Poppies planted across Delco to commemorate World War I
UPPER PROVIDENCE >> Even as county officials launched a poppy-planting initiative at Rose Tree Park Tuesday, gardeners of various ages were planning more places to grow the flower in honor of the 100th anniversary of World War I.
Delaware County Council and Destination Delco have been distributing poppy seeds throughout the county to commemorate the centen- nial of the United States en- tering World War I.
“Because it’s 100 years, we just want to remind people ... that even though they died, they died for us, for our freedoms and the way of life that we have,” county Councilman Dave White said. “And, we never want any of them, especially the 280 that gave the ultimate sacrifice in Delaware County, to be forgotten.”
The red poppies became a symbol of World War I after the publication of the poem “Flanders Field” by Canadian physician Lt. Col. John McCrea. He wrote it after his friend, Alexis Helmer, was killed in Belgium in 1915. In the poem, McCrea references the red poppies growing over the graves of the servicemen who were killed in battle.
On Tuesday, 11 students from the Williamson College of the Trades planted some seeds before going back to their school to finish up the huge poppy bed they’ve installed along Route 352. Across the street, Elwyn mirrored that effort with a bed of their own.
Down at Rose Tree Park, Tyler Tinsman joined his classmates in tossing the seeds.
“I think it’s cool,” the junior said. “I like that doing it for veterans.”
Another group participating in the effort were gardeners from the Penn State Master Gardeners Program.
Elanie VanGeyten of the Holmes section of Ridley and Stephen Hindy of Swarthmore had recently spent some time at Smedley Park in Springfield preparing the bed near the World War I memorial for poppy plantings.
“It was pretty overgrown,” Hindy said. “We just had to clear it out. (It) was pretty overgrown with turf and weeds and dandelions and other undesirable things.”
VanGeyten said she was grateful to honor veterans like this.
“As a wife of a veteran, you we’re really realize the sacrifices that these men and women make,” she said.
Her husband, John, has served in the Army Reserves for more than 36 years and was deployed four times – once to Germany during Operation Desert Storm; once to Bosnia; another time to Honduras; and then to Afghanistan for a year.
VanGeyten said it was good to remember those from another tumultuous time.
“It’s a wonderful thing that they’re doing this for the World War I veterans because they also need to be remembered,” she said.