When the Great War of 1914 – 1918 ended on Armistice Day 11 November 1918, the Western world experienced a sense of relief as they counted the human cost to all participating nations, as the task of rebuilding began. Soldier’s graves were uncovered and the need to remember those of the Fallen in some way, a young American woman named Moina Michael thought that John McCrea’s epic war poem “In Flander’s Field” where the classic lines said: “In Flanders field the Poppies blow, between the crosses row by row”, and “we shall not sleep though poppies grow”. (Captain John McCrea’s poem was written on 3rd May 1915 when he wrote at after the funeral of a dear friend Alexis Helmer who had died at the Battle of Ypres.)
Moina was inspired by his description of the battle fields and was promoting the use of the poppy flower as a symbol of remembrance, and convinced the American Legion Auxiliary to adopt it as their symbol in 1921, which they did in several States. However, a young French woman named Anna Guerin convinced the British Legion of her own idea also to accept the poppy as a symbol, and organised a nationwide appeal.
At a meeting of the British Legion, Anna, realising the value of using women volunteers, created a network of distribution and collection. She convinced the Legion to let her have the manufacture of 1 million poppies in France and so on 6 October 1921, Earl Haig announced that he wished that 11th November each year would be known as Poppy Day. The Legion then had commissioned an additional 8 million poppies to be made and distributed, and gave Ana Guerin the task of ensuring that they would be made. Arriving in England to work on firmly establishing the poppy, Ana Guerin through her energy and drive as well as her ability as a speaker to educate the people about the symbol of the poppy, could be justly named as the originator of the poppy.
Anna Guerin was born on 3rd February 1878 at Vallon, France and became a teacher in her local district. She married a Cuban-born national on 6th November 1997, and they travelled to the French colony of Madagascar. She began to teach French and French culture there and even opened a boarding school. The Governor-General of the colony, Joseph Simon Gallieni, was impressed with her work and supported her in educating the people of the island in almost anything of French culture and language. In 1907, she was awarded the French Medal of the Silver Palms. Unhappy in Madagascar, Anna divorced and returned to France and in 1910, married a Judge named Charles Guerin.
Now back home, she began to lecture in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland in French culture and language. In 1914 just before the start of World War 1 she went to the United States and became recognised as a great anti-war speaker around the country and advocating the use of the poppy as a symbol of remembrance. Anna’s commitment to this cause sold about 1 million poppies and became a huge success. So, another 9 million poppies were manufactured with the money from the sales. By 30th May 1921, Anna and her League carried out the first nationwide poppy drive supported by the American Legion, its Women’s Auxiliary, women’s clubs and the War Mothers of America.
In 1922 the British Legion opened a poppy factory to make more poppies to make more poppies for 1923, and Anna’s work left a legacy for generations to come as she continued to provide poppies each year and sent them as far away as New Zealand. Although the design of that poppy has changed over the years, it is estimated that around 40 million poppies were distributed each year by around 40,000 Royal British volunteers in England, and almost the same in Australia. All funds go to supporting serving and ex-service members of the armed force’s communities and families.
In Australia, the poppy also became recognised as a symbol of remembrance and peace and is used extensively each 11th November nationwide. The Returned Services Leagues also uses it at each servicemen’s funeral where at the conclusion of service the RSL representative with a poppy in his hand will say words to the effect:
“The service of the day is over, and the hour has
come for rest. This blood-red poppy-The traditional
emblem of sacrifice. The symbol of a life given for
one’s country, links us between our mate and us who
remain. I place it here with him in abiding memory
and ask all servicemen and women to do the same”.
One of the amazing things that happens is that in the French spring, blood-red poppies still today, cover the old battle fields leaving a sad but beautiful reminder of the brave young men who fell in that Great War of 1914 – 1918. So, it is fitting that the energy and drive of Anna Guerin should, like the soldiers of that conflict, never be forgotten. The poppies and their link to remembrance is also mentioned in verse and song as it is a tragic reminder of the great sacrifice made by the Australian digger. Eric Bogle’s epic song “No Man’s Land” which he brought out in 1981, contains this ode to peace, sacrifice and futility, after World War 1.
“Well, the sun it shines down on those green fields of France;
the warm wind blows gently and the red poppies dance.
The trenches are vanished now under the plough;
no gas, barbed wire, no guns firing now,
but here in this graveyard it is still no man’s land,
and the countless white crosses in mute witness stand,
to man’s blind indifference to his fellow man;
and a whole generation that was butchered and downed”.
