What did everyone do on the 11th? I know that most of us had to work, but did anyone attend a service? I was fortunate to have the day off and attended the service in Port Credit. For those who had to work, do you do anything special and/or had to tell anyone to be quiet?
John, I was in Florida at Fort Myers Airport. With the evident Poppy came several Americans. "you are Canadian, eh?"
Randy, I was in Texas a few years ago on Nov. 11th and the folks in Dallas didn't have a clue about the poppy. They did think it was a great idea, once explained.
I went to a WWI exhibit in the UK recently where it stated the wearing of a poppy was originally an American idea which we adopted. So, we have the US to thank for this tradition, even though most Americans aren't aware of it.
This from the BBC: "In November 1918, a poem by Canadian military doctor John McCrae inspired American humanitarian Moina Michael to wear and distribute poppies in honour of fallen soldiers. In Flanders Fields describes the first sign of life after death - small red plants that grew on the graves of soldiers buried in northern France and Belgium during World War I. Two days before the armistice agreement was signed, Ms Michael bought and then pinned a red poppy to her coat. She gave other poppies out to ex-servicemen at the YMCA headquarters in New York where she worked. The poppy was officially adopted by the American Legion at a conference two years later. At the same conference, a French woman named Madame E Guerin saw an opportunity for orphans and widows to raise money in France by selling the poppies. Since then, they have become an international symbol of remembering fallen soldiers, especially in Commonwealth countries. The Royal British Legion, which adopted the poppy in 1921..." So, it appears the tradition was first started by an American, who was inspired by a Canadian, and then it was adopted by the Brits!
