YORKTON - Remembrance Day is on Nov. 11. Please wear a poppy as a symbol of respect and remembrance for those who served in two World Wars and other battles around the globe.
“Papaver Rhoeas” is the plant immortalized in John McCrae’s “In Flanders Fields”. This hearty annual is lovely to look at, with bright red petals streaked with black at their throats. In Europe, this poppy is considered more of a weed than a thing of beauty because of its invasive growing habit, with seeds that can lie dormant until the right growing conditions come along, such as tilling or disturbing the soil. Such were the conditions the spring of 1915 around Ypres; despite the horrific ravages of war on the landscape, the warm weather caused the poppy seeds lying in the battle-mangled soil to germinate.
This was the sight that caught at the heart of Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, moving him and inspiring him to write his haunting poem, creating a legacy of the poppy as a
symbol of remembrance.
But other botanical tributes are also signs of gratitude. Did you know that Canada receives twenty thousand tulips each year from Holland, a gift of friendship and gratitude for the bravery of thousands of Canadian soldiers who helped to liberate the Netherlands in 1944-1945. What a sight of beauty and remembrance they must be in the spring in Ottawa.
Our beautiful maple leaf, so much a symbol of Canada, was used as far back as WW1 on the badge of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, and then in WW2 on much Canadian mili-tary equipment and gear. Then in 1965, the maple leaf became the official symbol of Can-ada in our beautiful flag. Years ago we attended an event in England, and since we were there on July 1, Canada Day, we gave Canadian flag pins and pencils to everyone in our group. Canada is much loved in the world, and it was very moving that as we stood to sing ‘O Canada’, our new friends from several countries as far-reaching as Australia and Sri Lanka stood to join us, singing whatever words of our anthem that they knew, followed by a group-hug of friendship. I will never forget that moment.
You might remember the story of the forget-me-not. Little forget-me-nots are still worn by many people in Newfoundland and Labrador as a sign of remembrance and respect for the casualties in the Royal Newfoundland Regiment on July 1, 1916 during the Battle of the Somme.
So many heroes to remember on this special day…many never found on the battlefields in the ravaging storm of war, but definitely not forgotten. Some heroes that you may not have heard about, such as Corporal Joseph Dreaver Sr, MM , born in 1891 in Mistawasis, Sas-katchewan, the great, great-grandson of Cree Chief Mistawasis who was the first Chief to sign Treaty No. 6 in 1876. Joseph was the last hereditary Chief of the Mistawasis First Na-tion, and was awarded the Military Medal for bravery during the crossing of the Canal du Nord, France in September 1918. Six of his children enlisted in WW2. He also served in England under Captain John Diefenbaker, not yet Prime Minister of Canada.
Please wear a poppy on Remembrance Day and honor those who served, and especially those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
Thank you to our friends at YTW for their fine work. Visit the Yorkton hort society at www.yorktonhort.ca and have a good week.
