Where can I get a Belgian Daisy?

[Ron Clifton]

On 12/12/2017 at 15:39, DoubleD said:

Being a Yorkshireman, who has lived in Scotland for over 47 years, here's another question for you. Slightly tongue in cheek of course! Should I use the Scottish Poppy or the British Legion Poppy?

As long as the "Scottish poppy" is provided by the Royal British Legion Scotland, I would go with that.

 

Ron

[healdav]

On 12/12/2017 at 09:59, SiegeGunner said:

I bought an enamel pin badge in the shop at the IFF Museum in Ieper earlier this year, which an assistant told me represented the Belgian national flower of remembrance.  It was a flower of the daisy family, I think, but not the common-or-garden lawn daisy.  The grippy disk that holds the pin in place was not very effective and it fell out of my lapel unnoticed soon afterwards, so I am unable to describe it or take a photo.  As far as showing respect goes, I think is fine for each nationality to use their own symbol of remembrance, and a poppy placed on a Belgian monument/memorial is perhaps a more distinctive token of inter-national solidarity than a little-known daisy.  You certainly see more poppies than forget-me-nots in German cemeteries.  

My long experience is that every nationality has heard of the poppy, and often not their own symbol. I take a handful of poppies to every commemoration I go to, and hand them out. The are always appreciated, and one woman even came proudly to me the following year to show off the dress covered in poppies that she had bought especially!

[DoubleD]

Ron and healdav,

 

Thank  you for your comments.

 

I can see from your profiles that you both have much more experience than I do, and also the experience of guiding people on their tours of the battlefields. Of course you are right about every nationality knowing about the poppy, and we will be using poppies as well. I am not trying to replace the poppy in any way.

 

There is an opportunity though to introduce the idea to the young people that other countries are now looking to use their own Flowers of remembrance. I think that that provides them with some food for thought, and they will then form their own opinion.

 

Just one example is the Bleuet. When I contacted the French Embassy in Edinburgh, the Consul General replied immediately, and invited the young people going on the trip to visit the Embassy and collect the Bleuet before they go, and then to tell them about their experiences in France when they return (and hopefully try and speak some French as well).

 

Thanks again,

Dave

[DoubleD]

Ron and healdav,

 

Thank  you for your comments.

 

I can see from your profiles that you both have much more experience than I do, and also the experience of guiding people on their tours of the battlefields. Of course you are right about every nationality knowing about the poppy, and we will be using poppies as well. I am not trying to replace the poppy in any way.

 

There is an opportunity though to introduce the idea to the young people that other countries are now looking to use their own Flowers of remembrance. I think that that provides them with some food for thought, and they will then form their own opinion.

 

Just one example is the Bleuet. When I contacted the French Embassy in Edinburgh, the Consul General replied immediately, and invited the young people going on the trip to visit the Embassy and collect the Bleuet before they go, and then to tell them about their experiences in France when they return (and hopefully try and speak some French as well).

 

Thanks again,

Dave

[von Smallhausen]

On ‎13‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 20:06, Aurel Sercu said:

Jan,

 

Has the daisy always been a Belgian symbol since the war ? Or only in more recent years (decades) ?

But maybe I can find the answer in what Jef showed, which indeed was the booklet I had in mind (and in my hands, this morning).

 

In the IFFM shop I was told that in Germany there are different geographical (regional) variations as to which flower is the Gedenkblume ? True. But I can find the answer to my question in the booklet too.

 

Aurel

Dear Aurel,

Many years ago, the late Tony Debruyne told me  the Volksbund used the "Ginko Biloba" as plant. I saw envelopes of the Volksbund with a printed leaf of the Ginko. Under the leaf the text: Gegen das Vergessen . Maybe that's the answer you were looking for????. By the way, I was told a Ginko Biloba survived the  atomic bomb of Hiroshima.

Kind regards,

Jef

[Aurel Sercu]

Jef,

I had a quick look in the booklet 'Flowers of Remembrance'. As you know the daisy is mentioned of course, and the evolution, but no mention of the Ginko Biloba. (But there is of white poppies and purple poppies.) I myself had never heard of the Ginko biloba as used by the Volksbund.

Aurel

[von Smallhausen]

3 hours ago, Aurel Sercu said:

Jef,

I had a quick look in the booklet 'Flowers of Remembrance'. As you know the daisy is mentioned of course, and the evolution, but no mention of the Ginko Biloba. (But there is of white poppies and purple poppies.) I myself had never heard of the Ginko biloba as used by the Volksbund.

Aurel

Hello Aurel,

Sorry Aurel, think I mixed up with a project http://www.volksbund.de/bremen/schularbeit/projekt-ginkgo.html.

kind regards,

Jef

[OXI390]

Yes I design and make lapel pins and brooches for remembrance including daisy's for Belgium, Cornflower (le Bleuet) for France, Marigold for India

www.lestweforgetuk.com  the site is being refreshed at the moment, so does not contain some of the new items,

our main badge making site info is www,classicbadge.com

[OXI390]

Parts of Germany also have the kornblumen (Cornflower) the Kaisers favouriteother parts have the pale blue Forget-me-not.

www.lestweforgetuk.com

[DoubleD]

Thank you so much for the information. I did manage to get a daisy for our trip from the tourist information people in Ypres. I will definitely have a look at your site though. May be something for our next trip!

 

Dave