AN IMPORTANT artefact dating from the early days of the Poppy Appeal has undergone vital conservation work at the National Army Museum, writes Alexander Nicoll.
It was in 1922 that Earl Haig established the first poppy factory in Richmond, Surrey. Four years later Lady Haig established a poppy factory in Edinburgh to produce poppies exclusively for Scotland. Not only were the Scottish poppies of a different design to those sold elsewhere in the UK, but from its inception the Scottish Poppy Appeal has always operated independently from The Royal British Legion’s appeal in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The conserved Scottish poppy dates back to the 1930s. It was donated to the National Army Museum (NAM) by Ms Grant-Hunter and related to her grandfather, Private David Chapman, who served in the Royal Army Service Corps from 21 September 1914 to 14 September 1918. At the time it was purchased, poppies were made from a range of materials such as silk and paper, all of which were sold at different prices. It was not until 1954 that it was decided that only one style of paper poppy should be produced, and which would no longer be sold for a set price but given as a token in response to a donation to the charity.
