The Poppy - A Symbol of Remembrance

In his poem ‘In Flanders Fields’ John McCrae, wriote of his friend, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, who was killed at the Second Battle of Ypres. In the poem, McCrae describes poppies growing between the graves of British soldiers.
The poppy was later chosen as a symbol of remembrance because it was the first of the flowers to re-appear on the battlefields, and because of the three colours in this simple flower:

• the red petals represent the blood of those who gave their lives for their country
• the black represents the mourning of those whose loved ones never returned from the conflict
• the green leaf represents the grass which covered the graves, and the hope for the future 

But did you know that the leaf should be worn in a particular position? Imagine that the poppy is a clock face, the leaf should be positioned at 11. This is a reminder that the death and destruction of World War One ended at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.
whilst men wear their poppy on their left, many say that women should wear the poppy on their right side. This is because it has always been traditional for women to wear broaches on the right. Many women still feel they should wear the poppy on the right, but the British Legion say you can wear it anywhere, as long as you wear it with pride.