Why do People wear Poppies as a Symbol of Remembrance Day?

Why do people wear poppies in early November, every year, as an act of remembrance?

Poppies have long been used as a symbol of sleep, peace, and death. Sleep because the opium extracted from them is a sedative, and death because of the common blood-red colour of the red poppy, in particular.

This strong symbolism was first adopted by the Royal British Legion in 1921, for its ‘Poppy Appeal’. The Royal British Legion is a charity which supports members and veterans of the British Armed Forces. Funds from selling poppies are used by the charity to provide welfare initiatives including rehabilitation, employment aid and independent living.

There is currently a 2019 Poppy Appeal. You can buy and donate at the Royal British Legion website here:

The charity also organises campaigns and remembrance activities. It is this last point of remembrance which expresses the core of the Poppy Appeal. Wearing the poppy is intended to help us respectfully remember the British service men and women sacrificed for our wars and conflicts, while also commemorating those still serving.

The imagery of the poppy was inspired by the poem ‘In Flanders Fields’, written in 1915 by the Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. The poem was written after the funeral of McCrae's friend, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer who died during the Second Battle of Ypres, during the First World War.

Poppies were the first flowers to grow out of the ground on the battlefields where soldiers had fallen. The poem is told from the perspective of a dead soldier. The poem highlights the continual growth of poppies after the stricken have lost their lives.

“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.” 

View and listen to this moving reading of this iconic poem by fellow Canadian Leonard Coen, singer-songwriter, painter and poet:

Please buy your poppies from the Royal British Legion, but also remember the fallen by purchasing poppy art at Brilliant Wall Art. It will remind family and friends of the ultimate sacrifices made by the heroic fallen.

Brilliant Wall Art have many items on sale...metal wall art, red wall art and poppy wall art.

I particularly like the…Poppy Flower Bunch Stake. It is a freestanding bunch of poppy flowers, which is staked into the ground using an attached three-pronged stake bottom.

It is handmade from metal and flowers painted in vibrant red with green stems and is fully lacquered. Please coat annually with a clear varnish or regularly spray with WD40 to keep pristine.

Why not spend a few minutes browsing our webpages? We offer a myriad of products that are ideal Christmas presents.

So, why not shop early for Christmas, visit a local event in November and December near you and examine the excellent range of goods that Brilliant Wall Art have for sale? Or you could purchase online and collect at our stall. Please visit our market stall at one of these wonderful events:

Worcester UpMarket Market every Saturday

Bewdley Market on the first and third Sunday of the month

• York Christmas Market - 14th November - 22nd December - Outside M&S, Parliament St, York, YO1 8SG
• Worcester Victorian Christmas Fayre - 28th November - 1st December - Outside Joules, High Street, Worcester, WR1 2QE
• Stratford Upon Avon Victorian Christmas Fayre - 6th - 8th December - Outside New Look, Bridge Street, CV37 6AE

*STOP PRESS* - NEW PRODUCTS JUST ARRIVED – *STOP PRESS*

Here are my Top Five:

1. Antique Silver Bronze Butterflies

2. Antique Silver Tree Branch 

3. Mod Vespa Scooter

4. Red Classic Mini Car

5. Rustic Sail Boat Yacht

Remembrance Sunday is celebrated on Sunday, 10^th November 2019.

If you have any questions about our home accessories, please do not hesitate to contact us today.

Bring out the Artist in You…Your walls are Your Blank Canvas!!!

- Brilliant Wall Art -