The poppy has been linked to Remembrance Day and dead soldiers for a very long time.

But how did this fragile red flower become such an important symbol of our remembrance of the sacrifices made by our soldiers in the past wars?

Poppies grow naturally in disturbed earth throughout Western Europe. That's why, during the Napoleonic wars of the early 19th century, the battlefields were quickly transformed into fields of blood red poppies, growing around the bodies of the dead soldiers.

At the end of 1914, the fields of Northern France and Belgium were ripped open as World War 1 raged through this region. Just after the conflict was over, the poppy was one of the only plants to grow on those battlefields.

In December 1915, Canadian surgeon John McCrae wrote a poem "In Flanders Fields" to pay tribute to one of his friend who had just died on the battlefield. He mentionned the poppy to represent the immeasurable sacrifice made by his comrades. It quickly became a lasting memorial to those who died in World War 1 and later conflicts.

It was adopted by The Royal British Legion as the symbol for their aid of those serving in the British Armed Forces, after its formation in 1921.

All the countries have their own design of poppies, with 2 or 4 petals, with our without stems. There are now even white, purple or black poppies with different political messages.

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