Lest we forget.

Particular poignancy this year as we commemorate the centenary of the start of World War One. Have you ever wondered just why the poppy is the symbol of remembrance for the war dead?  And you may be surprised to learn that although we make such a big thing of it, it didn't originate here. The inspiration came from a poem written in 1915 by a Canadian surgeon - I'm sure you all know the opening line - In Flanders fields the poppies blow between the crosses, row on row, that mark our place...  And after the war this prompted an American lady in 1920 to persuade the American Legion to adopt the poppy as their symbol of remembrance.  From there the idea spread to France and thence to here.  The Flanders poppy thrives on disturbed earth, and so was about the only plant to survive the destruction of the battlefields.