Remembrance Day is a day to commemorate the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war, specifically since the First World War. It is observed on 11 November to recall the end of World War I on that date in 1918. The day was specifically dedicated by King George V, on 7 November 1919, to the observance of members of the armed forces who were killed during war.

The poppy's significance to Remembrance Day is a result of Canadian military physician John McCrae's poem In Flanders Fields which begins with the lines:

I n Flanders’ fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row

McRae’s poem was inspired by the death of a fellow officer at the Second Battle of Ypres (1915) and was published in the British magazine Punch in December of the same year.

Inspired by the poem, Moina Michael began campaigning to get the poppy adopted as a national symbol of remembrance in the United States, and in September 1920 the American Legion agreed that the poppy would become its symbol.

In 1922, the British infantry officer Major George Howson set up a factory in England where ex-servicemen were employed to make poppies for the British Legion. His aim was to generate money to help support war veterans and their families by selling the poppies.

The factory is still operating today, employing 42 veterans with a further 90 involved in assembly work at home. Between them they produce over 30 million poppies a year. And the money raised from selling them still goes to help support ex-servicemen and their families.