Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Boxes of the iconic red flower pin will be popping up in stores across Greater Napanee on Friday, signifying the start of the Royal Canadian Legion’s annual poppy campaign.
From Oct. 29 until Remembrance Day volunteers with Royal Canadian Legion Branch 137 will be outside Napanee’s No Frills, Metro, Wal-Mart and Beer Store, accepting donations in exchange for poppy pins. Several local businesses will also house donation boxes next to their cash registers.
“(Money raised during the campaign) mostly goes to veterans and their families and any community projects that are on,” said Peggy Sunstrum, second vice with Legion Branch 137 and once again this year’s poppy campaign chair. “We gave $10,000 to the hospital last year. It stays local for veterans and their families.”
According to the Canadian Legion, the poppy is to be worn on the left side, over the heart, from the last Friday in October to Nov. 11, though they are also encouraged to be worn during funerals for veterans or when paying respects to a fallen soldier.
This year the poppy takes on an added significance as 2021 marks the 100th anniversary of when Madame Anna Guérin, known as the Poppy Lady from France, adopted the poppy as a way to raise money for veterans in need following WWI. She drew inspiration from Lt. Col. John McCrae’s famous poem, In Flanders’ Fields, which noted the symbolic red poppies that grew on the graves of soldiers who had lost their lives in battle. McCrae, a native of Guelph, wrote the poem on a scrap piece of paper while serving overseas in WWI after witnessing the death of a fellow soldier.
Poppy pins were first sold in July of 1921 by the Greater War Veterans’ Association, which would later amalgamate with other groups to become the Canadian Legion in 1925.
To mark the centennial anniversary, Legion branches across Canada are selling a commemorative pin for $10. These pins are available at the Napanee Legion, located at 26 Mill St. E.
“They’re more along the original poppy that was available 100 years ago,” said Sunstrum. “They’re very nice.”
“In particular to Canadians, Remembrance Day is very important,” added Sunstrum. “It’s part of our history, it’s part of our tradition and people wear the poppy with pride.”
Once again due to COVID-19 safety protocols, Remembrance Day ceremonies across Ontario will once again be closed to the public. That includes Napanee and Wilton, where small ceremonies will still be held at local cenotaphs, though members of the public are asked that they not attend.
“Hopefully next year we’ll be able to have a parade, we’ll be able to have people back (at the Legion) after,” said Sunstrum. “We just have to hang tight for another year maybe.”
Those wanting to watch the ceremony can still do so from home. The Napanee Legion’s ceremony will be broadcast live on MyFM’s Facebook page.