The reason for red poppies

World War I was unlike any other previous war. The Great War took an unprecedented toll of 40 million soldiers and civilians as the it ravaged the landscape of Europe.

But out amongst the rubble, beautiful red flowers began to grow and take root, much like a forest being reborn after a fire.

The flower soon became a symbol for those who lost their lives, following the publication of a poem called “In Flanders Fields.”

Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae was a doctor in Canada when he volunteered for WWI. He served as a brigade surgeon for an Allied artillery unit.

McCrae, like so many others, witne...