Le Bleuet de France: The French Poppy and Its Story
Most people in Britain will recognise the red poppy as the enduring symbol of Remembrance Day. But here in France, there is another flower with an equally poignant story: Le Bleuet de France, the little blue cornflower.
Although perhaps less familiar to British residents living in France, the Bleuet is an important national symbol of remembrance, honouring those who died in war and supporting those whose lives have been affected by conflict.
Why a Cornflower?
The French cornflower has a rather beautiful and moving history.
In ‘flowerspeak’, the ‘Bleuet’ or cornflower symbolises delicacy and innocence. It used to grow abundantly in France, and, like the poppy, was often the only sign of life, and colour on the battlefields of northern France, devastated by relentless trench fighting. Amid the mud, shell craters and destruction, wild cornflowers and poppies continued to grow, providing occasional splashes of colour in an otherwise bleak landscape.
The blue of the cornflower also had another significance. Young French recruits arriving at the front wore the distinctive new blue-grey uniform known as bleu horizon. These inexperienced young soldiers became affectionately known as les Bleuets (the little blues), distinguishing them from the older, battle-hardened soldiers already serving in the trenches.
The flower therefore came to symbolise both the youth and sacrifice of a generation, as well as hope and the possibility of renewal.
How Le Bleuet de France Began
The story of the Bleuet really begins with two remarkable women.
Towards the end of the First World War, French nurses Charlotte Malleterre and Suzanne Leenhardt were deeply concerned about the future of the many soldiers returning from the front with terrible injuries and disabilities.
They recognised that these men needed more than medical treatment. They also needed purpose, companionship, independence and the opportunity to rebuild their lives.
In 1925, the two women established a workshop at the Institution Nationale des Invalides in Paris, where wounded and disabled veterans could make little blue cornflowers from fabric.
The flowers were sold to the public, providing the men with an income and helping them regain a sense of dignity and purpose.
The idea gradually spread throughout France. In 1928, President Gaston Doumergue gave the initiative his official patronage, and in 1934 the first authorised public collection took place in Paris on 11 November.
The Bleuet had become France’s own flower of remembrance. (Le Bleuet de France)
What Does the Bleuet Support Today?
The work of Le Bleuet de France has evolved considerably since those early days.
Today, it provides financial, practical and psychological support to former and serving members of the French Armed Forces, veterans, wounded soldiers, bereaved families, children of those who have died for France and victims of terrorist attacks.
It is no longer simply about remembering those who died in the First World War. It is also about helping those who are still living with the consequences of conflict today.
The organisation continues to raise funds through the sale of commemorative cornflowers, fundraising campaigns and donations.
And unlike the traditional British Poppy Appeal, which is particularly associated with November, the Bleuet is also promoted around 8 May, when France commemorates the end of the Second World War in Europe.
The symbolic poppy is well known in France, mainly thanks to British footballers and celebs who are spotted wearing them throughout November. Le Bleuet however is unknown internationally and little known amongst the younger French generation.
Maybe it will never become high profile like the poppy in Britain, but it nevertheless continues to support veterans and their families. Look out for Le Bleuet de France in May and November and pin a cornflower next to your poppy.
Where Can You Find Your Bleuet?
If you would like to wear a Bleuet alongside your British poppy this November, you don’t need to search too hard.
The easiest option, particularly if you live in the Pyrénées-Orientales, is to visit the official online shop.
BUY YOUR BLEUET DE FRANCE ONLINE
The shop sells commemorative Bleuet items, and purchases help support the organisation’s work.
You can also make a direct donation through the official website:
SUPPORT LE BLEUET DE FRANCE
Alternatively, look out for volunteers collecting donations in French towns and villages in the days surrounding 11 November. You may also see the blue cornflower worn at local Armistice ceremonies.
One important point: you don’t have to wait until November to support the cause. Online donations and purchases are possible throughout the year.
For more information about the organisation, its history and the people it supports, visit the official website:
Perhaps this November, we can wear both flowers: a red poppy and a blue cornflower, remembering the sacrifices made by British, French and Allied servicemen and women.
The Little Bleuets – A Poem from 1916
The connection between the young French soldiers and the blue cornflower was captured beautifully in a poem by Alphonse Bourgoin, written in 1916.
Entitled Les Voici les P’tits Bleuets, it celebrates the young recruits heading off to war.
Les voici les p’tits Bleuets – Alphonse Bourgoin
Les voici les p’tits Bleuets
Les bleuets couleur des cieux
Ils sont jolis, gais et coquets,
Car ils n’ont pas froid aux yeux.
En avant partez joyeux ;
Partez, amis, au revoir !
Salut à vous, les petits Bleuets,
Petits Bleuets, vous notre espoir !
Here They Are, the Little Bleuets
Here they are, the little Bleuets,
The cornflowers, blue as the sky.
So pretty, cheerful and smart,
For they are not afraid.
Forward, go joyfully;
Go, my friends, farewell!
Greetings to you, little Bleuets,
Little Bleuets, you are our hope!
The poem captures the optimism and youthful courage of the young men, although we know that the reality awaiting many of them was to be very different.
Who Were the Poilus?
The French soldiers of the First World War are affectionately remembered as les Poilus.
Literally translated, poilu means ‘hairy one’, a nickname reflecting the rugged, unshaven appearance of the ordinary French infantryman who spent months, sometimes years, living in the trenches.
It was a term of affection and respect, evoking the image of the tough, courageous French soldier who endured extraordinary hardships.
The nickname was not entirely new. It had also been used for French soldiers during the Napoleonic Wars, but it became particularly associated with the men who fought in the trenches between 1914 and 1918.
The traditional image of the Poilu was one of courage, endurance and patriotic determination. But behind that image were men who experienced unimaginable suffering.
One of the darkest episodes came in 1917, following the disastrous French offensive at the Chemin des Dames when the poilus were said to have gone into battle baa’ing like sheep, to symbolise lambs to the slaughter….. as proved to be the case.
The attack, launched under General Robert Nivelle in April, resulted in enormous casualties without achieving its objectives. Exhausted by repeated offensives, appalling conditions and seemingly endless losses, French soldiers began refusing orders to return to the front.
Mutinies spread through numerous army divisions. These were not simply acts of cowardice or rebellion, but expressions of desperation by men who had lost faith in the military leadership and the strategy that was sending them to their deaths.
General Philippe Pétain eventually replaced Nivelle and introduced measures intended to improve conditions and restore morale. The army crisis was gradually brought under control, although punishments, including executions, followed.
The Poilus had endured more than most of us could ever imagine.
Their courage, suffering and sacrifice remain central to France’s national memory. (defense.gouv.fr)
Remembering Together
Whether you wear a British red poppy, a French blue cornflower, or both, the sentiment is the same.
They are small flowers with very big stories.
And for those of us fortunate enough to live in France, perhaps wearing both is a particularly fitting way to remember the men and women of different nationalities who fought, suffered and died during two world wars.
This November, why not pin a little blue cornflower alongside your red poppy?
Souvenons-nous. We will remember them.