POPPY DAY

Greymouth Evening Star, 6 April 1922, Page 2

POPPY DAY

LEST AVE FORGET (Written during the Second Battle of Ypres, April, 1915, by Dr. J. D. McCrae, Montreal). In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our places, and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly, Scarce heard amidst the guns below. We are Die dead. Short day ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved, and were loved, and we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the feel To you from falling hands we throw The torch. Be yours to hold it highIf ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields. Every soldier who served during the summer months will remember the red poppy of Flanders. Just as the fern typifies New Zealand, the wattle Australia, the maple Canada, so does the little red poppy Flanders. It was this sentiment that influenced the ex-sol-diers of Britain, Canada, ihc United States, Australia, and New Zealand to adopt the red poppy as the memorial flower to be worn in honour of our dead. On Monday, April 24, these flowers which were made in devastated Northern France, will be on sale in every city, town and township in New Zealand. Committees representing ladies’ organisations, soldiers 1 widows, soldiers’ wives, widowed mothers and the R.S.A. have been formed in the large towns, and everything is being willingly prepared for a successful day. The money left after paying for the poppies and all expenses will be used in alleviating hardship among ex-sol-diers owing to unemployment. Roughly speaking the net proceeds of a district will be spent in the relief of soldier unemployment in that district. The Government will probably be asked to grant a £ for £ subsidy, or 10/for £1 subsidy, so that the funds may be augmented. The absorption of unemployed soldiers in this manner will act beneficially on general unemployment throughout the Dominion. The price of each poppy is 1/- and it is hoped that the whole of the West Coast will rise to the occasion once more and buy all the poppies allocated to it. Ladies are urged to attend the public meeting at the Town Hall at 4 p.m. to-morrow to discuss local arrangements.