Parliament ‘poppy drop’ highlights Remembrance tributes

By Taylor Retter

For the second year, 117,000 virtual poppies are being projected nightly onto the facade of Centre Block, falling softly one after another from the Peace Tower.

Each poppy represents one of Canada’s fallen since the beginning of the First World War in 1914. While “poppy drops” are customary during Remembrance Day commemorations — typically in the form of pinning the floral emblem on a memorial wreath or placing it on the base of a cenotaph — the Royal Canadian Legion said it hopes that having the digital light show encourages Canadians and tourists on Parliament Hill to “stop and take a moment to remember and think of the freedoms they enjoy in Canada,” according to a statement on the organization’s website.

David Flannigan, the legion’s dominion president, called the poppy projection “an inspiring visual memorial to all our fallen.”

There are also two screens on Parliament Hill displaying images of fallen soldiers throughout the light show — photos submitted by Canadians from across the country.

Legion spokesperson Nujma Bond said the idea of the campaign was to give Canadians another way to reflect on the sacrifice of war and allow people from across the country to pay tribute to veterans in the weeks leading up to Remembrance Day.

“People have told us that the display is beautiful and moving and have described a range of emotions from thankfulness towards veterans, to the pain of loss of a loved one,” said Bond.

The legion’s more conventional National Poppy Campaign began in late October and runs until Nov. 11, and all donations are used to support veterans programs. In 2015, for example, $19 million from the campaign was raised for initiatives to help former military personnel.

For volunteer Duncan McFarlane, selling poppies is a good way to remember veterans. “It’s important to respect our troops, and veterans, especially in a free country that values liberty like Canada,” he said.

Meanwhile, at the Canadian War Museum, there is another memorial taking place.

As part of the Vimy – Beyond the Battle exhibition, there is a ribbon wall meant to commemorate Canadians. Visitors to the museum can write the name of a person whose contributions, in times of war or peace, they wish to recognize.

The striking display allows museum visitors to pay tribute to friends and family, and museum officials said it’s the first time the LeBreton Flats military heritage centre has done the activity on this scale.

According to Sandra O’Quinn, a museum learning specialist, the interactive components of the exhibit are extremely well received.

“They have been very popular—judging by the sheer quantity of materials we have ordered over the course of the show,” she said.

Another way, she said, that visitors appreciate the opportunity to participate in a meaningful way is through the “Memory Garden” activity, where visitors are invited to write a personal message to someone they would like to remember on paper made of poppy seeds. The messages will be planted on the roof of the Museum in the spring and grow a garden of poppies.

“The Battle (of Vimy Ridge) was the first time all four divisions of the Canadian Corps fought together in the war, and it was a hard-won victory against a difficult enemy position,” O’Quinn said, referring to the landmark struggle against the German occupiers of France in April 1917.

“Although it did not change the strategic direction of the war, the victory at Vimy Ridge was a tactical victory and a significant morale-booster for Canadian troops. For some Canadians, Vimy has evolved to become the one wartime symbol with which they identify.”

The Vimy – Beyond the Battle exhibition is open at the Canadian War Museum until Nov. 13 in the Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae Gallery.