by Anita Benedict
We are approaching a very emotional day in a few weeks. A few weeks ago, I had the honour to be a part of the ceremony at the Hants North Legion unveiling a new memorial for eight men from one family who went off to war during WW2. It is the most serving from one family within the Commonwealth. Two did not return from war. My own grandmother watched as her sons marched off to war, including my father. One brother never returned home, and one married an English girl and spent much of his life in England.
Last year, my son was digging through the archives and discovered images of the effects found on my Uncle Willis, the one who never returned. One was a photo of a young woman in England, whose name was Marian. I began to wonder what became of this young woman, was she a sweetheart of his, did she survive the war, did she sit waiting for him to return not knowing his fate. I am thankful that I did not grow up in the same fear, can we say the same for the next generation?
We all know the poem “In Flander’s Fields” and it is hard for me to recite with tears threatening to fall and a throat tight with emotion. I was curious about the origin of wearing a poppy and read the poppy was inspired by that poem. A lady named Madame Anna Guerin convinced the Great War Association of that time to adopt the poppy to honour the causalities of war from the US and Commonwealth. There is another name given credit, Moina Michael, but Guerin was known as the Poppy Lady.
So here we are, years later and that same poppy that inspired those who lived through those wars, has become a symbol of controversy. To wear one or not to wear one? A poppy is against dress code? It will offend someone so don’t wear it? I call bull..oney. The Facebook memes have started about “if a poppy offends leave” and it is so frustrating. They blame other “cultures” for being against the poppy when in
fact several wear the poppy, because they too fought in the wars, including WW1 and WW2.
So, I delved into some of the controversy and lo and behold I found one company in 2020 who did ban wearing a poppy at work because it didn’t conform to dress codes. It was Whole Foods, an Amazon owned company. Imagine! It could be seen as supporting a cause. I get not allowing it in a work space where food is prepared in case it falls off, but this symbol is just one of the small ways to honour.
The next time you see a meme saying they want to ban the poppy; it is likely created by a group trying to sow discord and it certainly works. If you want to honour the poppy and those who went to war, stop sowing discord. Remember Hitler and all like him was great at doing that. Don’t let those who died to stop people like them have died in vain.
Go buy your poppy and wear it with pride. Buy two, because you know you are going to lose the first one, and your purchase supports the work of the Legion. Attend a Remembrance Day Service or at the very least, observe the silence at 11 am. Show love, not hate.
Comentarii