Poppies for Remembrance

For the centenary of the Armistice in 2018, Amgueddfa Cymru − National Museum Wales extended a small touring exhibition Poppies for Remembranceinto a major display exploring how the poppy became the symbol for remembrance after the First World War, its history and its biodiversity.

The poppy has been closely linked to both healing and death from ancient times to today, inspiring both poets and artists. Wars were waged over the opium poppy and the narcotics derived from it fuel conflicts today. During the First World War, morphine, an opium derivative, was the strongest pain killer available and was widely used in battlefield medicine. The corn poppy was a common sight on the Western Front battlefields and became a popular symbol for remembrance after the war. Instead of the red remembrance poppy some people choose to wear the white peace poppy, first sold in 1933 by the Women’s Co-operative Guild, or the more recent purple poppy which commemorates animals killed in warfare.

Poppies for Remembrance encouraged visitors to contemplate loss and recovery. At the heart of the exhibition was the Well of Remembrance, offering visitors an opportunity to write on paper poppies their reflections on the impact of the First World War and subsequent wars on their families, and their thoughts on how they connect to the legacy of the war. Nearly 15,000 paper poppies were deposited in the well during the exhibition, and some quotes are included here.

Above: Poppies for Remembrance exhibition at National Museum Cardiff, 2018 © National Museum Wales

‘Peace and love make the world better. Remember those who lost their lives and those who continue to lose their lives as victims of war in the 21st century.’ ‘My Great Great Uncle William Hobbs aged 19 Drowned at Sea in the 1st World war. He was from Barry, S. Wales.’ ‘I will forever remember the sacrifices made by all who fought the war so we can live as we do today. We will remember them.’