poppies

Description: Two original pressed poppy flowers, "Poppies from Battlefield of Givenchy. Gathered in 1916. Presented by Mr. Randle Taylor, 102 C.E.F."

Object History: The poppies were gathered on the battlefield of Givenchy in 1916 and presented by Mr. Randle Taylor, 102nd Battalion C.E.F. Randle Taylor (1881-1963) was a Canadian citizen and resident of Vancouver. Randle Taylor volunteered for service on February 15, 1916. The Battle of Givenchy took place between December 18 and December 22 in 1914. The 102nd Battalion CEF was authorized on December 22, 1915, originating from Northern British Columbia. The Battalion embarked for Britain on June 18, 1916 and disembarked in France on August 12, 1916 where it fought as part of the 11th infantry Brigade, 4th Canadian Division in France and Flanders until the end of the war. Red field or corn poppies grew wild in clusters on and around the battle zones in the regions around Belgium and France. In May 1915, these vibrant red flowers caught the attention of a Canadian soldier by the name of Major John McCrae and inspired his poem "In Flanders Fields". During and after the war the poppy and its connection with the memory of those who died in that war was expanded to help the military and civilian survivors of that war.

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