Helping Hands: How the iconic Buddy Poppy came to be

We are approaching Memorial Day rather fast right now, and I have chosen to share a little history of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Buddy Poppy.

The poppy movement was inspired by the poem “In Flanders Field” by Canadian Colonel John McCrae before the United States entered World War I. The first two lines of the poem reads: “In Flanders Fields the poppies blow, Between the crosses, row on row.”

Selling replicas of the original Flanders’ poppy originated in some of the allied countries immediately after the Armistice (Nov. 11, 1918). That’s 90 years ago in November!

No organized sale of poppies on a nationwide scale was conducted in America until 1921, when the Franco-American Children’s League sold poppies for the benefit of children in the devastated areas of France and Belgium.

Madam Guerin, “the poppy lady from France” asked for, and received the cooperation of the U.S. VFW after the Franco-American Children’s League was dissolved early in 1922. The sale was prior to Memorial Day that year and used only poppies made in France. In 1923 there was difficulty getting French-made poppies so they used those on hand and the balance was provided by a firm making artificial flowers in New York City.

It was during the 1923 campaign that VFW developed the idea which resulted in the VFW Buddy Poppy, fashioned by disabled and needy veterans who were paid for their work as a practical means of providing assistance for these comrades. The plan was formally presented for adoption to the 1923 Encampment in Norfolk, Va. Almost immediately the VFW Poppy Factory was established in Pittsburgh, where all VFW Buddy Poppies for the 1924 sale were assembled by disabled veterans. The name Buddy Poppy originated with the men and was adopted at that time.

In February 1924, VFW registered the name “Buddy Poppy” with the United States Patent Office and a certificate was issued on May 20, 1924 granting the VFW all trademark rights in the name of “Buddy” under the classification of artificial flowers. The VFW has made that trademark a guarantee that all poppies bearing that name and the VFW label are genuine products of the work of disabled and needy veterans. No other organization, firm or individual can make legal use of the name “Buddy Poppy.”

Today, VFW Buddy Poppies are assembled by disabled, needy and aging veterans in VA Hospitals and living quarters across the country. The majority of proceeds from Buddy Poppies are retained locally to provide for veteran services and welfare. It provides compensation to the veterans who assembled the poppies, financial assistance in maintaining state and national veterans’ rehabilitation and service programs, and partially supports the VFW National Home for orphans and widows of our nation’s veterans.

The American Legion also has a poppy fund raising project. It started out with a daisy plan but soon changed to the poppy. That was in 1923 and continues to date. In fact American Legion Post #324 here offers them during “Remembrance Week” this month and before Memorial Day in exchange for donations. We are encouraged to wear them to pay tribute to the nation’s honored war dead. It is a red crepe paper poppy which is hand made exclusively by hospitalized veterans for the welfare of needy veterans and their families throughout the state of California.

ABOUT THE WRITER:
Helen Bendure is a correspondent for the Desert Dispatch She can be contacted at rimrock83@aol.com