Poppies of Remembrance

The red poppy as an official symbol of remembrance came about due to largely due to the work of two women – French lecturer Anna Guérin (1868–1961) and American professor Moina Michael (1869–1944) – humanitarians who campaigned over many years to have the poppy made an international symbol of fundraising for those affected by war. The Returned Sailors and Soldiers Imperial League of Australia, the forerunner to the Returned and Services League (RSL), officially adopted the red poppy emblem for its remembrance activities in August 1921.

The white poppy is an international symbol of remembrance for all casualties of war, whether civilians or armed forces personnel. As a symbol of peace, it seeks to encourage unity and hope and to challenge attempts to glamourise war. In Australia, some see the white poppy as an alternative to the red poppy, others see it as complementary and choose to wear both.

White poppies were first produced as an item of remembrance in 1933 by the Women’s Co-operative Guild, England. The guild was concerned about remembrance events becoming militarised, as well as (well-founded) fear of another war.

Animals have been put to many uses in war. In the context of Australian forces, these important tasks have included tracking by dogs, transport of soldiers and equipment by horses, camels and donkeys, and message delivery by pigeons. To commemorate all the animal deeds and sacrifices in war, the not-for-profit Australian War Animal Memorial Organisation issues a purple poppy badge. The National Day for War Animals in Australia is observed annually on 24 February and is way to recognise the service and sacrifice of these animals, for the sake of humans.