Thousands of handmade poppies weave a lasting tribute to remembrance in Paris

Casandra Turnbull

Managing Editor

More than 11,500 handmade poppies, hundreds of volunteer hours and a shared commitment to honouring Canada's veterans have come together in a remarkable community project celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Legion and Paris Branch 29.

What began as an idea inspired by poppy displays in other communities has blossomed into a lasting tribute to remembrance, with thousands of knitted and crocheted red poppies now adorning public spaces throughout Paris. Behind every poppy is a volunteer who contributed time, creativity and care to a project that has brought generations together while honouring those who served and sacrificed for their country.

The initiative was spearheaded by Cheryl Humphrey, a member of the Paris Legion's 100th anniversary committee, who first proposed the project in early spring 2025. Her inspiration came partly from photographs of the Tower of London's famous ceramic poppy installation in England and a visit to Stratford, Ont., where a similar display had caught her attention the previous November.

Humphrey also saw an opportunity to use the Legion's milestone anniversary to strengthen connections with the broader community.

"The legion serves veterans in the community but also donates and supports several area needs. It was hoped that we could make more members of the public aware of what we do and how we are an active part of Paris. Awareness of the 100th Anniversary was also a goal," she explained.

With no specific target for the number of poppies and little certainty about how many people would participate, organizers issued an open invitation for volunteers to pick up their knitting needles and crochet hooks.

The response exceeded expectations.

Over the following months, more than 15 knitting and crocheting workshops brought residents together to create the individual poppies. Some attended organized sessions, while others worked quietly from home, stitching while watching television before dropping off their contributions at the Legion, local workshops or Mary Maxim, which supported the initiative by collecting poppies and offering discounts on red and black yarn.

The project quickly extended beyond Paris, attracting contributions from as far away as Vancouver, Belleville and Timmins.

"Each time we hit a new mark (usually say 3, 5, or 7 thousand) we realized that we were on a roll finally ending with over 11,500 poppies," Humphrey recalled.

Although the total number of participants was not recorded, Humphrey estimates more than 20 volunteers were particularly dedicated to the project, with countless others contributing along the way. While several Legion members participated, most volunteers came from the broader community.

Local retirement and seniors' organizations, including Telfer Place, Queensview and the County of Brant Seniors Active Living Centre, welcomed workshops and contributed to the growing collection.

A crochet group established at Braemar House School in Brantford donated more than 400 poppies to the Paris and Brantford projects. Humphrey was especially pleased that the students continued crocheting other items after their contribution was complete.

The project welcomed participants as young as six and others over 80, demonstrating that remembrance can bring people together across generations.

By June 2026, the call for poppies had ended and attention shifted to assembling the thousands of individual flowers into large display blankets. Six netting bees were organized throughout the summer, allowing volunteers to attach the poppies to netting that could be installed at various locations.

These gatherings also created opportunities for people who could no longer knit or crochet to participate in a meaningful way.

"The netting bees allowed many who could no longer knit or crochet to still be part of the project. The happy and satisfied looks on the faces of the participants was wonderful to see," Humphrey said.

Several members of County of Brant council and their families also participated after Humphrey encouraged councillors to get involved. Steve Howes and his wife, Lukas Oakley and Jennifer Kyle helped attach poppies during one workshop, while John Bell and his wife joined volunteers at the netting sessions.

For Humphrey, however, the greatest reward was not simply watching the number of poppies grow. It was witnessing the friendships, conversations and sense of belonging that developed along the way.

"I have met friends that I did not know I had. The dedication, enthusiasm, and generosity of our great community has been humbling and sometimes overwhelming with some members of the community attending workshop after workshop," she said.

Some participants were experienced knitters and crocheters, while others learned new skills specifically for the initiative. Humphrey emphasized that every contribution mattered, regardless of whether one person's poppy looked exactly like another's.

Workshops were filled with laughter, conversation and opportunities to reconnect with old friends. During breaks, Humphrey also shared historical accounts of how women in the Paris area endured wartime shortages and the absence of loved ones during the Second World War.

That connection between generations adds another layer of meaning to the project. During both world wars, Canadians on the home front knitted socks, mittens, scarves and other necessities for soldiers overseas. More than eight decades later, volunteers have once again gathered around knitting needles and yarn, this time creating symbols of remembrance for those who served.

Among the many individuals whose contributions stood out was Diane Sugden, who crocheted an extraordinary 979 poppies. Margaret Gillard prepared thousands of poppies for attachment to the netting, while Ellen McCleary and Martine Emery helped teach participants. Janice Labron was also actively involved in creating the displays, particularly at the cenotaph.

The completed poppy blankets can now be seen at the Paris Legion and cenotaph, with another recently added to the William Street Bridge. Displays have also been donated to the Paris Museum, Queensview and the Canadian Military Heritage Museum, organizations that supported the Legion's centennial celebrations.

The Paris project is part of a growing movement across Ontario and beyond, where communities are transforming thousands of individually crafted poppies into large-scale public tributes.

In Strathroy-Caradoc, approximately 10,000 poppies were collected for a project marking the 100th anniversary of the Strathroy Cenotaph. Orangeville launched a similar initiative in 2022, eventually displaying more than 3,000 handmade poppies on its downtown clock tower.

Humphrey also drew inspiration from projects in Stratford and Cambridge. Closer to home, communities including Burford, Ayr and Brantford have undertaken similar initiatives, while Sudbury has decorated its Bridge of Nations with poppies.

Although each installation is unique, they share a common purpose: bringing communities together through a powerful symbol of remembrance.

The red poppy has held a special place in Canadian history for more than a century. According to the Royal Canadian Legion, it became a national symbol of remembrance in 1921 when it was adopted by the Great War Veterans' Association, a predecessor of today's Legion.

Its significance is closely tied to In Flanders Fields, the poem written in 1915 by Canadian physician and soldier Lt.-Col. John McCrae during the First World War. His words immortalized the red poppies growing among the graves of fallen soldiers in Belgium, helping establish the flower as an enduring symbol of sacrifice.

Today, the poppy continues to honour Canadians who died in military service, while the Legion's annual Poppy Campaign raises funds to support veterans and their families.

Humphrey said there are no immediate plans to expand the project, but the blankets will be preserved and displayed annually, with smaller volunteer efforts organized as needed to repair or replace individual poppies.

As she reflects on the project and the generosity of everyone who contributed, Humphrey hopes residents recognize a message that extends well beyond the thousands of red flowers.

"A reminder of the trials and sacrifices that everyone made during the wars that we have been involved in. Community involvement is an integral part of living through tough times and it is what keeps us connected and strong."

For a project that began with a single idea and grew into more than 11,500 poppies, that spirit of connection may be its most lasting legacy.

"A generous huge and heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped out. Many stitchers simply left poppies at drop off locations and sadly I never met them to thank them personally."