MEMORIAL EMBLEM.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 September 1921, Page 6

MEMORIAL EMBLEM.

THE RED POPPY OF FLANDERS. ADOPTED BY N.Z.R.S.A. I The Dominion Executive of the N.Z.R.S.A. has adopted the red poppy as the memorial flower of the Allied dead. A day—probably Armistice Day or Anzae Day—will later be appointed for the wearing of the emblem. In adopting the emblem the R.S.A. has acted upon a request placed -before it. by Colonel A. S. Moffat (Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur), representing the French Children’s League. Colonel Moffat recently wrote to the association as follows:—“Shortly after the armistice was declared, the French Children’s League was started in France for the ameliorat ion of conditions among the childsj’ii of the devastated regions. During this last year the French committee agreed to adopt the poppy of Flanders as its emblem, and an invitation has been extended to the world war veterans in the Allied countries to adopt the poppy as the memorial flower of all Allied soldiers who participated in the war. Already tire returned soldiers of England, the United States and Canada have adopted resolutions at their national conventions accepting as their national emblem the poppy of Flanders field, known throughout the world in connection with the war. It was immortalised in Colonel M‘Rae’s great war poem — “In Flanders fields the poppies grow Beneath the crosses, row on row—” “My Mission to New Zealand and Australia at this time is to extend a cordial invitation to the Returned Soldiers’ Association to join in wearing the poppy on November 11 this year. “In order to supply an exact replica of the Flanders poppy the committee has had a large quantity of these made by the war widows and orphans o: devastated France. The emblems have been shipped from Paris to the various countries participating, each Government having remitted the duty on the poppies and the steamship companies and railroads, whether under Government or private control, having granted free transportation. It is planned to place these poppies on sale at a nominal price in all local associations throughout the country, in advance of Armistice Day. The net proceeds, after the expenses of the campaign have been deducted, may be divided between the work of the French Children’s League I and the relief of wounded soldiers ill New Zealand or any other relief which the association may choose.” The R.S.A. executive has set up a sub-committee to consider the details of the scheme.