“In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place…”
It was in May 1915, when Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae of Guelph, Ontario, penned the poem, “In Flanders Fields” on a scrap of paper following the death of a fellow soldier during the First World War.
According to the Royal Canadian Legion, it was in 1921 when Madame Anna Guérin of France proposed the idea for the Remembrance Poppy after being inspired by McCrae’s poem. Guérin had originally founded a charity to help rebuild regions of France after the war and sold poppies made of fabric to raise funds. Later, she presented her concept to France’s allies, including the precursor to the Royal Canadian Legion, the Great War Veterans Association. The idea was considered at a meeting in Port Arthur, Ontario (now Thunder Bay) and was adopted on July 6, 1921.
Today, McCrae’s poem stands as a reminder of the losses and tragedies of war and the importance of carrying on the memories of those who served. And each year, the annual Poppy Campaign is launched by the Royal Canadian Legion on the last Friday of October to raise funds leading up to Remembrance Day in November. It was on Nov. 11, 1918 when the Armistice, an agreement to end the fighting of the First World War as a prelude to peace negotiations, began at 11 a.m.
On Oct. 22, prior to the launch of the public campaign Oct. 25, Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin was presented with the “first poppy” handed out by the Royal Canadian Legion BC/Yukon Command. On the same day, local dignitaries from across the province were also presented with a poppy.
Locally, Bill McLean, president of Sechelt Legion Branch 140, was at shíshálh Nation Oct. 22, to present poppies to lhe hiwus yalxwemult (Chief Lenora Joe), hihiwus (councillor) ch’elkwilwet (Raquel Joe), hihiwus oshale (Rochelle Jones) and hihiwus tituya (Keith Julius).
McLean told the chief and councillors that it was an honour to present them with the first poppies of the campaign.
“You'll notice that I'm not wearing one. Someone asked me earlier today, ‘If you're doing this, shouldn't you have one?’” McLean said. “When it comes right down to it, the right thing to do is to make sure that the first poppies go to the people who are entitled to those. And I don't feel entitled to those. I will have mine. The campaign actually begins on Friday and so I'll make my donation and I'll take my poppy then.”
McLean explained the Legion exists for three reasons, to promote remembrance, to take care of veterans and their families and to donate to the community through charity. He added, he had the honour to meet Indigenous veterans from the Nation at a previous event.
“We are all veterans, right? And when I see pictures of other veterans who have gone to do their duty as they see it and put themselves in harm's way, I cannot be untouched. I just can't, so it was an honor to move through the room and see these people and to be with them,” an emotional McLean told the chief and councillors. “You know, we always say, once you've served, we’re all brothers and sisters and, well, obviously you can tell it touches my heart. I cannot be untouched.”
yalxwemult thanked McLean for his presentation. “I think there's a lot of our community [who] still recognize and honour that," she said. "From our Nation members who served and there are still family members who go and attempt to honour them."
Earlier that same day, McLean also presented poppies to Sechelt Mayor John Henderson and Justine Gabias, the Sunshine Coast Regional District representative for Halfmoon Bay.
The Legion’s poppy campaign officially launches Friday, Oct. 25, and the Sechelt Legion’s catchment area runs from Wilson Creek through to Halfmoon Bay. Last year, the Sechelt Legion was able to donate more than $30,000 from the program to help support the training of post-traumatic stress disorder service dogs, Veterans Transition Training at BCIT, the BC Mainland Military Family Resource Centre, Honour House and Honour Ranch, both of which support veterans and first responders from across B.C., Sechelt Meals on Wheels, and the Sunshine Coast Auxiliary Hospital Loan Cupboard. The Sechelt Legion’s poppy campaign also supports high school graduates with bursaries to assist them in the pursuit of post-secondary education.
“The Sechelt Legion is one of the most socially responsible food and beverage businesses in Sechelt, donating well over $40,000 per year,” said McLean. “Please support the poppy campaign and please support the Sechelt Legion through your patronage. Everyone is welcome, including minors accompanied by a parent or guardian.”
McLean wants to remind everyone that the annual veteran’s march on Remembrance Day, Nov. 11, will have a new route now that the Legion has moved to 5546 Inlet Ave.
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