Why are there poppies around on Anzac day?

Why are there poppies around on ANZAC

The red poppy has become a symbol of war remembrance all over the world over.

People in many countries wear the poppy to remember those who died in war or who still serve. In many countries,

the poppy is worn around Armistice

Day (11 November), but in New Zealand it is most commonly seen around Anzac Day, 25 April. 

The red or Flanders poppy has been linked with battlefield deaths since the time of the Great War (1914–18).

The plant was one of the first to grow and bloom in the mud and soil of Flanders in Belgium. 

The connection was made, most famously, by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae in his poem 'In Flanders fields'. 

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. 

In New Zealand the poppy is most often worn around  Anzac Day. Since 1927 Poppy Day itself has been marked on the

Friday before Anzac Day (unless it 

falls on a Good Friday) with the appeal going through to 25 April. 

Poppies still symbolise remembrance, and New Zealanders want to show this at other times as well as on Anzac Day.

At big commemorative events, at military funerals and at war graves and cemeteries in

New Zealand and around the world, the red poppy can be seen. 

Real poppies are hard to supply in the amounts needed for a whole country, so most of the

poppies we see are the paper and plastic ones that raise funds for the RSA

(The Royal New Zealand Returned and Services Association). 

Why are there poppies around on ANZAC day?

1. During which war did they start remembering fallen soldiers with poppies? 

The war that they started remembering fallen soldiers with poppies is the Great war 1914-1918.

2. In which country is ‘Flanders?

Flanders is in Belgium.

3. Was the poet who wrote ‘In Flanders Fields’ a soldier? How do you know? 

Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae was a soldier in World War 1 and also a surgeon during the

second battle of Ypres, in Belgium.

4. In the poem it mentions a ‘quarrel’. Find a definition for the word quarrel:

Quarrel: A heated argument or disagreement, typically about a trivial issue and between people

who are usually on good term.

5. Where in the World is Belgium? Explain where you find it… 

Belgium is a country in Western Europe. It is bordered by the Netherlands to the north,

Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the southwest, and the North Sea to the northwest.

6. What is an Armistice?

Armistice is an agreement made by opposing sides in a war to stop fighting for a certain time; a truce.

7. What is another name for the ‘red poppy’? Flanders Poppy.

8. How do you think John McCrae felt when he wrote his poem? I think John McCrae felt sad and heart broken

when he wrote his poem, because of the many people that sacrificed their lives during the Great War. 

9. Find an image that portrays the words of the first verse the best you can. 

     

10. Why do you think the RSA want to raise money from poppies?

I think the RSA raises money from the poppies to help provide funds to support both currently serving and

ex-service men and women and their families affected by their service. I also think that the poppy is a

great symbolic icon to remind us of the sacrifices made. 

11. If you could choose another symbol to remember the ANZAC soldiers,  

     what would it be?  Explain your choice. A white cross, with a red poppy centered. I choose this simply to

signify the fallen soldiers and the poppies that grew on Flanders battlefield after the World War1.  

Extra Fact: Poppy Day has been a part of the

New Zealand calendar since 1922, making it one of the oldest nationwide appeals.