The poppy’s evolution: From simple remembrance to a global symbol of sacrifice and service
The poppy, once a simple symbol worn in quiet remembrance, has evolved into a powerful emblem of collective memory and giving.
“Give generously, in pride and thanks and honour.”
These words from an editorial in Mufti in November 1939 were a rallying cry to support the annual Poppy Appeal in what was an anxious time after the outbreak of World War II, still within living memory of World War I for so many.
After red poppies began flowering on the devastated and desolate battlefields of the Western Front in France and Belgium, the poppy became a powerful international symbol of remembrance and fundraising in the wake of the First World War.
Since then, the poppy badge has been used to commemorate Armistice Day, now Remembrance Day, on November 11 each year, reminding us of the futility of war, and of the grief and loss suffered by so many.
The poppy evolution
How the poppy is used to remember and commemorate has changed since then. Poppies now feature in art installations and virtual memorials. No longer simply worn close to the heart in quiet remembrance, the use of the poppy has evolved into public, often permanent, displays of recognition of the service and sacrifice of others.
In 2014, a redevelopment at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne saw the installation of a large Flanders Poppy canopy suspended over the Education Courtyard. It is here that orientation occurs when students visit the Shrine.
The bright red of the Flanders Poppy is stark against the dark metal-clad walls, which feature Laurence Binyon’s Ode of Remembrance spelled out in morse code.
In the Shrine’s gallery dedicated to World War II, an interactive honour roll allows visitors to search for a service person on a touchscreen database where a ‘virtual poppy’ can be placed against their name on the scroll display.
The Shrine’s Visitor Centre includes a display from the 5000 Poppies Project, which began in 2013 when Lynn Berry and her sister-in-law, Margaret Knight, decided to knit 120 poppies in tribute to their father’s service during World War II.
At the time of the ANZAC centenary commemorations, the 5000 Poppies Project evolved into a worldwide phenomenon, with people across Australia and the globe knitting and crocheting poppies.
“We stopped counting at one million,” Lynn Berry says. “Each poppy was a very personal tribute but it became a part of a phenomenal community outpouring.”
Poppies in art
Art installations have become a popular form of honouring Australia’s wartime history in towns across Victoria, and several prominently feature the red poppy.
At Tatura, artists Cam Scale and Andrew Davis created a mural on the Tatura water tower, which was designed by Australian Worl War I military leader, Sir John Monash, in 1911. Monash had been an engineer in civilian life.
The Tatura water tower includes a portrait of Monash on one side and a “waterfall of poppies” on the other in a powerful display of remembrance.
After more than three years, the mural was finished in 2021 and stands in honour of the district’s wartime history, which included prisoner-of-war and internment camps.
“I am tremendously proud of our RSL Sub-Branch’s achievements, given we are only a very small Branch,” says Robert Mathieson, Life Member of the RSL and the Tatura RSL Sub-Branch Mural Committee Chairman. “The poppies were purposely painted as though flowing with blood, [in] never-ending remembrance.”
Artist Cam Scale also created a mural in Devenish, honouring the wartime service of local men and women as part of the Silo Art Trail.
The mural, depicting a World War I nurse and a modern-day combat medic standing in a field of poppies, was unveiled to commemorate the centenary of the end of World War I in 2018.
Devenish is also home to a mural painted by Tim Bowtell of a World War I nurse and soldier, featuring bright red poppies behind them.
The township of Stanhope now also features a mural honouring those lost in the sinking of the Montevideo Maru, a cargo ship carrying more than 1,000 Australian prisoners of the Japanese which was sunk by an American submarine in the early hours of 1 July, 1942.
Also created by artist Tim Bowtell, the mural was unveiled in 2022 and takes pride of place opposite the local Cenotaph. Despite its watery theme, red poppies feature prominently in remembrance of those lost that fateful morning.
The badge used for fundraising has also evolved from a simple handmade poppy badge for the first Armistice Day to today’s Poppy Appeal range, which includes a featured collection highlighting the service of Australians throughout the last 100 years. The 2024 range will include the new ‘Bugler Badge’ which includes three poppies side by side.
Australian servicemen and women have been involved in additional conflicts and peacekeeping missions in the more than eighty years since the Mufti editorial from November 1939. Yet the sentiment of the editorial remains truer than ever before: “For the memory enshrined in each poppy, for the sake of the bereaved, the shellshocked, and our disabled returned men in all their hardships and difficulties – give generously.”
Beyond the red poppy
While the red Flanders Poppy is synonymous with remembrance, other coloured poppies are now also widely used when remembering and honouring wartime service.
- White Remembrance Poppy: A symbol of peace, the White Poppy is used in remembrance of all casualties of war, including civilians.
- Purple Remembrance Poppy: The Purple Poppy remembers the animals who have served in wartime and who, like their human comrades, suffer from the deprivations of war, stress, injury, wounds, and death. Animals have been integral in several conflicts. They include horses, donkeys, dogs, and pigeons.
- The Black Poppy: though not widely used in Australia, the Black Poppy has gained prominence in other countries as a symbol of remembrance for all those who have died in war, invasion, and occupation. In the United Kingdom, the Black Poppy commemorates the service of African, Caribbean, Pacific Islanders, and Indigenous communities.
Author
Lisa Cooper
Dr Lisa Cooper is a historian and writer whose work focuses on Australia's wartime history. Lisa's career began when conversations with her late grandfather, a veteran of the 39th Australian Infantry Battalion in the Second World War, and her late father, a veteran of 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment in the Vietnam War, about their wartime experiences inspired Lisa to begin writing in 2007. Lisa graduated with a PhD in 2023 with her thesis examining the role of Australia's war graves units in the Second World War. Lisa has been a writer with RSL Victoria since 2014 and enjoys sharing stories on veteran experiences of war, both historic and contemporary, stories about Australia’s homefront during wartime, and on events from Australia's military history.
