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 Flanders Fields, 08-Dec-1915, Lieutenant Colonel John Alexander McCrae, MD (1872 – 1918)
War poetry, particularly first world war, is terribly evocative. I had to study Wilfred Owen, amoungst others and in particular I remember three of his poems: Anthem for Doomed Youth in which we discussed the alliteration of 'stuttering rifles' rapid rattle' and the various social links to funeral customs; Dulce et Decorum Est that painted such a picture of a chlorine gas attack, but more so the attitude that was of the politicians sending the young out to die, and that it was no longer an easy feeling that it was Right and Just to die in this way for your country; finally The Dead-Beat, describing the tragedy of shell-shock, and the attiude that it was cowerdice, malingering, instead of what we now call Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
So what is Armistice day, the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month about? Simply, it was the day in 1918 that the armistice (peace treaty) ending the Great War, at least on the Western Front. It was the day peace came to Europe. Thus it is a celebration, not necesarily of victory, but of cesation of war. It remembers the dead.
After World War II it became known as Rememberence Day and the poppies sold support the work of the British Legion: This year's theme "Serving those who Serve" emphasises the need to help men and women who are serving today, as well as ex-Services and dependants. Not just of the few remaining WW1 veterans (3 in the UK, 1 lives in Australia) or those of WW2 but of all wars in which we fight.
I don't think we need to glorify war in order to honour those prepared to fight. Some wars are seen as just both at the time and in the light of history, some are not. Yet still we need people to serve: it would be nice if they never needed to do more than rescue people stranded on Ben Nevis, or help in times of disaster any where in the world. The painful truth is that this is not yet the case.
Whatever we think of any current war / battle / military operation being fought by the military, we should view today as a way of remembering that Peace needs to be valued over War, War kills however just the cause, The dead remain dead but should be remembered and that we need to be reminded of this again and again and again even when the reason for any particular war has been consined to the history books. Because there is always the potential for another reason in the future.
As to why the poppy? Well, the poem at the top is the inspiration but as to why we wear it, read this Telegraph article from 2005 / The lady behind the flowers
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