Should i get poppy

Last year the Royal British Legion had to adapt, as it could not send volunteers out onto the streets to sell poppies and raise money as usual, due to the pandemic. Instead, people were encouraged to donate using QR codes and contactless terminals, as well as online and via text. You can buy paper poppies from these collectors, who you can find on high streets, in supermarkets and at transport hubs. You can also purchase a poppy from the online Poppy Shop , which also stocks a host of poppy-based products, from pins and badges to wreaths and even alcoholic drinks.

This comes alongside the commemorations that take place every year on 11 November , the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that marked the end of the First World War in Armistice Day is marked by all nations of the Commonwealth, while many other countries mark the anniversary as a day of memorial. Traditionally, a one- or two-minute silence is held at 11am, recognising the precise time that the hostilities ceased in — the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

Its opening lines refer to how the flowers grew from the graves of soldiers across Western Europe during the conflict:. As the war ended, American poet Moina Michael used In Flanders Fields as the inspiration for her own work, We Shall Keep the Faith , and began wearing and distributing the red poppy as a symbol of remembrance.

The practice quickly spread to the UK, where the first ever Poppy Day was held on 11 November, , the third anniversary of Armistice Day.

It was adopted as a symbol by the newly-formed Royal British Legion, a charity established to provide support for members and veterans of the British Armed Forces and their families. The appeal has grown from manufacturing poppies in a room above a shop in Bermondsey, South London to a facility in Richmond where 50 ex-servicemen and women work all year round producing tens of millions of the symbolic flowers.

When a Poppy is removed, it should be stored appropriately or it may be disposed of respectfully. We encourage anyone who finds a Poppy that has fallen to the ground to pick it up and brush it off so that it can be kept or disposed of respectfully.

The Legion's lapel Poppy is the Poppy you will see most during the Remembrance period, and the one the Legion distributes during the Poppy Campaign to help raise Poppy Funds for Veterans and their families. In this section. How to wear a Poppy Wear a Poppy to Remember Throughout the Remembrance period, we see Poppies worn with pride in every corner of our lives to honour our Veterans.

How to wear a Poppy The Poppy should be worn with respect on the left side, over the heart. There are many ways that people commemorate those who have lost their lives in or been affected by conflict, in addition to wearing poppies.

For example, holding a silence or ringing a bell. Click here to find out more about the different ways we mark remembrance. Even for those who do wear poppies, sometimes there is confusion about how you 'should' or 'shouldn't' wear it.

Some people say you should wear your poppy from 31 October. Others say you should wear it in the 11 days leading up to Remembrance Day.

Some believe you shouldn't wear one until after Bonfire night on 5 November. The Royal British Legion say if you want to wear a poppy, you can wear it any time you like. Many people say you should wear it on the left side of your coat or clothes, showing that you keep those who died close to your heart.

It's also the side that military medals are worn on. Others say men should wear it on the left and women on the right, like a badge or brooch. The Queen wears hers on the left.

Some also say that for poppies which have a green leaf not all of them do , this should always point to 11am, as this is the time at which the guns fell silent. But the Royal British Legion says: "There is no right or wrong way to wear a poppy. It is a matter of personal choice whether an individual chooses to wear a poppy and also how they choose to wear it.

The best way to wear a poppy is to wear it with pride. Remembrance Day: Why do people wear poppies? What do different coloured poppies mean? You tell us your Remembrance day stories.

Remembrance Day: What is it? These comments are now closed.