Here at Provo Primary, children in the older classes will have a special assembly today to learn about ‘Poppy Day’ and why we wear a poppy. Mrs. Betty has kindly made poppies for the children to wear. At 11am we will stop our lessons to have a two minute silence. Read on to learn about why we wear a poppy. Watch a video that explains, hear the story of Miss Moina Belle Michael who began the tradition of wearing the poppy and hear ‘The Last Post’ played on the bugle.
Poppy Day (Remembrance Day) is on 11 November every year. It is a special day set aside to remember all those men and women who were killed during the two World Wars and other conflicts.
Here is an animated short film (Published by Poppyscotland Education) about the journey of the poppy and what it means. It is written specifically for very young children who live in Scotland but is an excellent introduction to the poppy and remembrance
Flanders is a part of Belgium where there was lots of fighting of in the
First World War (1915-18). There was complete devastation. Buildings, roads, trees and natural life simply disappeared. Where once there were homes and farms there was now a sea of mud.
The poppy flowering each year with the coming of the warm weather, brought life, hope, colour and reassurance to those still fighting. Poppies only flower in rooted up soil. Their seeds can lay in the ground for years without germinating, and only grow after the ground has been disturbed.
In 1915, John McCrae, a doctor serving with the Canadian Armed Forces, was so deeply moved by what he saw during the war that he scribbled down a poem called “In Flanders Fields” in his pocket book. The poem was later published and the poppy became a popular symbol for soldiers who died in battle.
The poppy that we wear on Poppy Day was first created as a symbol of Remembrance by an American teacher, Miss Moina Belle Michael. She was inspired the Flanders Fields poem and wrote a poem in reply in 1918, ‘We shall keep the faith‘, in which she promised to wear a poppy ‘in honour of our dead’. This began the tradition of wearing a poppy in remembrance.
The Poppy Lady, written by Barbara Elizabeth Walsh, tells the story of Moina…
Remembrance Sunday is held on the second Sunday in November, which is usually the Sunday nearest to 11 November. Special services are held at war memorials and churches. Wreaths are laid beside war memorials by special people, clubs and societies. The “Last Post” is traditionally played to introduce the two minute silence in Remembrance Day ceremonies. It is usually played on a bugle.
Uploaded by The Royal British Legion
Here are some photos from the Remembrance Sunday Church Service here in Providenciales, held at St Monica’s church on Sunday 8th November 2015:
Do you recognise the girl in the Brownie uniform carrying a wreath?
If you still have questions or want to find out more about Poppy Day, then please visit this school website.