The evidence of war is far more obvious here in Britain than it is in the United States. War memorials and statues of military leaders dot the city, and the area to the right of Syracuse University London’s classroom building was flattened by WWII bombing. The casualties of war in Britain have been immense with 908,000 killed and over 2 million wounded in World War I, 1,400,000 military dead in WWII and nearly 90,000 civilians killed by wartime bombing of British cities. This week, the memory of war was stronger than ever. November 11 is Remembrance Day, also known as Poppy Day, and for more than a week leading up to it, the country has come together to commemorate those lost in war.

Remembrance Day marks the signing of an armistice to end World War I. On Nov. 11, 1918 at 11 a.m., gunfire ceased on the Western Front, after more than four years of consecutive fighting. Since then, Remembrance Day is held in honor of Britain’s armed forces and to raise funds for troops and veterans.

About a week or two ago, I began to notice little red artificial poppies all throughout London. They were on people’s jackets, in the lapels of TV broadcasters, stuck on the grill of taxis and printed on the pages of newspapers. I asked a man on the tube what they were for and after he gave me a brief explanation, I decided to find out more.

Poppy seeds can lay dormant in the ground for years without growing, because the flower needs rooted-up soil to germinate. In Belgium, where WWI battles tore up the earth, fields of poppies bloomed in the spring. The tiny red flowers became a symbol of winter’s end, a sign of hope and a reminder of life. Worn by civilians, the poppy shows support for troops. The first Poppy Day, which occurred in 1921, raised 106,000 pounds. This year, the Royal British Legion raised 4,392,007 pounds, mainly for the armed forces in Afghanistan and veterans.

Last Wednesday, as I hustled to grab coffee before my 9 a.m. class, I stopped to buy a poppy from a veteran selling them on the street. I placed the tiny fake flower on my jacket, proud to show my support for the cause. As we approached Remembrance Day, the overwhelming British support only grew. I haven’t seen a group of people so unified since the months immediately following 9/11. I felt like I was one with the supporters. I had researched their cause and donated money. I blended in with the British.

But when I turned on the TV Wednesday to watch coverage of Poppy Day, I saw the coffins draped in flags and felt a different emotion. The British flag didn’t evoke the immediate sense of feeling and pride that comes instinctively with our stars and stripes. As much as I understand and support the poppy cause, I realized how strong my own nationalism is. After three months, much of London feels like home to me, but I sincerely doubt if any amount of time could ever make me identify with England’s symbols as strongly as I do with the symbols of America.

Courtney Egelston is a junior magazine journalism and political science major. Her column appears weekly and she can be reached at cbegelst@syr.edu.

Published on November 11, 2009 at 12:00 pm