The Symbolism of the Red and White Poppies in Honouring Victims of War
The White Poppy
Remembering all victims
of war
Leicester Schools Peace Project
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First …
let’s look at
the red poppy
The red poppy
encourages us to
remember the
soldiers who died
or were injured in
wars since 1914.
The poet John
McCrae was so
touched by seeing
poppies growing in
the battlefield known
as Flanders in
France...
...that he penned this
poem.
The Red Poppy appeal is
organised by The Royal British
Legion, which supports veterans
and members of the British
Armed Forces.
Some have felt
uncomfortable with the
glorification of war that
wearing the red poppies
has edged into…
rather than the
sorrow
of
remembering the fallen and
injured soldiers.
So let’s look at the
white poppy.
In 1933 a group of
women wanted to
remember
all
victims of
all
wars.
They chose
the white
poppy.
Three years later
the Peace Pledge
Union took up the
white poppy too.
Why a white poppy?
White poppies represent three things:
1.
remember all victims of all wars (soldiers, children,
families on all sides),
2.
a commitment to peace,
3.
and a refusal to celebrate or glamourise war itself.
https://www.ppu.org.uk/remembrance-white-poppies
Now a story of a couple
of moments from a
Youth Camp, as a staff
member and a child
chatted.
This is how the staff
member told the story…
Jay (not his real name) is a happy, lively and
mischievous boy. He’d be happy with that
description of him. He was also a good football
player and even got a trial for Leicester City
football club!
He hopped on the bus, pointed to me and said
“I’m sitting next to you!” I thought “Oh my! 3
hours of ‘Jay’s energy’ on a journey to the
Dunfield camp grounds in Herefordshire!”
I was knitting white poppies.
Jay said he wanted to help.
So I gave him my trick scissors
which I knew would take him a long
time to work out how to open them.
While he was trying to puzzle out my
scissors, he asked, “Why are you
knitting white poppies?”
So I told him the story… He listened
very well. We talked about war…
h
o
w
w
a
r
d
e
s
t
r
o
y
s
b
u
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l
d
i
n
g
s
a
n
d
t
h
i
s
i
s
c
a
l
l
e
d
‘
c
o
l
l
a
t
e
r
a
l
d
a
m
a
g
e
.
’
Collateral damage means
destruction of more than
the intended target.
We talked about how horrifyingly war
kills many soldiers, and …
“Red poppies help us remember the
fallen soldiers in war…
But, I said, there are others that are killed in
war times.
Bombs kill the women, the grandpas and all
the children that are in those buildings that are
destroyed .
“And the very sad thing, Jay, is that those
children that are bombed are also called…
“
C
o
l
l
a
t
e
r
a
l
d
a
m
a
g
e
!
”
Jay’s reaction was shock on his face!
And then…
Tears in his eyes
I was so touched!
Well, Dunfield Youth Camp was
wonderful! Both the sports and the
camp gatherings were incredible.
That year Leicester youth leaders
were organising the devotions.
In the final worship we asked the
youth to get in twos or threes and
share something they’d learned.
No-one chose Jay! So I hopped off
the stage and joined him.
I repeated the question.
“What have you learned this
weekend at camp?”
Jay looked away and then
back at me,
and with intensity in his voice,
said quietly:
“
C
o
l
l
a
t
e
r
a
l
d
a
m
a
g
e
”
So … white poppies remember
all the people killed …
including children.
Pause for questions …
What does collateral damage
mean?
Why is it awful to call the
killing of children and families
“Collateral damage”?
Isn’t it really ‘murder’?
So wear a red poppy to
remember the soldiers.
But you can also wear a white poppy.
Wear a
white poppy
to remember
all
killed in war,
…especially those from …
Collateral Damage!
May one day all children be able to
“Sing peace around the world”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50i-KO-uNU8
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
2 Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his host!
3 Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars!
4 Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for he commanded and they were created.
6 He established them forever and ever;
he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.
The Leicester Schools Peace Project delves into the significance of red and white poppies in commemorating all victims of war. While the red poppy traditionally honors fallen and injured soldiers, the white poppy symbolizes a broader remembrance of all war victims, along with a commitment to peace and a rejection of glorifying war itself. Explore the history and meaning behind these poignant symbols.
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Presentation Transcript
Leicester Schools Peace Project The White Poppy Remembering all victims of war Opening song: I d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony : https://archive.org/details/youtube-wlR0KElxxVg
First let s look at the red poppy
The red poppy encourages us to remember the soldiers who died or were injured in wars since 1914.
The poet John McCrae was so touched by seeing poppies growing in the battlefield known as Flanders in France...
...that he penned this poem.
The Red Poppy appeal is organised by The Royal British Legion, which supports veterans and members of the British Armed Forces.
Some have felt uncomfortable with the glorification of war that wearing the red poppies has edged into rather than the sorrow of remembering the fallen and injured soldiers.
So lets look at the white poppy.
In 1933 a group of women wanted to remember all victims of all wars.
They chose the white poppy.
Three years later the Peace Pledge Union took up the white poppy too.
White poppies represent three things: 1. remember all victims of all wars (soldiers, children, families on all sides), 2. a commitment to peace, 3. and a refusal to celebrate or glamourise war itself. https://www.ppu.org.uk/remembrance-white-poppies
Now a story of a couple of moments from a Youth Camp, as a staff member and a child chatted. This is how the staff member told the story
Jay (not his real name) is a happy, lively and mischievous boy. He d be happy with that description of him. He was also a good football player and even got a trial for Leicester City football club! He hopped on the bus, pointed to me and said I m sitting next to you! I thought Oh my! 3 hours of Jay s energy on a journey to the Dunfield camp grounds in Herefordshire!
I was knitting white poppies. Jay said he wanted to help. So I gave him my trick scissors which I knew would take him a long time to work out how to open them. While he was trying to puzzle out my scissors, he asked, Why are you knitting white poppies?
So I told him the story He listened very well. We talked about war how war destroys buildings and this is called collateral damage. Collateral damage means destruction of more than the intended target.
We talked about how horrifyingly war kills many soldiers, and Red poppies help us remember the fallen soldiers in war
But, I said, there are others that are killed in war times. Bombs kill the women, the grandpas and all the children that are in those buildings that are destroyed . And the very sad thing, Jay, is that those children that are bombed are also called
Collateral damage! Jay s reaction was shock on his face! And then
Tears in his eyes I was so touched!
Well, Dunfield Youth Camp was wonderful! Both the sports and the camp gatherings were incredible. That year Leicester youth leaders were organising the devotions. In the final worship we asked the youth to get in twos or threes and share something they d learned. No-one chose Jay! So I hopped off the stage and joined him.
I repeated the question. What have you learned this weekend at camp? Jay looked away and then back at me,
and with intensity in his voice, said quietly: Collateral damage
So white poppies remember all the people killed including children.
Pause for questions What does collateral damage mean? Why is it awful to call the killing of children and families Collateral damage ? Isn t it really murder ?
So wear a red poppy to remember the soldiers.
Wear a white poppy to remember all killed in war, especially those from Collateral Damage!
May one day all children be able to Sing peace around the world https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50i-KO-uNU8
