Closed effective April 3rd for 28 days due to Province Wide Lockdown
Closed effective April 3rd for 28 days due to Province Wide Lockdown
The Poppy Campaign and Remembrance Day will be different this year due to Covid-19.
Restrictions due to Covid-19 are in place and there will be no public Remembrance Day service for safety reasons.
We are asking the public to please refrain from coming to the Memorial Park Cenotaph on Remembrance Day between 10:30 am – 11:30 am and to honour the 2 minutes of silence from wherever they are. During this time of reflection, please pause and honour, thank and remember our Fallen.
We welcome the public to please visit the Memorial Park Cenotaph to pay your respects during the Poppy Campaign from October 30th – November 11th (Nov 11th 10:30-11:30 am excluded) and to please practice physical distancing at all times.
We would also like to ask that with all the changes for this year, to please remember to wear a Poppy and to post a Poppy in your window for everyone to see as a visual pledge to never forget those who sacrificed for our freedom.
Lest we Forget
Raising the Poppy flag at the newly revitalized Memorial Park Cenotaph in Port Hope, Ontario.
The Poppy Campaign 2020 officially runs from October 30th - November 11th, 2020.
(1st Vice Bill Hodges, 3rd Vice Al Wilson, Cenotaph Chairman Wayne Stephens, Ladies Auxiliary President Arlene Pettipas, President Andre Labrosse and Poppy Chairman John DeBoer)
Each November, Poppies bloom on the lapels and collars of millions of Canadians. The significance of the Poppy can be traced back to the Napoleonic Wars in the 19th century, over 110 years before being adopted in Canada. Records from that time indicate how thick Poppies grew over the graves of soldiers in the area of Flanders, France. Fi
Each November, Poppies bloom on the lapels and collars of millions of Canadians. The significance of the Poppy can be traced back to the Napoleonic Wars in the 19th century, over 110 years before being adopted in Canada. Records from that time indicate how thick Poppies grew over the graves of soldiers in the area of Flanders, France. Fields that had been barren before battle exploded with the blood-red flowers after the fighting ended. During the tremendous bombardments of the war, the chalk soils became rich in lime from rubble, allowing the “popaver rhoeas” to thrive. When the war ended, the lime was quickly absorbed and the Poppy began to disappear again.
The person who first introduced the Poppy to Canada and the Commonwealth was Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae of Guelph, Ontario, a Canadian Medical Officer during the First World War. John McCrae penned the Poem “In Flanders Fields” on a scrap of paper in May, 1915 on the day following the death of a fellow soldier. Little did he know then that those 13 lines would become enshrined in the hearts and minds of all who would wear them. McCrae’s poem was published in Punch Magazine in December of that same year, and the poem later served as inspiration three years later for Moina Michael, an American teacher. Moina Michael made a pledge to always wear a Poppy as a sign of Remembrance.
During a visit to the United States in 1920, a French woman named Madame Guerin learned of the custom. Madame Guerin decided to make and sell poppies to raise money for children in war-torn areas of France. The Great War Veteran’s Association in Canada (our predecessor) officially adopted the poppy as its Flower of Remembrance on July 5, 1921.
Today, the Poppy is worn each year during the Remembrance period to honour Canada's Fallen. The Legion also encourages the wearing of a Poppy for the funeral of a Veteran and for any commemorative event honouring Fallen Veterans. It is not inappropriate to wear a Poppy during other times to commemorate Fallen Veterans and it is an individual choice to do so, as long as it’s worn appropriately.
Thanks to the millions of Canadians who wear the Legion’s lapel Poppy each November, the little red flower has never died, and the memories of those who fell in battle remain strong.
In Flanders Fields
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae
~ May 3, 1915
Canadian Veterans have served throughout history in a broad range of conflicts and situations – from world wars to peacekeeping missions to crises on the homefront.
The Royal Canadian Legion is committed to honouring and remembering all Veterans, whether they served in theatre or on Canadian soil, whether they kept the peace or fought for
Canadian Veterans have served throughout history in a broad range of conflicts and situations – from world wars to peacekeeping missions to crises on the homefront.
The Royal Canadian Legion is committed to honouring and remembering all Veterans, whether they served in theatre or on Canadian soil, whether they kept the peace or fought for peace, whether they found themselves in combat or in support of operations.
Fighting for freedom
The Legion honours and supports Veterans of Canada from all wars – recent and past.
Afghanistan War
2001 - 2014
Korean War
1950 - 1953
First World War
1914 - 1918
Persian Gulf War
1990 - 1991
Second World War
1939 - 1945
South African War
1899 - 1902
Peacekeeping
Canadian Veterans have protected the rights and freedoms of Canadians and people from countries all over the world through peacekeeping missions. The Legion supports Veterans of missions including Lebanon, Somalia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Haiti, Sudan, and others.
On the Homefront
Many Canadian Veterans have played a critical role in protecting Canadians on the homefront – whether from fires, floods and other threats, these men and women have risked their lives for our safety and protection.
The Legion also understands the sacrifices of military families, the fathers, sons, mothers and daughters who have endured alongside Canadian Veterans. The Legion strives to support those families through a range of programs and referral services.
Honouring and remembering Canada’s Veterans
The Legion acknowledges the end of conflicts and does not commemorate the start of conflicts. The most sacred day of Remembrance is Remembrance Day. Every year, on November 11, the Legion recognizes all of Canada’s Veterans, serving and retired, and commemorates our Fallen, including the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces, RCMP, Peace Officers, Merchant Navy, and Reserves. On that day, we also honour the families and their losses.
Canadians often associate The Royal Canadian Legion with Remembrance ceremonies and events.
Through these initiatives, we honour and remember Canada’s fallen Veterans and help ensure Canadians never forget.
The Legion is responsible for planning and coordinating annual Remembrance Day ceremonies in communities across the country, includi
Canadians often associate The Royal Canadian Legion with Remembrance ceremonies and events.
Through these initiatives, we honour and remember Canada’s fallen Veterans and help ensure Canadians never forget.
The Legion is responsible for planning and coordinating annual Remembrance Day ceremonies in communities across the country, including the national ceremony in Ottawa.
For many, our most widely known activity is the annual Poppy campaign that leads up to Remembrance Day. Legion members and other volunteers distribute tens of millions of Poppies, and gratefully accept donations to raise money in support of Veterans and their families.
While November is recognized as a time of Remembrance, for the Legion and for many across the country, Remembrance is a year-long commitment. At any given moment, there are many opportunities available to anyone wishing to show their appreciation for those who served, including:
Most importantly, take a moment now and then to reflect on the freedoms and peace in your life, and to remember the men and women who served and sacrificed for all we have today.
Copyright © 2018 Royal Canadian Legion Branch 30 Port Hope - All Rights Reserved.