How much do you know about Remembrance poppies?
During November you will often see people wearing poppies and wreaths and displays of poppies, like this before Manchester City played Bournemouth, are common too
- Published
In the weeks before Remembrance Sunday, you will see lots of people wearing and carrying poppies.
The poppy is a symbol of remembrance for those who have died in conflict.
They're often connected to World War One but actually represent all wars.
So here are some other things you need to know about them...
- Published27 October 2023
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Why are poppies red?
Remembrance poppies are red because that's the colour of the actual flower.
One of the main reasons we associate this flower with remembrance is that after World War One the battlefields of France and Belgium were muddy ruins.
However after the fighting ended, the fields flourished with the bright red poppy flower which became a symbol for the lives lost.
What are poppies made of?
The first poppies were actually made of silk and have been made of different materials over the years.
Since 2023 the Royal British Legion have been producing a poppy made entirely of paper.
This means it can be recycled in your normal paper recycling bin.
There are also other types of poppy such as wreaths, metal badges, charms and broaches.
A soldier stands alongside the Heavy Horse sculpture at Baillieston holding the four-petal Scottish poppy
In Scotland poppies are made at Lady Haig's poppy factory in Edinburgh.
When it was founded back in 1926, it introduced a different style of poppy - designed by Lady Haig - and has stuck to it ever since.
It has the same colour, but it has four-lobed petals and no leaf.
Poppy with a leaf or without a leaf?
A poppy on display before the Premier League match between Leicester City and Nottingham Forest at the King Power Stadium on October 25, 2024
In nature, poppies don't have leaves and, originally, neither did the Royal British Legion's poppy.
In the 1960s a leaf was introduced for the first time and after that they were an optional extra.
From 1995, poppies with leaves included were made available for the first time.
PoppyScotland's four-petalled poppy, however, has no leaf.
When did people start wearing poppies?
Wreaths of poppies were on display as Queen Elizabeth II marked Remembrance Day at the Cenotaph in 2015
The (Royal) British Legion was founded on 15 May 1921 and for the first ever Poppy Appeal, they ordered a million poppies from campaigner Anna Guérin.
However, back then the poppies weren't made out of paper like they are today. They were made out of silk.
Another eight million were manufactured in Britain and, in 1922, a factory was set up where disabled former soldiers were employed to make the poppies.
Where should you wear a poppy?
Queen Camilla and the Princess of Wales wearing poppies at the National Service Of Remembrance At The Cenotaph in 2022
Lots of people wear poppies on the left-hand side of their jumpers or coats - next to their hearts.
However according to the Royal British Legion there is no ‘correct’ way to wear a poppy.
They say it's a personal choice whether someone chooses to wear a poppy, and where and how they choose to wear it is up to them.