A century of sacrifice... Why the poppy reminds us of those we lost

This is the 100th year in which artificial poppies have been sold to raise money for ex-servicemen and their families, and these pictures from the archive bear witness to a century of honouring their service and their memory.
By David Behrens
Published 7th Nov 2020, 06:00 BST
Making Poppies British Legion Richmond, Richmond. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)Making Poppies British Legion Richmond, Richmond. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Making Poppies British Legion Richmond, Richmond. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

It was in 1921 that a teacher named Anna Guérin, the originator of the Remembrance Day poppy who had been selling them in France for the benefit of war orphans, supplied the first ones to Britain. They were so popular that the following year the British Legion set up a factory, staffed by disabled ex-servicemen, to produce its own. It does so to this day.

The paper poppies symbolised the real ones that flourished on the Western Front during the First World War, in the soil churned up by the fighting and shelling.

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Today, poppies are no longer exclusively red. White petals symbolise peace without violence and purple flowers are worn to honour animals killed in conflict.

Ex-Service Men Make King 's Jubilee Emplems, The King 's 70th birthday will be celebrated by the sale of a special Birthday Emblem on the streets of London on June 3rd. The proceeds will be devoted to the Prince of Wales Appea for King George 's Jubilee Trust for Youth. A considerable number of disabled ex-service men have been employed in making a million birthday emblems at the British Legion Poppy factory. - Packing the Emblems at the British Legion poppy factory at Richmond, Richmond. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)Ex-Service Men Make King 's Jubilee Emplems, The King 's 70th birthday will be celebrated by the sale of a special Birthday Emblem on the streets of London on June 3rd. The proceeds will be devoted to the Prince of Wales Appea for King George 's Jubilee Trust for Youth. A considerable number of disabled ex-service men have been employed in making a million birthday emblems at the British Legion Poppy factory. - Packing the Emblems at the British Legion poppy factory at Richmond, Richmond. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Ex-Service Men Make King 's Jubilee Emplems, The King 's 70th birthday will be celebrated by the sale of a special Birthday Emblem on the streets of London on June 3rd. The proceeds will be devoted to the Prince of Wales Appea for King George 's Jubilee Trust for Youth. A considerable number of disabled ex-service men have been employed in making a million birthday emblems at the British Legion Poppy factory. - Packing the Emblems at the British Legion poppy factory at Richmond, Richmond. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

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