Thanks Kate & Damian for posting on this.

Poppy Campaigns will start across the country this friday.
In Canada the Poppy is a regst trademark of the R.C.Legion.
The R.C.Legion Does Not Sell the Poppy & it is by Donation.
The R.C.Legion however does sell Remembrance Wreaths that maybe displayed in your store window for Example or used in your church service or cenotaph service, You should contact your local Legion Branch for details.
Funds rec'd are to be used for Veterans Services Only( this has been expanded to include Youth Programs around Remembrance Day IE: Poem & Poster contest)
Finacial reports are sent by Branches to their respective commands for Review & should also be posted in local newspapers where possible.
The Poppy should be worn on the Left side & is the Only item that can be placed above the Queens Crown IE: Lapel Pin containing Queens Crown.
Most communities observe Remembrance Church services the Sunday before the 11th.

My Grandfather, service # 400001, was with Lt. Col. McCrae when he wrote In Flanders Field.
I shall never forget his musings about that time and his lifelong pride at being a member of the Colour Guard at McCrae's funeral.
I wear, with pride, the poppy not only in recognition of them but of the thousands of other who sacrificed their lives for our liberty.

My family and I always attend the Remembrance ceremonies, we always wear the poppy. Our children wear the poppy sticker (good idea). I am worried if an adult, not being careful might poke a child with the metal pin. Is there any plans for the Legions poppy to be altered to be safer, like some of the other countries who have a more safe environmentally friendly paper one.

As a vet,I wear the poppy with pride. And if your worse worry is getting poked by a pin,then you have not really thought about what wearing it means.Next you will be advocating bike helmets.Damn.

Justthinkin-I am a recent vet (with much pride)also so I'm sure you can relate to the casualties of war as I can, of which I've seen to much. I innocently inquired about the safety of babies. Your response to my earlier question was very ignorant to the safety of the ones I have been trying to protect. Thank you for your understanding. Read the comments and stop being so cranky, soldier.

Isn't putting poppies on babies who know not the meaning of them rather silly?

Darrell, thank you for your service, where did you serve?

atric:
Did you put in an extra ought (zero)?
Was your grandfather a lieutenant?
Reason I ask is there are two with that number.
If he is the Lieut., Col. McCrae was the medical officer who signed his papers at Valcartier.

Now, now, you two, let's not start a war over it.
What bugs me is that so many people want to teach our children that the poppy is a reminder that war is always evil and that we should never go to war again. That would be nice, but the poppy is in remembrance of those who died doing their duty. I have always preferred Binyon's and McCrae's and Brooke's poetry over that of Owen's and Sassoon"s, not because one was a better poet, but because the other brought politics into it.

I wont need to buy a poppy this year.

I still have the one from last year on my leather jacket.

Ive been known to grab a bunch of them from the poppy box and hand them out on the street. it an inobtrusive way of course.

Liz J I suppose you have the same complaint about infant Baptism. I think he was talking about children as opposed to wee babies. Teach 'em young, I say. Yes Justthinkin is cranky, but he probably earned the right, and Darrell, we thank you too, for your service to the country

Grab a handful of poppies did you curious? That must have hurt, prick; or rather, that must have been a prickly experience.

As a kid I had the poppies from previous years pinned to my bedroom curtains - I'm sure you remember the iterations - the older ones had red/then black/then green centre. Family members came by one weekend without poppies - I took them from my curtain and distributed them. After our social outing, I asked for them back - they had all thrown them away. Nice.

I'm not so comfortable with white poppies:

http://www.ppu.org.uk/poppy/

The solution to sticking one's self is the "Canada pin in the centre" to fix it to your garment - surefire way for your poppy not to end up on the sidewalk - but I still prefer to go through a few per November and spend an extra few bucks.

My Grandfather, service # 400001, was with Lt. Col. McCrae when he wrote In Flanders Field.
I shall never forget his musings about that time and his lifelong pride at being a member of the Colour Guard at McCrae's funeral.
I wear, with pride, the poppy not only in recognition of them but of the thousands of other who sacrificed their lives for our liberty.

I remember when I was on the high school debate team and we had a big tournament this time of year (in the late 90s) and our coach specifically told us not to wear poppies because it would antagonize the (university student) judges. I still wore the poppy, because come on, but, yeah, definitely was in the minority on that one, pathetic.

Gellen. My bad. His service # was 40001 and he was a mere Acting Corporal with the Canadian Army Medical Corps.
I have his service records but they are scarce as far as useful information is concerned. I did learn however that he was shipped to a field hospital in Boulogne for a few days as he was suffering from hemerrhoids.

Erik Larsen....."gracefully surrender the things of your youth"...good luck....
Justthinkin and Darrell.....misery likes company...you are not the only ones fading away....we all reserve/deserve the right to be cranky!!
Hereabouts we have some fellas with flyable Harvards who always do a superb missing man over the Woodstock Cenetaph.......nice touch....

Sasquatch. Respect those Harvard Airmen. One of them lives just north of Woodstock just east of Hwy.59.
Had the opportunity a few years ago to take a flight in one of those ( a gift from my wonderful wife) and it was fantastic.
If you ever attend the cenotaph, check out James Brown Jr ( WW1) and Gordon Pronger (WW11)

atric:
I thought from the age it would be the other soldier.
Acting Cpl or Pte, in the medical corps he did a great service.

When I am cranky,the socialist pigs house next to mine will not be standing.What I am upset about,is that people do not realize what the poppy represents.As mentioned,it is for the men and women who have given the ultimate to allow me the freedom to wear it,while latte scum try to take that right away.Anybody ever see a poppy worn in commie Russia? Thought not.

Isn't putting poppies on babies who know not the meaning of them rather silly?
I agree to a point Liz but it is a stunning example of what was sacrificed. The people we commemorate never had the chance to have their own babies or see their grand kids. Some gave their lives for three squares a day and some gave their lives so that baby would be free. Seeing the helplessness of a baby makes that all the more important that we remember what was lost.

"His service # was 40001 and he was a mere Acting Corporal with the Canadian Army Medical Corps." atric @ 18:00

There no such thing as a "mere" anything in those days. Those lads did a job that very few these days could stomach. I'm sure that a lot of chaps, including my grandfather, would have welcomed the care provided by a "mere Acting corporal". He probably did, now that I think of it. He was wounded in the war to end all wars.

btw, I'll bet dollars to donuts that your grandfather was a bit miffed that he wasn't one place up on that recruiting line.

"mere" Sergeant, retired

Texas Canuck

atric @ 18:00. I agree with Texas Canuck "no such thing as mere" and also as a vet, wear a fresh poppy every year on every jacket I have. In Saskatchewan you need different weights of jackets in fall.

I understand the Legion's desire to have the poppy worn next to the heart, but I wish that members of the CF could wear it on our head dress next to the hat badge.

Be you RCR, an Air Force member wearing the Jimmy or a hard sea trade wearing your crown topped fouled anchor, there is meaning in that little emblem

Atlanticjim....when I visit my Legion on Remembrance Day,it is in my uniform,and my poppy is right beside Chicken in the Basket. My veteran's poppy is right beside my wings. Both are there for the one's who did not return,from both wars,Korea,Vietnam,Afghanistan,and any peace time action.When a grizzled old veteran reaches out,and touches my grandfathers(both)medals on my chest and simply smiles with tears,there is no more humbling,and uplifting respect that can be given. Per Ardua Ad Astra (and may you have following winds)

One of my prouder moments was Remembrance Day in 1996, my last of 36 years in uniform. In Prague, I stood and took the salute between a Czech and a Pole on their first Remembrance Day after the collapse of the Soviet Union; the British Embassy provided a piper. Not long before, my companions and I had been pointing guns at each other. A number of old veterans had dug out their RAF uniforms, long hidden in the attic during the communist years, and were eager to talk of their flying experiences. It was a memorable occasion!

Now, I wear a St. John Ambulance uniform and lead a contingent of Therapy Dogs each November 11. I never miss this occasion and have attended events in England and the Netherlands. A number of schools invite veterans to talk about their experiences and I think that should be mandatory!

Dave Fletcher, good for those guys. Hopefully they do not have to hide them again.

I wear a brass poppy that I bought at a curio shop in Vancouver. It feels good to wear it. I don't think it matters where you wear it, what counts is what it means! I wear mine on my collar. God Bless the vets!!

PS: The plasitic poppy and the the pin is archaic! I think thay should have scrapped it decades ago! It's dangerous, it's a poor fastener, and it displays poor workmanship. Coloured brass looks best!

Dave Fletcher- I salute you, and your comrades, and I want to extend my big Thank-You. Not enough of us have an appreciation of the vital role that you collectively played in securing the freedom we now enjoy.

With a number of branches having to close due to reclining membership, and others like ours who can't find the volunteers to sell wreaths and offer poppies on the street, I'm wondering in a couple of years where the poppies will come from.
This year there are still a few over 85-yr old vets taking their turn, but the young ones haven't caught the torch.

My poppy IS environmentally friendly. I recycle it year after year so there is no need to cut down a tree to make a disposable paper one. I will donate every year, but I wear the same poppy I've had for over a decade.

As for the pins and children, maybe the kiddies need to learn not to poke themselves and that pins are sharp and they should be careful. One wonders how past generations grew up with all those dangers, like poppy pins, at every turn!

I'm getting a little off topic - but I'm going down my own memory lane - growing up in Saskatoon in the 1960s, I was a cub scout holding a flag in the hockey arena for the Remembrance Day ceremony.

One memorable thing was the sound that was easy to hear after people stood and sat - the slow *chink - chink - chink* of medals knocking each other.

What a sound!!!

Gellen, Here in Sarnia Ontario I, along with several other members of a Kiwanis Club are volunteering our time to distribute poppies. I would like to think that other communities will rise to the occasion and do so as well.It's much too important to let go.

As for the "mere" acting corporal posting, I was just trying to distuingish him from the Officer mentioned.No slight intended to any rank.

With No Disrespect
Military Medals are to be worn Only by the Recipient,This is a federal law. In other words you are not by law allowed to wear your fathers,mothers, grandfathers etc. military medals as they are not yours. This was even brought to the floor of the HoC a few yrs back where a MP wanted to wear her fathers WWII medals on the 11th. This was voted down.

From Veterans Affairs Canada
Frequently asked Questions section

Can i wear my father's(brother's,relatives')medals?

Medals may only be worn by the veteran. It is a criminal offence offense to wear military medals that someone else has earned.

I tend to seek out Ken Jones, a local veteran, to get my poppy, and make a point of shaking his hand and thanking him. He also does talks during the year at local schools. As nice a man as you would ever meet.