About this record

This is a proforma letter from the secretary of the Melbourne district of the Returned Sailors’ and Soldiers’ Imperial League of Australia (RSSILA). It seeks financial support for their headquarters at Anzac House through the purchase of poppy tributes to mark Armistice Day. The letterhead reads ‘Poppy Day, 11 November, 1925’. The writer requests that the business owner who receives the letter should celebrate the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice by purchasing a wreath of poppies to attach to the firm’s honour roll.

Educational value

• This letter represents an early use of a red poppy as a symbol of the sacrifice of lives in war. The corn poppy (Papaver rhoeas) was common in the fields of France and Belgium and came to be known as the ‘Flanders’ poppy. It was first described as the flower of remembrance by Canadian doctor and poet Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae in his poem, ‘In Flanders Fields’, about the First World War. The first silk poppies, made in France, were sold in Australia on Armistice Day 1921.
• This letter is an example of postwar efforts to assist the thousands of returned servicemen, many of whom were incapacitated by the war. Disability pensions and medical treatment after discharge were often inadequate. Many returned soldiers suffered emotional disorders such as anxiety, nightmares and insomnia. Just as they had done for serving personnel during the war effort, volunteer organisations rallied to support the veterans. The scale of financial and medical support the Australian Government needed to provide veterans was huge, and led to the establishment of the Repatriation Department in 1918.
• The RSSILA was formed in 1916 to support serving and ex-service defence force members and their families. The organisation evolved out of the camaraderie and mateship of the forces. It was set up to provide the returned servicemen and their dependants with assistance, including pensions, medical attention, homes and suitable employment. The RSSILA is now known as the Returned and Services League (RSL) of Australia.
• The letterhead states that the fundraising appeal is for ‘Liquidation of debt on State Memorial Building, Anzac House’, with the headquarters of the RSSILA listed as 151 Collins Street, Melbourne. It became traditional for all buildings which operated as headquarters for the RSSILA (and now the RSL) to be called ‘Anzac House’. The RSSILA opened their new Anzac House headquarters at 4–6 Collins Street in 1938.
• The RSSILA letterhead bears the names of distinguished patrons such as Field Marshall Earl Haig, General Sir John Monash, Field Marshall Sir William Birdwood and HRH The Prince of Wales, who lent their support to the war-veteran community. Field Marshall Haig, the British Commander-in-Chief, organised the British Legion to support British ex-servicemen. General Monash was a much-respected Australian general in World War I and remained active in veteran communities after his retirement from the army.
• The poppy is always worn on 11 November, Remembrance Day, which is one of two main annual war service commemorations. Remembrance Day, also called ‘Poppy Day’ and ‘Armistice Day’, was first held in 1919 to mark the anniversary of the signing the Armistice that formally ended the First World War, at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. Anzac Day on 25 April, first celebrated in 1916, has become Australia’s foremost day of war commemoration.