

• The person who was responsible more than any other for the adoption of the Poppy was Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, a Canadian Medical Officer during the First World War

His Work as a Surgeon

• Enlisted immediately as a brigade surgeon• In April 1915, he was stationed near Ypres,

Belgium, the area traditionally called Flanders

• The Second Battle of Ypres was the fiercest fighting of the First World War

• John McCrae worked at a field dressing station, bandaging hundreds of wounded soldiers from wave after wave of relentless enemy attack

The Death of a Friend

• In May, 1915, a friend and former student Lt. Alexis Helmer died fighting in Flanders

• McCrae wrote In Flanders Fields as an expression of his sadness over the loss of his friend

• It also reflected his surroundings – wild Poppies growing between simple wooden crosses marking makeshift graves

In Flanders Fields• 15 lines, written in 20

minutes, captured an exact description of the sights and sounds of the area around him

• Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae left Ypres with these memorable few lines scrawled on a scrap of paper

• Through his words, the scarlet Poppy quickly became the symbol for soldiers who died in battle

In Flanders Fields...

the

poppies

grow....

between the crosses,

row on row ...

that mark our place ...

and in the sky the larks, still singing bravely, fly...

scarce heard amid the guns below ...

we are the dead ...

short days ago we lived ...

l

o

v

e

d

and were loved ...

and now we lie in Flanders Fields.

Take

up

our

quarrel

with

our

foe

to you from failing hands...

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.

Importance of Remembrance

• McCrae’s poem speaks of Flanders fields, but the subject is universal – the fear of the dead that they will be forgotten, that their death was for nothing

• Remembrance, as symbolized by the Poppy, is our eternal answer to their fear

• It is only because of the sacrifice of so many that we are able to live in freedom and peace today

               

Canada’s Fallen Soldiers

• The Books of Remembrance in the Hall of Honour in Ottawa are filled with the names of Canadians who gave their lives during times of war

WWI ~ 66,000WW2 ~ 45,000Korea ~ 312Afghanistan ~ 158